IDF Europe General Assembly 3rd November 2006, Warsaw

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IDF EuropeGeneral Assembly3rd November 2006,
Warsaw

• EU Affairs a year of progress
• Dr Michael Hall, Board Member

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IDF Europes overall aim for diabetes in the
European Union

• A European Recommendation on the Prevention,
  Diagnosis and Control of Diabetes

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Otacec Declaration 2004

• A lot has happen since then
• This is to bring you up-to-date
• Last year you may remember that we were building
  up to a major campaign for action during the
  Austrian Presidency, so Im going to start there

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IDF Europes Key Communications Tools
The Diabetes Policy Audit
EU Policy Recommendations
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Austrian EU Presidency (Jan-Jun 2006)
Austrian Presidency Conference Press
Conference February 2006 The Vienna
Declaration
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EU Health Council Conclusions June 2006

• EU Health Council Conclusions on Healthy
  Lifestyles and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
• Adopted June 2006 by 25 EU Member States

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EU Training Workshops
IDF Europe National Association EU Training
Workshop - Brussels March 2006, prior to the
European Parliament Written Declaration
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European Parliament Written Declaration

• European Parliament Written Declaration on
  Diabetes
• Adopted April 2006 with an absolute majority
  (422 MEP signatures)
• Followed by press conference with John
  Bowis/Dorette Corbey MEP

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The Diabetes Written Declaration by The European
Parliament
EP Press Conference with John Bowis Dorette
Corbey MEP April 2006, Brussels
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EU Council ConclusionsWhat did they say?

• The most important development came in June 2006,
  when EU Ministers of Health adopted a set of
  Health Council Conclusions on the Promotion of
  Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention of Type 2
  diabetes. They agreed that Member States should
• Develop and implement national diabetes framework
  plans
• Improve the collection and reporting of diabetes
  epidemiological and economic data
• Adopt a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary
  approach to managing diabetes
• Develop comprehensive diabetes training for all
  healthcare professionals.
• The Conclusions also called upon the European
  Commission to prioritise diabetes, to promote
  best practice through networking exchange
  between Member States and to facilitate and
  support European diabetes research.

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Recent Actions

• EU Public Health Action Programme (2007-2013)
• Joint statement by IDF, EHN, ESC, ECPC
• Awaiting transmission to Parliament for 2nd
  Reading
• WHO European Strategy on Non Communiable Diseases
  (NCDs)
• IDF Europe contribution to draft strategy paper
• Attendance at 56th session of WHO Regional
  Committee for Europe
• Finnish Presidency of the EU (Jul-Dec 2006)
• Participation in the Presidency conference
  Health In All Policies (20-21 September,
  Kuopio)

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Recent Actions
UNite for Diabetes Campaign - IDF Europe
contribution to IDF Global Campaign - Achieving
synergies with EU affairs activity

• European Health Forum Gastein enabled us to
  talk to EU officials and the German Presidency
  Health Team
• - lets talk about taking the EU Health Council
  Conclusions forwards
• - The German Presidency Conference on Prevention

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What Next ?

• The significant achievements over the last year
  are the result of IDF Europe and other key
  opinion leaders, working together for targeted EU
  (and national) advocacy
• We have put diabetes on the EU health agenda -
  the challenge now is to keep it there!
• Future EU action on diabetes will only occur if
  we ensure this sustained level of advocacy it
  does need us all to work together

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What Next ?

• Monitoring and follow up actions will be
  essential over the coming months and targeted
  towards the three EU Institutions and Health
  Ministries of the 25 EU Member States the
  incoming new states

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What Next ?

• These actions need to be implemented by IDF
  Europe and our partners in Brussels and by
  national member associations in the Member States
  to ensure implementation of the Council
  Conclusions

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Next Steps 2006/2007

• European Commission
• Objectives
• To gain support for a Commission-initiated
  (official) EU diabetes policy working group
• Position diabetes in all relevant European
  Commission initiatives e.g. Public Health
  Programme (2007-2013), EU Platform on Diet,
  Physical Activity and Health (Obesity Platform)
• To establish diabetes as a priority in the
  Commissions Work Programme and encourage DG
  Sanco to begin developing/drafting an EU Council
  Recommendation on diabetes.
• Planned Actions
• Meetings with Kyprianou Cabinet/DG Sanco
  officials to discuss next steps following outcome
  of EU Health Council and recent developments such
  as the amended EU Public Health Programme
  (2007-2013)
• Active participation in EU Platform on Diet,
  Physical Activity and Health.

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Next Steps 2006/2007

• Council of Ministers
• Objectives
• To work with the upcoming EU Presidencies -
  Germany (Jan-Jun 2007), Portugal (Jul-Dec 2007)
  and Slovenia (Jan-Jun 2008) to ensure continuity
  in any future EU action on diabetes.
• Planned Actions
• Meetings with German Health Ministry/EU Health
  Attache to discuss including diabetes as a case
  study to demonstrate the benefits of disease
  prevention in their Prevention Conference
• Discussions with Portuguese Slovenian Health
  Ministry/EU Health Attaches to discuss their
  Presidency agendas

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Next Steps 2006/2007

• National Governments
• Objectives
• Working with our Member Associations, to
  encourage implementation of the Councils
  Conclusions on Diabetes by all EU Member States,
  particularly the development and implementation
  of national diabetes plans
• Long term - to obtain political support at the
  Council of Ministers to request the Commission to
  draft and propose an EU strategy, including an EU
  Council Recommendation on diabetes
• Planned Actions
• Advising IDF Europe Member Associations and other
  key opinion leaders on how best to use these
  achievements
• to maintain pressure on national Health
  Ministries for action

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Next Steps 2006/2007

• European Parliament
• Objectives
• Use the Parliamentary Written Declaration and
  maintain pressure on the European Commission to
  initiate targeted policy action on diabetes.
• Assist the EP Diabetes Working Group to
  strengthen its position as the voice of diabetes
  in the Parliament
• Planned Actions
• Encourage follow up of the EP Written Declaration
  by key MEPs (Bowis, Corbey, Andrejevs) with the
  European Commission.
• Ask for a meeting of MEPs with Kyprianou
  Cabinet/DG Sanco officials.
• Lobby on the Commissions amended proposal for
  the Public Health Action Programme (2007-2013)
  following significant reduction in the budget and
  removal of reference to disease-specific action
  on the major diseases.

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Next Steps 2006/2007

• Other Stakeholders
• Objectives
• Explore the potential for positioning diabetes on
  the EU health agenda through new partnerships,
  possibly linking with other NGOs to strengthen
  our position
• Planned Actions
• Further discussions with WHO Europe on European
  NCD Strategy and the possibilities for specific
  action on diabetes
• Outreach to other chronic disease and healthy
  lifestyle-related organisations e.g. EHN, fruit
  and vegetable associations, sports organisations
  to consider joint-initiatives

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In ConclusionWe remember the commitment of DG
SANCO in Vienna when a member of the cabinet of
EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou,said

• he will do everything in his power to make sure
  that tackling the factors behind diabetes
  epidemic will continue to be a priority on the EU
  Health Agenda

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from the European Parliament

• John Bowis MEP, of the EU Parliament Diabetes
  Working Group also issued a challenge to his
  fellow politicians to come out and defeat the
  stigma associated with diabetes and support
• a framework of best practice for diabetes and a
  recommendation to member states as to how we can
  work together in support of this growing epidemic

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and when announcing the Vienna Declaration for
Diabetes

• The Austrian Health Minister claimed a
• new era in the fight against diabetes
• and described it as Europes
• paramount political challenge.

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These are fine words!IDF Europe and its
partners must now hold these decision makers to
them
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Conclusion

• Our ultimate objective remains to have an EU
  strategy for diabetes, particularly an EU Council
  Recommendation on Diabetes Prevention,Diagnosis
  and Control
• This wont be achieved overnight, but sustained
  EU advocacy will strengthen IDF Europes
  visibility and reputation in Brussels in the
  process