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, as well as policymakers and Members of the European Parliament (MEP). 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.