The 2024 EFA AGM took place in Stockholm on 8th April 2024. We warmly thank our community hosts, the two EFA members in the country, the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association and the Swedish Heart and Lung Association.
The most important governance event of the year for the EFA community was opened by the Swedish Minister of Health, Ms Ako Ankarberg Johansson, who addressed a strong patient-centric speech, acknowledging the important work that patient organisations do to inform the policies that she drives in the country. Ms Johansson highlighted the establishment of the first ever Swedish Allergy Programme, which has been defined in close cooperation with the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. The programme has the ambition to enlarge the pathway of impactful healthcare system interventions for better quality care for allergy patients.
During the AGM EFA presented the accounts and activities from 2023. Both documents were approved, as well as the 2024 workplan and budget.
We were delighted to welcome two new patient associations to EFA: the AAA Association from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Malta Eczema Society, enlarging not only the number of EFA members to 45, but also increasing our representation to two new European countries.
Lastly, the AGM approved a new membership fee criteria to apply from 2025. The new fee structure will ensure more inclusivity and accessibility for the whole EFA Community as the fee for each member will be set according to their annual income. The fee levels range from 50 to 500 Euro annually.