During the G10 Process and the Review of the Pharmaceutical Legislation in 2001/2003, patient groups realised they were not appropriately represented at EU level and at the same time appreciated how difficult it was for the EU institutions to nominate a European patient representative.
EPF thus came into being in January 2003, as a direct response to calls by the European Commission and other EU institutions to have one pan-European patient body to address and consult on issues of interest to patients in the European healthcare debate.
EPF – as the genuine voice of European patient groups – is now the point of reference for the European Commission and the European Parliament. The creation of this group is also a direct counterbalance to other groups who tended to express patients’ views without prior consultation with the interested parties.
By pooling the resources of its members, the EPF works on horizontal issues affecting all European patients and supports individual members’ initiatives that will benefit the community.