Political Initiatives
National news
Finnish Allergy and Asthma Programme 2008-2018 labelled as EU Best Practice
Designed and implemented by the Finnish health authorities from 2008 until 2018, the Finnish Allergy and Asthma Programme has been a pioneer health intervention leading to great health outcomes and savings. The Finnish Allergy and Asthma programme has led to tangible improvements in the prevention and management of allergy and asthma, but also to greater awareness and decreases in the costs associated with the diseases in the country.
With a scientifically validated documentation providing the positive impact it has had across sector, the Finnish Allergy and Asthma Programme was submitted to the 2022 NCD call on Best Practices. The Programme was selected among the 15 top Best Practices submitted in the year and presented to the EU Member States for their consideration for transferability under the EU4Health programme.
The Finnish Allergy and Asthma Programme has been the only best practice on allergy and respiratory diseases presented to the Member States.
United Action for Allergy and Asthma – a European political Call to Action
The European Parliament Interest Group, EAACI and EFA launched the European political Call to Action “United Action for Allergy and Asthma” in April 2017 during a policy event in the European Parliament (Brussels). The Call to Action was promoted via a pan-European advocacy campaign uniting all strategic European and national stakeholders as well as interested individuals to help drive action and policy responses to allergy and asthma, in support of patients’ rights.
In only five months, the campaign secured broad endorsement and received ample coverage in the European press. It was supported by nearly 190 national and European organisations, more than 5,000 individuals from across Europe and over 32 policy-makers.
European Parliament 115/2016 Written Declaration on Chronic Respiratory Diseases
With the support of EFA, EAACI and 7 other European health and respiratory organisations, 12 members of the Interest Group and colleagues tabled a written declaration on Chronic Respiratory Diseases in the European Parliament in autumn 2016, calling on the European Council and the European Commission to act for better prevention, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation in Chronic Respiratory Diseases. The Declaration was supported by over 250 Members of the European Parliament from 26 EU countries.
European news
Event on the EU NCD Healthier Together Initiative and its impact on allergy and asthma health
The European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy & Asthma organised in September a policy event: “For an EU NCD Initiative that prevents and cares – Connecting the dots for better allergy & asthma health in Europe”. It was co-hosted by the Chair of the Interest Group, MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP-Finland), Vice-Chair MEP Juozas Olekas (S&D-Lithuania), and the Group’s newest member MEP Ladislav Ilčić (ECR-Croatia).
The event took place in the European Parliament and was the first event of the Interest Group conducted in a hybrid format since its formation in 2015, with members of the European Allergy and Asthma Youth Parliament, a group that advocates change for all young allergy and asthma patients across Europe, present in the audience on-site.
The event focused on the chronic respiratory diseases strand of the EU Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Initiative with speakers, including EFA Vice-President Marcia Podesta and past President Mikaela Odemyr, on behalf of patients, young advocates, healthcare professionals and clinicians, academia. The speakers shared their recommendations to envision an EU NCD initiative that improves prevention, management, and care for all, with a focus on allergy and asthma, two of the most common and prevalent chronic respiratory diseases in Europe.
During the discussions, a recurring commentary from all present stakeholders emerged: that people living with allergies and asthma live with a huge emotional and physical burden, and while the EU NCD Initiative is a positive step forward in addressing the needs of patients, there remains more work to be done to address the challenges patients go through. The increasing prevalence of allergy and asthma was unanimously recognised, and various stakeholders, including the MEPs taking a position in the discussions, acknowledged the need for collaboration between the various stakeholders to centre patients and their needs in all health policies.
Patients and young advocates shared their experiences with allergies and asthma, highlighting the misconceptions and the necessity to have patients involved in policy discussions, as they possess the utmost understanding of the needs for a better quality of life. On the other hand, healthcare professionals and clinicians shed a light on the importance of having a strong medical community that can support patients and share their expertise with policymakers.
After the event, MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen and members of the European Youth Parliament on Allergy & Asthma engaged in an informal yet lively Q&A discussion, where young patients had the opportunity to share their experiences and concerns living with allergy and asthma, and the MEP to share insights from her work at the European Parliament.
You may read the full report of the event here.
The recording of the event is available here.
European Commission responds to Parliamentary Question on allergy prevention, support and research policies
In the context of the highly anticipated 'Healthier Together – EU Non‑Communicable Diseases' (NCDs) initiative, the Chair of the Interest Group, Sirpa Pietikäinen, alongside the Vice-Chairs Juozas Olekas, Manuel Pizarro and Tilly Metz submitted in June 2022 a question for written answer to the European Commission on the integration of allergies in future policies of the EU.
EAACI-EFA - Statement on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, supported by the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma
EAACI and EFA welcome the European Commission’s Beating Cancer Plan that was presented in February 2020. The scope of ambition of the Plan is positive, as it takes into account prevention and care measures by addressing air pollution, chemicals, and tobacco, as well as quality of life. The Plan emphasises the need to prioritise health across all policy fields, and to remove barriers and address health inequalities.
Cancer is one of the lead causes of mortality around the world that has accounted for 26% of deaths in 2016 in the EU. Europe's Beating Cancer Plan will help address the challenges not only posed by cancer in the EU, but also other chronic disease areas such as allergy and asthma which impose an immense burden on patients and health care systems across the EU.
Click here to read the full statement on the European Commission’s Beating Cancer Plan.
Statement - EP Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma on the European Green Deal
On the first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7 September 2020, the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma reminds the importance of air quality for human health and the key role of the European Green Deal in ensuring clean, breathable air for all, reducing the number of deaths and diseases from environmental pollution and mitigating the impact of climate change.
As a group of MEPs dedicated to supporting policy actions to address the unmet needs of allergy and asthma at the EU level, we welcome the Deal’s objectives including achieving zero pollution, transitioning to clean energy and sustainable mobility, halting loss of biodiversity, reinstating healthy ecosystems and increasing the traceability and sustainability of food from farm to fork.
Click here to read the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma Statement on the European Green Deal.
Events
Event on addressing unmet patient needs in allergy and asthma
The European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy & Asthma hosted a virtual policy event on ‘Addressing unmet patient needs in allergy and asthma care’ on 13th January which was co-hosted by two of the Vice-Chairs of the Interest Group, MEPs Juozas Olekas (Socialists & Democrats – Lithuania) and Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA – Luxembourg).
Against the backdrop of the new EU Pharmaceutical Strategy and the revision of key legislation such as the EU general pharmaceutical law and medicines for rare and paediatric diseases, the event provided with an opportunity to understand the unmet needs that patients with allergy and asthma face today to foster patient-centred EU pharmaceutical policies.
Speakers and the audience focused on key challenges linked with patient unmet needs in allergy and asthma care, such as access to medicines, patient involvement in pharmaceutical strategies and research, improved treatment methodologies, and the opportunities offered by digital health.
You can watch the recording of the event here and read the full event report here.
Digital Launch Event: Policy recommendations of the European Allergy and Asthma Youth Parliament
The European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma invites you to the digital launch of the European Allergy and Asthma Youth Parliament’s policy recommendations "Growing up with Allergy and Asthma – How EU policymakers can support young allergy and asthma patients to live better lives".
Hosted by Sirpa Pietikainen (EPP/Finland) and Tilly Metz (Greens/Luxembourg) Chair and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma, the recommendations offer new ideas to address the specific needs of young patients with allergies and asthma in Europe.
The event will take place online on Thursday 10 December at 15:15-16:45 CET. The agenda and more information can be found here.
Policy roundtable - 'A new direction for allergy and asthma health in Europe'
On 20 November 2019, the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma held its first meeting of the 2019-2024 legislature. Hosted by the co-chairs of the Interest Group, Sirpa Pietikäinen (Finland, EPP) and Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (Romania, EPP), the policy roundtable entitled ‘A new direction for allergy and asthma health in Europe’ explored the way forward across key policy areas in addressing allergy and asthma. Speakers and participants discussed the economics of prevention, air pollution &respiratory health/allergies, and research & precision medicine. Please find the event agenda here. The press release for the event is available here and the summary event report here.
Launch event - United Action for Allergy and Asthma - 25 April 2017
The “United Action for Allergy and Asthma” pan-European campaign (more information in “legislative and policy actions”) was launched during a two-hour policy discussion that gathered over 90 participants in the European Parliament, with interventions by representatives of the European Commission, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, respiratory doctors and allergy/asthma patients. Hosted by the co-chair of the Interest Group, Sirpa Pietikäinen (Finland, EPP group), and group members Nathalie Griesbeck (France, ALDE group) and Karin Kadenbach (Austria, S&D group), the event was opportunity to discuss the benefits of prevention, good practice examples in addressing allergy and asthma, and measures to drive improvements in care.
The Allergy Awareness Event “Test Your Allergies 2016” in European Parliament ends with promising outcomes; Allergy Exhibition - Test Your Allergies 2016 26-28 April 2016
The Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma convened a three-day exhibition in the European Parliament in Brussels “Test Your Allergies 2016” including allergy testing sessions and a policy event on “Allergy at the forefront of EU Chronic Diseases Policy: The road towards better prevention and management of Allergy in Europe”. Nearly 400 people got skin prick tested for allergies and visited the exhibition site, including 17 Members of the European Parliament and European Union officials. The initiative successfully achieved its aim to raise awareness on the burden of allergies in Europe amongst EU policy-makers and the broader European civil society.
Policy Meeting - Allergy and Asthma Patients need Clean Air in Europe – 1 July 2015
In the context of the review of the EU National Emissions Ceiling (NEC) Directive, the Interest Group, EAACI and EFA organized a policy meeting to discuss and debate the ongoing EU efforts to review clean air legislations in Europe. The meeting welcomed patients’ representatives, medical specialists, academia and industry as well as representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and health and environment organisations.
Launch of the EP Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma – 25 March 2015
This meeting in the European Parliament marked the start of the activities of the Interest Group, articulated around the aims to provide a strong and unified contribution to EU policies on allergy and asthma health, chronic diseases, air pollution, and research among others; while raising awareness of the growing incidence of asthma and allergy in Europe and developing a network of MEP ambassadors supportive of increased research on allergy and asthma prevention, treatment and management.
Publications
2022 Event Report: For an EU NCD Initiative achieves better allergy and asthma health in Europe
On 29 September, the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy & Asthma held a policy event: “For an EU NCD Initiative that prevents and cares – Connecting the dots for better allergy & asthma health in Europe”. It was co-hosted by the Chair of the Interest Group, MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP-Finland), Vice-Chair MEP Juozas Olekas (S&D-Lithuania), and the Group’s newest member MEP Ladislav Ilčić (ECR-Croatia).
The event took place in the European Parliament and was the first event of the Interest Group conducted in a hybrid format since its formation in 2015, with members of the European Allergy and Asthma Youth Parliament, a group that advocates change for all young allergy and asthma patients across Europe, present in the audience on-site.
Read the full report here.
2022 Event Report: Addressing unmet patient needs in allergy and asthma care
The European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy & Asthma hosted a virtual policy event on ‘Addressing unmet patient needs in allergy and asthma care on 13th January 2022, which was co-hosted by two of the Vice-Chairs of the Interest Group, MEPs Juozas Olekas (Socialists & Democrats – Lithuania) and Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA – Luxembourg). Against the backdrop of the new EU Pharmaceutical Strategy and the revision of key legislation such as the general pharmaceutical law and medicines for rare and paediatric diseases, the event was a timely opportunity to set the scene for allergy and asthma with experts from across sectors.
Read the full event report here. You can watch the recording of the event here.
2020: European Allergy and Asthma Youth Parliament Event Report: Growing up with Allergy and Asthma
On 10 December 2020, the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy & Asthma and the European Allergy & Asthma Youth Parliament launched its recommendations "Growing up with Allergy and Asthma - How EU policymakers can support young allergy and asthma patients live better lives".
We were excited to welcome over 100 young patients, policymakers, and healthcare experts to hear from young allergy and asthma patients directly on how to improve their quality of life. We hope you enjoyed hearing from our speakers on topics including digital health, EU policy, the role of healthcare providers in raising awareness, and the involvement of young patients in decision-making.
Read our event report to find:
- The key messages from the high policy level participants (dedicated to the cause European Parliament MEPs), board representatives of the respiratory associations, youth parliament members and academic experts.
- An executive summary of the presented policy recommendations, for youth participation categorised in the themes of Prevention, Care, Inform
You can review the recording of the event on EFA’s Youtube Channel.
2020: Recommendations from the European Allergy & Asthma Youth Parliament "Growing up with Allergy and Asthma"
On 10 December 2020, the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy & Asthma and the European Allergy & Asthma Youth Parliament will launch its recommendations "Growing up with Allergy and Asthma - How EU policymakers can support young allergy and asthma patients live better lives".
The “Growing up with Allergy and Asthma" recommendations outline what needs to be done at EU level to turn youth recommendations into reality. It offers a holistic approach to healthcare initiatives, that explores how young people can be actively involved in policy decisions impacting their health, to create healthy environments for everyone to enjoy a good Quality of Life. The recommendations also examine how digital tools can be used in healthcare to help patients and medical professionals in better prevention, treatment, and care.
2019: Breakfast Policy Meeting in the European Parliament
On 20th March 2019, the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma hold an event on "Championing a renewed EU agenda on Allergy and Airways diseases for a healthier Europe" in the European Parliament, co-hosted by Members of the European Parliament Sirpa Pietikäinen and Pavel Poc. Click here to access the summary report.
2019: European Parliament Interest Group Blueprint
The European Parliament Interest Group launched a blueprint on the 20th March 2019 in the European Parliament. The Interest Group blueprint pinpoints the links between allergy and asthma and industry sectors such as transport, the environment, agriculture, food and consumer products. While focusing also on the links with research and digital technologies, the Blueprint recommends establishing European Centers of Excellence to help improving patient’s quality of life through programmes and best practices. It reiterates the groups’ commitment to forward-looking EU policies in prevention, care and research for the benefit of people living with allergies and asthma in Europe; and sets the tone for potential work areas of the Interest Group after the EU elections in May.
The blueprint is accompanied by an "achievements" paper which provides an overview of the main policy milestones and work of the Interest Group in 2015-2019.