18 October 2022

On November 21, during the Nov II plenary session in Strasbourg, Members of the European Parliament will have a debate on Prevention, management and better care of diabetes in the EU on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day (14/11), followed by a vote on a new Diabetes Resolution (read the agenda of the planary session here).

A new Diabetes Resolution comes at a critical point in time – 100 years since insulin was discovered and 10 years after the first European Parliament Motion for Resolution on diabetes was adopted. Now is the right moment to celebrate the many advances that have taken place in diabetes care since the insulin discovery while also acknowledging the complexity and the seriousness of diabetes, its impact on the quality of life and well-being of over 32 million people living with diabetes in the European Union and the financial burden it represents for health systems and society at large.

100 years ago, diabetes was a death sentence. And although the discovery of insulin has since saved millions of lives around the world, healthcare systems today are still failing people living with diabetes who continue to develop life-altering complications, including cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, amputations and blindness, a situation further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diabetes is a lifelong, multi-morbid condition with a high psychological burden which can affect any citizen at any age, across every socio-economic group and geography, and which evolves over time. Because of its complexity, unique characteristics and interplay with all levels of care, it is a clear marker of the performance and future resilience of national healthcare systems. Effective diabetes prevention and management requires a paradigm shift with greater emphasis being placed on a holistic approach, addressing stigma and discrimination and promoting person-centred, value-based and integrated care. Done well, it can save lives, and benefit not just people living with the condition but many other health users by keeping users away from the health system, improving resource utilisation, promoting more digitalisation and use of data, end ensuring better integration of care.

COVID-19 has shown us that we no longer have the luxury to wait for more resilient and sustainable health systems. Now is the time to re-design health systems, which build on the effective prevention and management of diabetes and other chronic diseases, to guarantee their own resilience, improve EU citizens’ quality of life and reduce inequalities.

We strongly believe that a new Diabetes Resolution is an opportunity to bring about healthier and more equitable societies for people living with diabetes as well as all EU citizens living with NCDs and other conditions. We express special thanks to MMD members and diabetes champions who worked hard to elevate diabetes on the EU public agenda by listening to the needs of the diabetes community and recognising the challenges people living with diabetes face on a daily basis: MEP Sara Cerdas, MEP Romana Jerković, MEP Kateřina Konečná, MEP Marisa Matias, MEP Tilly Metz, MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen, MEP Frédérique Ries, MEP Christel Schaldemose, MEP Tomislav Sokol, and MEP István Ujhelyi.

We call on all MEPs to join forces and provide strategic leadership needed to truly represent the interests of people living with diabetes and help them lead long, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Read more about the rationale for a new Diabetes Resolution: