The use of existing networks for General Surveillance of GMP is recommended in Directive 2001/18 and EC Regulation 1829/2003.  Existing networks have been established for specific purposes: to monitor several areas of protection (like biodiversity, plant diseases) and to inform Authorities and the public in case of adverse incidents.  Within the last years, several research groups have tried to identify such programs, to assess their suitability for GMP monitoring and to look for technical solutions to link their data with GMP cultivation.  The results of these investigations are still unsatisfactory.  Networks are established only in small regions, they are not at all harmonized within the EU, the frequency of data sampling does not correspond to the needs of GMP monitoring, or the data quality or availability is not manageable for applicants.  It therefore might be more suitable not to use the detailed data of such networks but rather use them as a filter collecting only incidents.  A Central Reporting Office might work as a collecting point of reports, adverse incidents, or recommendations published by these networks, manage this information for a GMP monitoring and provide it to applicants or CA.