23 March 2023

During the March plenary at the European Parliament, MEPs elected the 30 members who will serve on the new public health subcommittee (SANT), established under the umbrella of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

The subcommittee will deal with public health topics and specific actions relating to pharmaceuticals, the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

We would like to congratulate MMD members who will be serving on the committee as members and substitutes: MEP Cristian Silviu Bușoi, MEP Sara Cerdas, MEP Antoni Comín I Oliveres, MEP Kateřina Konečná, MEP Marisa Matias, MEP Alessandra Moretti, MEP Aldo Patriciello, MEP Frédérique Ries, MEP Tomislav Sokol and MEP István Ujhelyi.

We look forward to working together with the SANT committee and our MMD champions to elevate diabetes on the EU policy agenda and support policy action that could reverse the rising burden of diabetes in the EU.

Diabetes and other chronic conditions must be addressed as a priority by policy makers at national and European levels. One in ten adults live with diabetes in the EU. The impact of this life-long condition on people’s health and well-being as well as its substantial economic burden on health systems is tremendous.

Diabetes is also a risk factor for many other NCDs, such as cancer, cardiovascular and renal diseases, and can cause devastating complications such as diabetes retinopathy, neuropathy and foot disease. Early detection and prompt diagnosis are critical to ensuring the necessary action is taken promptly, to reduce the personal burden and avoid an increased strain on the resources of healthcare systems. It is also vital to guarantee equitable access to appropriate treatments, tools and technologies for PwD to live long and fulfilling lives.

IDF Europe stands ready to support the work of the SANT committee and to provide its support and expertise to encourage societal, structural and organisational changes that are needed to address the diabetes challenge and improve people’s quality of life.