In 2022, EFA welcomed three new members to our vast network of national patient associations. The AGM voted to approve full EFA membership for COPD Patients’ Society of Turkey (KOAH Hastalari Derne\u01e7i).<\/strong> The organization is a non-governmental organization that has been founded by the carers of COPD patients and volunteers with the aim of providing cooperation among its members, enlighten the public regarding COPD diagnosis and treatment and increase the quality of life of the patients. They help their community by spreading efforts in communicating knowledge and providing needed contributions related to all issues.<\/p>\n\n\n The AGM also welcomed Icelandic Lung Association (Samt\u00f6k lungnasj\u00faklinga – SLS)<\/strong>. The organisation was established in 1992 by lung patients and people interested in the well-being of lung patients and prevention. Their goal is to work on welfare and in the interests of lung patients by promoting education and research on lung disease, strengthen preventive work on any kind and active counselling and dissemination of information for lung patients especially regarding their right.<\/p>\n\n\n Slovak Association of Allergic and Asthmatic Patients (Slovensk\u00e1 asoci\u00e1cia alergologick\u00fdch a astmatick\u00fdch pacientov – SAAAP) <\/strong>was also approved as full membership. The organization is a non-political, voluntary, charitable, humanitarian, independent association of citizens and legal entities operating in the territory of the Slovak Republic. SAAAP aims to actively support citizens and patients suffering from various types and forms of allergy.<\/p>\n\n\n In addition, two EFA Members Allergy and Me (Serbia) and Dru\u0161tvo AD (Slovenia), transitioned from Trial to Full Members in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the three new members, we established promising relationships with several other unaffiliated but potential members from Slovakia, Spain, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also developed a recruitment strategy based on a mapping of the status of patient organisations in the WHO European region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Members Re-Union<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In May, EFA held a Member Re-Union in Iceland, gathering 21 EFA associations. It was the first time EFA members met in person after the two years of pandemic. The event featured best practice pitching, working groups, educational sessions on the impact of climate change and the European Health Data Space as well as further brainstorming on how to action the takeaways from the AGM. EFA was honored to collaborate with EFA Board Secretary Fr\u00ed\u00f0a \u00de\u00f3r\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir from Asthma and Allergy Society of Iceland, who welcomed all of us in Reykjav\u00edk and hosting the first face-to-face Members Re-union after the hard years of COVID19. On behalf of all EFA Membership we thank you for your hospitality and unforgettable Icelandic experience<\/p>\n\n\n EFA working groups<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n EFA working groups played a critical role in maintaining network communication, building advocacy strategies and receiving feedback on EFA project deliverables including reports, policy recommendations, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the year, EFA organised 11 working group meetings: Allergy and Asthma, COPD, Atopic Eczema, Food Allergy, Prevention and Patient Education Working Groups gathering 78 participants. Among these were workshops on digital health and the EU Healthier Together-NCD Initiative. Overall, the majority of Members were either \u2018Very Satisfied\u2019 or \u2018Satisfied\u2019 with their participation in EFA working groups, stating that they found them \u2018Extremely\u2019 or \u2018Very Useful\u2019 and learned \u2018A lot\u2019 or a \u2018Great Deal\u2019 from both EFA and their fellow members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2022, EFA focused on community building. We ran a Membership Survey to learn about the changes in our network and improve synergies and engagement. The results served to guide discussions on how to improve the logistical aspects of network coordination as well as brainstorm priorities for projects and advocacy. EFA\u2019s new Members In 2022, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":539,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page_2022.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-594","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/efanet.org\/annual-report\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/LOGO-COPD-Patients-Society-of-Turkey-300x63.png\"){kind=logo}
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