To attend the event in person, please register here by 5 November
(registration is free but mandatory)
Please note that registrations will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. If the maximum capacity is reached, registrations might be closed at any time. Thank you for your understanding

On 14 November, Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network is organizing the in-person conference "Prioritizing care for high-risk COVID-19 patients in the EU: policy recommendations", kindly hosted by MEP Brando Benifei (S&D) with the support of the MEPs Interest Group "European Patients' Rights & Cross-Border Healthcare", that will be held at the European Parliament in Brussels, from 16:30 to 18:00 CET, in room ASP 5G305.
The conference will allow us to put further emphasis on achieving optimal care for Covid-19 high-risk patients. During the panel discussion, a debate will be encouraged among participants to exchange views on how to support national and European policy makers in improving the current fragmentation for high-risk patients affected by Covid-19, as well as the establishment of effective surveillance and response systems. To address these challenges, a set of "Recommendations on Pathways for Patients with Covid-19," developed by PAGs and independent experts, will be presented at the event. 
To know more, click here.
For further information, please write to Bianca Ferraiolo.

European seminar on intimate health conditions
Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network is organizing a European training seminar on the topic of intimate health conditions (incontinence, stomia, etc.) on 17 November in Brussels.
The initiative is addressed to the representatives and leaders of Patients Advocacy Groups (PAGs) working at local, national and European levels for the protection of patients' rights and is part of the European project “Overcoming new challenges for advocacy of people with intimate health conditions in Europe” promoted by Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network with the aim of giving more attention to the sensitive issues related to this topic.
A common set of updated information will be provided and experiences will be shared, building an informal network of patient associations which will be trained to become educators in their own communities to improve the uptake of messages aimed at individual and public health protection, to fight stigma, make invisible visible and reduce health inequalities across Europe. People from 14 Member States have already confirmed their participation. To know more, click here.

Online survey for the adoption of personalised preventive approaches in healthcare systems in Europe
Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network, member of the consortium of the EU funded project PROPHET, invites invites you to participate in the online survey that aims to map barriers, challenges, and enabling factorsfor the adoption of personalised preventive approaches in healthcare systems in Europe. 
"PROPHET - a PeRsOnalized Prevention roadmap for the future HEalThcare" will develop a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Personalized Prevention to support the implementation of innovative, sustainable and effective personalized programmes to prevent common chronic diseases.
Personalised prevention strategies are only possible if citizens, health professionals, researchers and policy makers are all aware of their potential and have the knowledge and resources to design and implement them.
To complete the survey scan the QR code below

Policy Recommendations for Empowering healthcare professionals
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are a crucial link in European healthcare systems and are key to increasing vaccine confidence and uptake. That’s why the 2023 edition of the EU Flu Day (held on October 11th at the EU Parliament in Brussel and hosted by MEP István Ujhelyi) focused on how European and national policymakers can empower healthcare professionals for everyone’s protection.
For the occasion, policymakers and healthcare professionals discussed a set of 10 Policy Recommendations for the EU and national governments to expand influenza vaccine uptake. To download the Recommendations, promoted by the Steering Group on Influenza Vaccination, of which Active Citizenship Network is an official member, click here.

The vaccines' contribution to unmet medical need in the context of the revision of the EU General Pharmaceutical legislation  
On 13 September, together with the Federation of European Academies of Medicine, Vaccines Europe and the Spanish Association Against Meningitis, Active Citizenship Network published a joint position paper on unmet medical need (UMN) in the context of the EU General Pharmaceutical legislation. As debates on the legislation continue, including the formalisation of a definition of UMN, the promoters of the position paper are calling for a broad, inclusive and mission-oriented concept of UMN. To download the full paper, click here.

Adult Vaccination Healthcare Provider Education Program: Registration Now Open!
The International Federation on Ageing (IFA), a partner of Active Citizenship Network, is proud to announce another instalment of the ECHO Adult Vaccination Healthcare Providers Education Program. The program – which will run bi-weekly from 18 October to13 December, aims to strengthen healthcare providers’ skills and capabilities to promote and advocate for adult immunization.  Based on previous programming and experience, IFA will harness the ECHOTM Model and its proven learning method for this innovative program aimed at educating and informing various healthcare providers on the topic of ageing and VPDs. The model allows for a participatory dialogue and enables current and future healthcare providers to seek recommendations directly from a panel of experts on the subject. For more information and to register, please visit the Vaccines for Life website.

Adapting certification schemes for biomass and biowaste resources
Our friends at Euradia, partners of the BioReCer project, have put together a simple but informative article, published on Nova’s Renewable Carbon News Platform. The BioReCer Project aims to adapt certification schemes for bio-based products to boost market confidence and use by the bio-based industries. Certification schemes provide consumers with confidence in the sustainability, quality, and authenticity of bio-based products. By displaying certification labels or marks, products communicate that they have met specific standards and undergone rigorous evaluation processes. This instils trust in consumers, helping them make informed choices and have confidence that the products align with their values and expectations. Read more

Emergency medical response: small-scale exercise in Italy
From16 to 20 October, Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network, member of the consortium of the EU-funded project NIGHTINGALE, together with citizen volunteers will travel to Novara, Italy, as part of a "Small-Scale Exercise" to test the new integrated toolkit for emergency medical response that has been developed within the EU founded project NIGHTINGALE.
To know more about the project, click here.

New partnership with Czech Republic Patient Advocacy Group
Active Citizenship Network is glad to announce that an official Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the National Association of Patient Organizations (NAPO).
The National Association of Patient Organizations brings together patient organizations dealing with all types of illnesses and disabilities, operating in the Czech Republic. NAPO’s mission is to promote the collective interests of patients and provide support to its member organizations.
Founded at the end of 2021, NAPO assists their member organizations in enforcing patients’ interests and supports them in their work. It currently represents 42 patient organizations. To learn more about the new ACN partner, click here.

New partnership to improve patient access to clinical trials
Active Citizenship Network is delighted to announce the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with James Lind Care, based in Denmark. This MoU outlines a collaborative partnership with this patient enrollment service founded in 2011, which was created to facilitate research-focused patient communities in Europe, providing all patients with the opportunity to participate in clinical research.
Unified by a shared commitment to safeguard patients' rights and promote public health in Europe, this partnership aims to reduce health inequalities, improve patient access to clinical trials and raise awareness about the value of patient care. To know more about our new partner, click here.

New partnership with Croatian Patient Advocacy Group
Active Citizenship Network has signed an official Memorandum of Understanding with the Croatian Association for the Promotion of Patients' Rights (Hrvatska udruga za promicanje prava pacijenata), a non-governmental organization committed to safeguarding and promoting patients' rights, advocating for healthcare equality, and raising awareness on public health issues in Croatia.
The Croatian Association for the Promotion of Patients' Rights is a long-standing partner of ACN and this official agreement underlines the common commitment to reducing health inequalities, enhancing public health, and empowering European citizens to take an active role in shaping healthcare policies.
To know more about the The Croatian Association for the Promotion of Patients' Rights, click here.

New partnership to reinforce patients’ right to avoid pain
Active Citizenship Network is pleaseded to announce a new partnership with the Osteoarthritis Foundation International (OAFI) through the signing of an official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
OAFI is an organization dedicated to raising awareness, providing support and promoting research related to osteoarthritis. This collaboration aims to promote citizen involvement in European policy-making, reduce health inequalities, and enhance patient empowerment, with a specific focus on the fight against the chronic pain not-cancer related. To know more about the new ACN partner, click here.

Medical desertification and National Recovery and Resilience Plan in Italy: Focus on Inner Areas
The shortage of doctors and nurses runs through all of Italy, but in peripheral inner areas it takes on the contours of "medical desertification." To what extent does the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), in providing Community Homes and Community Hospitals, along with ad hoc funds for health personnel, respond to this critical issue? What are the prospects for inner areas? The risk is that the problem will not be solved by the funds made available by the NRRP and this means that the future of peripheral and ultraperipheral inner areas in Italy is at stake. The detailed analysis, conducted in Italy by Cittadinanzattiva, is part of the European project AHEAD - "Action for Health and Equity: Addressing Medical Deserts," funded by the EU4Health program to find solutions to these "medical deserts.". Read here the full article published by Applied Sciences Research Periodicals (ASRP), a peer-reviewed international research journal.

13 rights and 60 actions to promote Global Health from a civic perspective: The Civic Charter of Global Health
From a civic perspective, global health is an integrated approach of research and development of global actions that aims to give full meaning and implementation to a vision of health as a state of bio-psycho-social well-being and as a fundamental human right. Dealing with global health means preventing and reducing inequalities and fostering harmonious and sustainable development. It means overcoming the perspectives and interests of individual countries, thus taking a holistic view, and paying special attention to the most fragile and poor populations with the primary objective of guaranteeing a dignified quality of life for each individual. It is crucial that health as a human right returns to the center of global debates and goals, a process that cannot be achieved without a proper focus on social justice, equality and equity.
The results that emerged from a one-year research/action and in-depth discussions led to the development of thirteen rights - which are at the basis of the global health concept - and, subsequently, of 60 concrete actions to be implemented to make these rights enforceable. The activity has been driven in Italy by Cittadinanzattiva, which drafted and promoted the first “Civic Charter of Global Health”, published by Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports (JCIMCR), a international peer reviewed journal. Read here the full article.

Headache pain and migraine: new research article published by Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network
A new research paper hosted by the international peer reviewed "Journal of Anesthesia & Pain Medicine (JAPM)" has been recently published by Active Citizenship Network, the European branch of the italian NGO Cittadinanzattiva, a historical partner of Pain Alliance Europe. The article, titled "The Role of Patients’ Advocacy Groups to Reduce Headache Pain in the European Union: from the Italian Case History to the European Migraine Action Plan," delves into the pressing issue of headaches, particularly migraines, and patients' rights. Despite the recognition of migraine as a chronic and disabling condition under Law n. 81 of 2020 in Italy, significant challenges persist. The article highlights the need to expand diagnosis and treatment centers, improve training for general practitioners for early diagnosis, and reduce the stigma associated with migraine.
As we approach the European elections, Active Citizens Network is also commited to the topic at the EU leve,l cooperating with key stakeholders to implementthe European Migraine Action Plan. Read here the full article.

23 October 2023 | Thessaloniki (Greece): BioReCer national stakeholder meeting
Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network, member of the EU-funded BioReCer project consortium, invites consumer organizations and all the relevant stakeholders based in Greece to an upcoming event that promises to be informative and engaging. It will be held on 23 October 2023 from 13:00 to 15:00 (EET) at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) campus, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Rd, Thessaloniki.
By participating in this event, you'll have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into material flow analysis (MFA), waste stream management, and the innovative approaches explored in our four case studies. You will also learn more about the results of BioReCer's focus groups discussions and engage in discussions on sustainability and circularity indicators. Don't miss this chance to expand your knowledge and contribute to meaningful conversations in these important areas! Please register HERE as a stakeholder if you have not already done so!
BioReCer aims to increase the acceptance of feedstock and products based on biological waste by the industry and consumers to support the competitiveness of Europe’s bio-based economy and to strengthen the certification schemes. To achieve this, your feedback and input are and have been crucial. For more information contact Maria Batsioula.

Register here (registration is free but mandatory)

24 October 2023 | Coalition for Vaccination online meeting
The annual Coalition meeting will take place online on 24 October from 10:00 to 13:00 (CEST).
The Coalition for Vaccination – of which Active Citizenship Network is an associate member - brings together European associations of healthcare professionals and relevant student associations in the field. It was convened by the European Commission in 2019 based on the 2018 Council recommendation on strengthening cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases. It aims to support the dissemination of accurate information to the public, the fight against myths about vaccines and vaccination, and the exchange of best practices on vaccination. Read more.

24-25 October 2023 | Brussels (Belgium): RE-energising Europe - Sharing ideas and knowledge
On 24 and 25 October 2023, seven EU-funded projects (Horizon2020) will bring together on stage speakers from EU institutions, projects and players from the energy market, to discuss how the work done in the past 3 years can support the re-energisation of Europe. .
The first day will focus on understanding the future of energy demand and its policy implications through new societal trends, behavioural aspects and multiple benefits through the involvement of three different projects, including NUDGE, in which Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network is one of the consortium partners. On 25 October the discussion will focus on energy communities and renewable energy, accelerating Europe’s transition to a climate-neutral, inclusive future.
Key topics related to energy in Europe will be discussed: (renewable)(bio) energy communities, energy efficiency, multiple benefits, RES, RHC, women, empowering people, energy behaviour, new trends of energy consumption (digitalisation, circular economy and more). To bring content to the discussions, our initiatives will present tools and models, one-stop shops, awareness raising and nudging campaigns, showcased through inspirational presentations, a poster session and a field visit (Belgian energy community).
This event will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn about the latest developments in these areas and exchange ideas and best practices. Both days complement each other and provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research and policy recommendations in the energy sector. To know more, click here. For the full agenda, click here.

25 October 2023| Italy: Civil Society promoting vaccination across the life-course
The third online focus group, within the European project “Civil Society promoting vaccination across the life-course”,  will be held in Italy on 25 October 2023, organized by Cittadinanzattiva through the Tribunal for Patients’ Rights (TDM) and the National Coalition of Associations for Patients suffering Chronic Diseases (CnAMC).
Independent experts will discuss the importance of life-course vaccination in their country, including lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, barriers to vaccine access, options for choosing between different vaccines and possible changes to the annual vaccination calendar. To know more about the initiative, click here.

31 October 2023 | Building a framework for clinical trial participants data reutilisation for a fully transparent and ethical ecosystem: IMI facilitates goals to tackle what patients want
Today, the return and re-use of data is far from being a reality for clinical trial participants. Returning data and asking patients for consent to re-use them in future research is a complex issue that has to take into account the views of all stakeholders and involves a wide variety of constraints and complexities. This is precisely the aim of our work in the EU project FACILITATE. Would you like to learn more? We therefore invite you to the next virtual session of the Patient Engagement Open Forum (PEOF) “Building a framework for clinical trial participants data reutilisation for a fully transparent and ethical ecosystem: IMI facilitates goals to tackle what patients want” on Tuesday 31 October 2023, at 14:30 CET. Register here

6 November 2023 | Brussels (Belgium): “Saving energy through nudging - How can behavioural science be used to create energy saving incentives for end consumers?”
Based on the results of the pilot studies conducted within the NUDGE project, the event will present and discuss the various policy recommendations for action derived from these studies to answer the key question. The joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Energy of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the H2020 NUDGE project offers insights and discussion on the highly topical issue of how behavioral science can be used to address the energy-saving potentials of end consumers. The aim is to introduce and promote discussion on the current results of behavioral science and the NUDGE project in the European policy dialogue. In addition, the event will provide all stakeholders with practical examples of how to reduce energy consumption through nudging and concrete policy recommendations for action.
For further information, visit the NUDGE project website.

13 November 2023| BioReCer Annual Stakeholders Meeting
Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network, member of the EU-funded project BioReCer consortium, is glad to invite you to the first multi-stakeholder meeting of this multi-annual project.
On  13 November 2023 from 15:00 to 17:00 CET  an interactive online event will be held with members of the Biological Resources Stakeholder Platform (BRSP). If you are not yet a member or BRSP, please register  here.
In this event, we would like to share the result of the BioReCer Project and invite you to an open discussion on the needs of all members of the value chain of bio-based product. 
Your participation in this event will allow you to understand the progress of the project and monitor how your input is incorporated into the project development. Additionally, an external policy expert on EU Green Claims Directive has been invited to give participants an important input. 
To find out more about the initiative, please write to Daniela Quaggia. To learn more about the project, click here.

Register here (registration is free but mandatory)

15-16 November 2023 | Rome (Italy): Inaugural Plenary Assembly of the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform
The event will take place in person at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, on 15 and 16 November 2023.  During the Plenary Assembly, members of the platform, among which is Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network, will have a unique opportunity to come together for the first time, engage in discussions, and collaborate on initiatives to shape the future work of the Platform. To know more about the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, download the document and the brochure.