This document contains recommendations for countries seeking to implement national biosecurity regimes. In 2008, the European Council approved conclusions intended to prevent the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Following those conclusions, each European Union Member State committed to adopting new regulations to prevent the use of biological agents as weapons. The first set of recommendations focuses on combating potential biological attacks at the national level. The second set of recommendations deals with the handling, storage, and transportation of potentially hazardous biological materials at the facility level. The recommendations are based on the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and UN Resolution 1540.

This set of recommendations was authored by the Spanish government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the branch of the Spanish Government responsible for overseeing the nation’s foreign policy and promoting international cooperation on policy issues. The resource was originally published in Spanish, but an English translation is available. This guide may be useful for national legislative leaders seeking to implement a comprehensive biosecurity regime, especially those based in an EU member state. No updates are planned at this time.