Active Citizenship Network, in partnership with civic societies and patient organizations, is committed to strengthen the protection of patients’ rights in Europe. At the same time, we strongly believe that empowered patients and their organisations are a resource and not a cost: for this reason, we have been pleased to cooperate at national level in Cyprus with the Universal Patients' Rights Association in the framework of the EU project “Patients’ Voice”, supported by EuropeAid Programme of the European Commission.

I am so glad to have a long-term cooperation with the President Emete Imge, the leader of Universal Patients' Rights Association. Over the years, we have invited her to the European Patients’ Rights Day in Brussels, to a EU initiative on cross-border helathcare last March 2016 in Italy, and so on. In particular, we can found the beginnings of this project in September 2013. We first met at an International conference on chronic diseases in Istanbul, where I presented the experience of my organization, titled “Fighting chronic disease. The power of partnership: The experience of Cittadinanzattiva”.

Since 2014 we have tried to apply to the call for proposals published by the EU Commission and I would like to congratulate with Universal Patients’ Rights Association for the great efforts made to be selected last year.
Talking about our engagement with Cypriot associations, it is not the first time that we work in partnership with national associations in Cyprus .

In 2003, we worked with the project  “Seminars on Active Citizenship in Cyprus” realising “Introductory seminars on active citizenship” in the northern and the southern parts of Cyprus.

Furthermore, we have involved Universal Patients' Rights Association in several events as already said before and - last but not least – this year we have promoted “Patients’ rights have no borders”, a European communication campaign on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare in 14 EU Member States. In Cyprus this initiative is coordinated by the patient organization “Cyprus Alliance for Rare Disorders”.

A long tradition of partnerships that I am pretty sure will be strengthened thanks to this new opportunity.

Mariano Votta