Register here (registration is free but mandatory)

Within the framework of the European project #VaccinAction2023, Active Citizenship Network is glad to invite you on 14 December 2023, from 14:30 to 16:00 CET, to the European training webinar “The value that vaccines bring in the AMR fight and why new-generation antibiotics alone cannot resolve the AMR crisis”.
The free, 1.5-hour training seminar is open to civic and patient association leaders from different countries to address the need to be more informed and prepared to support and protect the value, in particular, of adult immunisation and its benefits for individual and public health protection. The keynote speaker will be Professor Adam Cunningham from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy.
The seminar will focus on the essential role of vaccines in fighting AMR, while exploring the question of 'why new-generation antibiotics alone cannot effectively address the AMR crisis'. The initiative aims to shed light on the cause-effect relationship in AMR mitigation, emphasising that vaccines target the root causes, while antibiotics mainly manage the consequences.
To participate in the webinar, please register in advance using the following link
For further information, please write to: brussels@activecitizenship.net

To know more:
Our engagement on vaccination policy at the national and at the EU level

Adult Immunization in Italy: successes, lessons learned and the way forward
The Adult Immunization Board (AIB) country meeting on “Adult Immunization in Italy: successes, lessons learned and the way forward" will take place on 6 and 7 December 2023 starting at 9:00 CET in the Michelangelo Romm of the Grand Hotel Baglioni in Florence.
Adult Immunization Board (AIB) national meetings are organized to discuss specific aspects of adult immunization together with local experts. For these meetings, the AIB invites local academics, health professionals, public health representatives and policy makers to present adult immunization strategies implemented in the country, as well as educational and communicative initiatives aimed at increasing adult vaccine acceptance and coverage rates. The aim of these meetings is to establish a collaborative network of national experts of different fields, creating a platform for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in adult immunization.
The current version of the meeting agenda is available at this link.
As an official member of the AIB advisors, Active Citizenship Network has also been invited to join the Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday, 5 December 2023.

Portuguese ovarian cancer patients claim the approval of lifesaving medication
MOG-Movimento Oncológico Ginecológico, a Portuguese partner of Active Citizenship Network, has submitted to the Parliament a petition - with 16.000 signatures - urging the authorities to approve innovative drugs for ovarian cancer patients. Called “No Portuguese woman with ovarian cancer left behind”, it emphasizes the unequal access to medications approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and available in many EU countries.
In Portuguese public hospitals, only women with BRCA 1 and 2 genetic mutations have access to these drugs (10-15% of the total), because the Portuguese drug regulator, Infarmed, has refused them to the remaining 85%. Therefore, only wealthiest patients can afford these medicines in private hospitals. When used as maintenance therapy immediately after first-line surgery and chemotherapy, this medication reduces the chance of recurrence. Normally, this cancer relapses within three years. In Portugal, 600 cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed every year and 400 people die annually. To know more and sign the petition, click here (PT).

BioReCer Biological Resources Certifications Schemes: We need you!
As stated in the new Stakeholder Factsheet, now available in English, Italian, Spanish and French, BioReCer – in which Cittadinanzattiva is officially involved in the consortium - aims to represent the requests and needs of biobased industry stakeholders, i.e. all members of the entire value chain of a biobased product. To be successful, the project relies on feedback and inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. Only with your participation the project can successfully influence the transition of the EU economy towards greater sustainability. Therefore, make your voice heard and actively participate in the project’s “Bio Resources Stakeholder Platform” (BRSP). Your expertise can make a difference! Share your perception and experience on biobased value chains and products, and comment on the evaluation methodology. What are your opinions and views on waste as a resource and derived products? How should certification schemes be adapted to biobased value chains? Do you see (potential) barriers, opportunities and advantages for the biobased economy? And how do you see the role of policymakers? Click here to learn more about the BRSP and become a member.

An energy-efficiency forum to advance the European energy transition
During two days in October 2023, seven European-funded projects came together for a knowledge exchange to share lessons learnt, best practices and in-depth discussions. It was an opportunity for the seven European projects to present their key findings and share inspiring stories to support energy communities, energy efficient behaviours and trends, and empower women in the renewable energy sector.
Discussions, high-level panels, a poster session and a field visit to an energy community in Brussels were organised. The RE-Energising Europe event, organised on 24 and 25 October in Brussels, gathered 36 speakers and 134 participants. A summary of the event, recordings of both days, presentations and posters are now available here, as well as a short video recap.
If you would like to know more about the BECoop, MICAT, newTRENDS, NRG2Peers, NUDGE (in which Cittadinanzattiva was officially involved in the consortium), UP-STAIRS and W4RES projects, please visit their websites.

New partnership with Bulgarian Patient Advocacy Group
Active Citizenship Network has signed an official Memorandum of Understanding with the Bulgarian Association for Patients' Defence (BAPD). Founded in 2002, BAPD is the first nationally representative patient organization officially recognized by the Ministry of Health in Bulgaria.
BAPD is a long-standing partner of ACN and this official agreement underlines the common commitment to reinforce the protection of the patients’ rights. To know more about the Bulgarian Association for Patients' Defence, click here.

New partnership with Romanian Patient Advocacy Group
Active Citizenship Network is glad to announce that an official Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the Coalition of Patients Organization with Chronic Disease from Romania (COPAC). Founded in 2008, COPAC is the most representative organization in Romania fighting for the defense of patients' rights, with a focus on chronic conditions. COPAC is an umbrella organization which includes 18 associations representing several pathologies (HIV, rare diseases, cancer, diabetes, etc.). Its mission is to support patients and patient organizations to act in a unified and effective way to defend and promote patients' rights. To know more about our new partner, click here.

New partnership to strengthen patients’ right to avoid pain
Active Citizenship Network is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Spanish Association for Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (AECOSAR) through the signing of an official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
AECOSAR is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for people affected by osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The formal agreement aims to promote citizen involvement in European policy-making, reduce health inequalities, and enhance patient empowerment, with a specific focus on the fight against chronic pain not-cancer related. To learn more about the new ACN partner, click here.

Active Citizenship Network and Movimento Oncológico Ginecológico join forces to champion women's health
Active Citizenship Network has signed an official Memorandum of Understanding with MOG - Movimento Oncológico Ginecológico - Cancro do Ovário e outros Cancros Ginecológicos, a non-profit association that, since its foundation in 2019, has been committed to supporting women affected by ovarian or other gynaecological cancers. Its genesis stems from the urgency to give voice to the concerns and needs of every woman suffering from this type of cancer. This agreement also testifies to ACN's increased focus on the field of oncology with a gender perspective. To find out more about ACN's new partner, click here.

New partnership on Health Diplomacy
Active Citizenship Network has signed an official Memorandum of Understanding with the International Council of The Patient Ombudsman, NGO based in Croatia that focuses on Health Diplomacy. The International Council of The Patient Ombudsman is a policy institute that conducts health policy research and advocacy. This partnership will mainly reinforce our joint advocacy work to protect patients’ rights at EU level and our interaction with the EU Institutions. To know more about the new ACN partner, click here.

New media partner
Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network and Open Access Government have signed a new media partnership, with the common goalof strengthening the position of citizens in the development and evaluation of public policies at the European level.
Open Access Government produces compelling and informative products for a wide audience, it is a go-to source for the latest news and in-depth perspective on key public policy areas worldwide, including health and social care, COVID-19, research and innovation, technology, government, environment and energy. Open Access Government will be the official media partner of selected activities that ACN develops at European and international level, starting with those where innovative solutions in areas of common interest will be presented. To know more about the new ACN media partner, click here.

Public attitudes, knowledge and educational needs towards genetic testing and omics sciences: a pilot survey conducted in Italy
Advancements in genomics have significant implications for public health, making citizen education vital for informed decision-making. Based on the results of two literature reviews and a survey conducted with experts from the Italian Network of Genomics in Public Health, a pilot survey was conducted on the attitudes, knowledge and educational needs of Italian citizens towards genetic testing and omics science. The questionnaire and a brief description of the project were disseminated by Cittadinanzattiva between the end of 2020 and the first half of 2021. The results show widespread interest in genetic testing and uncertainty about the associated risks, with 99% of participants acknowledging insufficient knowledge of genetic testing. There is an urgent need for educational tools to improve public literacy and engagement in this rapidly evolving field. For further information, read and download the article.

14 December 2023| online, 15:00 to 17:00 (CET) – Training on standards and R&I projects: how to support bio-based industries
Don't miss this free online training course organised by UNI - the Italian Standardisation Body in collaboration with BioReCer’s related project Star4bbs! The aim of this training is to shed light on the standardisation world: how it works, who are the main actors, and how it relates with certification. The training will also highlight how organisations can transform R&I results into a fast-track standardisation document, the CEN Workshop Agreement – CWA. Finally, this training will explore the standardisation outcomes of Star4bbs, BioReCer and Bioradar, and disseminate objectives and interim results to companies, research institutes and standardisation experts.
Register here to receive the training programme and the link to participate. For more information, please contact Cristina Di Maria.

17 January 2024| Limassol (Cyprus): Insight into vaccination hesitancy
With the aim of deepening and sharing the topic of “active citizens in Europe advocate for vaccination”, the director of Active Citizenship Network has been invited to participate in the European seminar on vaccination hesitancy organized by the Cyprus University of Technology on 17 January from 08:30 to 14:30 (local time). The initiative is part of the Kick Off Meeting of the new EU-funded project co-OPERATOR in which Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network is officially involved in the consortium. To know more, please contact here the organizers of the seminar.

17-18 January 2024| Limassol (Cyprus): co-OPERATOR Kick Off Meeting
As a member of the consortium, Cittadinanzattiva trought its Europen branch Active Citizenship Network will participate in the Kick Off Meeting of the new EU-funded project co-OPERATOR.
The co-OPERATOR project aims to develop and pilot a knowledge hub, virtual observatory and training system in the participating countries as proof-of-concept that will collect, organize, and disseminate knowledge, best practices, and resources related to the stakeholder strategies used and their needs towards vaccination against COVID-19 and beyond, with an emphasis on advancing communication, knowledge skills while recognizing and tackling systemic barriers and facilitators to promoting vaccination messages to the population. A Policy Making Lab will translate the evidence into policy suggestions that will be tested in five Member States (Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal). To know more, please contact here the project coordinator.

7-8 February 2024| Warsaw (Poland): XVIII Patients’ Organisation Forum
Invited by its long-standing Polish partner, Instytut Praw Pacjenta i Edukacji Zdrowotnej-Institute for Patients’ Rights & Health Education, the director of Active Citizenship Network has been invited to participate as a panellist in the 18th Patients' Organisation Forum, organized - as in previous years - by the Institute in connection with the World Patients’ Day. The conference will take place on 7-8 February 2024 in Warsaw.
Since 2007, the Forum has been an important and effective platform for dialogue and exchange of experiences between organizations working in different areas of health, and fosters discussion on systemic solutions to improve patients’ quality of life. Each year, the meeting of patient associations and foundations gathers more than 150 leaders of patient organizations representing the voice of several hundred thousand patients from all over Poland. To know more, click here.