- EFA’s Food Allergy Working Group worked on how to develop European pictograms for allergen labelling to help food allergy patients understand food labels when travelling abroad. The group views on the “may contain” mention were requested by the European Commission, who is preparing the future food labelling legislation.
- EFA’s COPD Working Group continued working on EFA's advocacy priorities at European level, namely diagnosis, prevention and awareness on COPD, as well as pulmonary rehabilitation for patients. In particular, the WG proposed to widely inform about how simple physical exercise can improve patients’ quality of life, a topic EFA will take on in 2017.
- EFA’s Environmental Determinants Working Group adopted a definition of indoor air quality from a patient perspective, discussed the upcoming opportunities to influence the National Emissions Ceilings Directive, and the European Commission plans to review the carcinogens and mutagens directive to limit the workforce exposure to certain chemicals.
- EFA’s Patient Education working group conducted a patient education survey among EFA Members to set a baseline on how patient education is organised in different European countries, and how EFA members boost allergy, asthma and COPD literacy among patients.
- In 2016 we launched a communications network and a new visual identity. EFA’s new logo is a colourful butterfly and a flower that connects the air we breathe with the food we eat. Butterflies are amongst the most vulnerable beings on earth. Allergy, asthma and COPD patients experience the fragility imposed these chronic diseases but as butterflies, they can live free and independent when empowered by their environment.
Our network of expert patients
Throughout the year we have animated and supported our working groups on expert patients that regularly meet to discuss about specific topics.
