PUTTING BREAST CANCER on the EUROPEAN HEALTH CARE AGENDA

1
PUTTING BREAST CANCER on the EUROPEAN HEALTH CARE
AGENDA

• Susan Knox, Executive Director

2
European Breast Cancer Conference 1, Florence,
1998

• The 1st European Breast Cancer
• Conference calls on the European
• Parliament to devote a plenary session
• to breast cancer.

3
Why EUROPA DONNA?

• Europes Breast Cancer Advocacy Organisation
• Aims to Ensure that all European Women have
• Access to Accurate Information and Quality
• Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment
• Represents the interests of European women
• regarding breast cancer to local and national
• authorities as well as to institutions of the
• European Union.

4
35 Member Countries

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Lithuania

• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Moldova
• Monaco
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Serbia and Montenegro
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• UK
• Ukraine

5
(No Transcript)
6
EUROPA DONNA Strength

• European advocacy organisation with
• European strategy and goals
• Extensive network of survivors working at
• national level, ED fora
• SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON EUROPEAN
• INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL HEALTH
• SERVICES

7
What are we Lobbying for?

• Screening according to European Mammography
  Screening Guidelines
• Specialist breast clinics according to European
  Society of Mastology (EUSOMA) Guidelines
• National breast cancer registries
• More Resources for Research
• Implementation of Breast Cancer Resolution (03)

8
Who and Where to Lobby?

• EU institutions representing
• 15 original EU Member Countries
• Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
  Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,
  Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK
• Plus 10 New Member Countries
• Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
  Poland, Czech Rep., Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia

9

• European Parliament
• Parliament Committees prepare reports that are
  voted on by Parliament and are designed to steer
  EU policy in a particular direction.
• European Commission
• DG Health, Research, Employment Social Affairs
• Commission proposes legislation - adopted by
  co-decision process by the European Parliament
  and the Council of Ministers

10
European Parliament

• Committee of Womens Rights and Equal
  Opportunities
• Committee of the Environment, Public Health and
  Consumer Policy
• Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
• Intergroup on Health

11
Our Objective

• Get Parliament to address breast cancer issues
  to improve services throughout EU
• ED to act as reference point for womens
  position on Breast Cancer and Breast Health in
  Europe

12
Steps to get there - 2000

• One on one Networking meetings with Eur.
  Parliamentarians and administrators (Brussels and
  Strasbourg) (Found our champions)
• Contacts, letters, calls, networking with local
  MEPs at national level
• EUROPA DONNA gives 1st Eur. Parliament Reception
  (July)
• Submission of Views to EC on Setting up European
  Health Forum (Sept-Feb)

13
2001

• Meetings with Members of European Parliament to
  set up Parliamentary breast cancer group (Feb.)
• European Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer
  Formed EPGBC (Sept.) with EUROPA DONNA as
  Secretariat
• EUROPA DONNA invited to join European Health
  Forum
• 1st Meeting of European Health Forum

14
2002

• Meeting with EPGBC to plan first initiative
  (Feb.)
• Exhibition and reception on Breast Cancer across
  the EU June (collaboration w/ EBCN, EORTC,
  EUSOMA, ENCR, BIG)
• European Patients Forum ED on Exec. Comm.
• First Public Hearing on Breast Cancer at
  Parliament (Oct.) to prepare Breast Cancer Report
• EUROPA DONNA 2002 Lobbying across Europe Update
  published

15
2003

• STOA (research workshop) meeting - Brussels to
  provide more info for Parliament Report (Feb.)
• Report drafted in Womens Committee - Karin Jöns
  MEP Rapporteur (Mar.)
• Resolution voted on and passed by Parliament June
  2003
• EUROPA DONNA reception for EPGBC and
  Parliamentarians followed
• EUROPA DONNA 2003 Lobbying across Europe Update
  published (Oct.)
• 6th ED Conference Cyprus workshops to implement
  Resolution (Nov.)

16
Objective Achieved

• Historic 1st vote on Resolution at Eur.
  Parliament (June 03)
• Commission Screening recommendations published
• European Code against Cancer revised

17
(No Transcript)
18
CONCLUSIONS

• 1. Decide your Objective and Pursue it
• 2. Do Research, Ask Questions, Learn the Buzz
  Words
• Subsidiarity structural funds
  Acronyms
• 3. Be Flexible - change plans if another
• solution meets your objective
• 4. Teamwork is Essential nat. and Eur. orgs
• 5. Network, make calls, collect information
• 6. Find a Champion(s) A Person who will
• champion your cause from inside the
• Parliament, Health Ministry, Regional Health
• Service

19

• 7. Execute an initiative (meeting, reception,
  exhibition)
• 8. Maintain contacts with politicians Advocates
  are constituents
• 9. Ask for advice
• 10. Keep up the pressure-plan the next initiative
  immediately
• .

20
Lobbying-2004

• European Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer
  (EPGBC) - Website Launch www.EPGBC.org
• 1st meeting with MEPS 12 October
• Press Release and Lobbying Update
• European Health Forum European Patients Forum
  (on-going)
• National Initiatives to implement Resolution

21
KEEP UP MOMENTUMLobbying 2005

• 2 Expert Meetings to inform MEPS
• Exhibit and Reception at Parliament October
• Lobbying Update 2005
• National all party group development

22
(No Transcript)
23
Via G Previati 12, 20149 Milan,
Italywww.cancereurope.org/europadonnaeuropadonna
_at_mclink.it