Seminar Lithuania

EPF Autumn Regional Advocacy Seminar for Patient Leaders –
The politics of health policy making at EU level
and meaningful patient involvement through VALUE +

On 27-28 of November EPF and the VALUE+ Consortium had organized a seminar for patients’ leaders representing patients’ organizations from Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Latvia.
The seminar took place in Vilnius, Lithuania and was hosted by the Health Policy Center of Lithuania (SPC).

Background
Four highly successful European seminars have taken place to date. These seminars have reached out through patients’ leaders to the patient community throughout Europe, and particularly the new member states to enhance knowledge on health issues at European Union level and to build capacity on how to engage.

One of the outcomes of the evaluations was the need to hold such seminars on a regional basis to enable a broader section of the patients’ community to benefit. The purpose, location and audience of the seminar in Vilnius address this need: it brings together leading players of national patient organisations who do not have many opportunities to attend a European seminar in Brussels, to enhance their capacity to contribute effectively to the policy and strategic work EPF is undertaking at EU level and to explore and review progress within the EPF Value + project.

Purpose
The purpose of the seminar:
• Build knowledge and know-how on working at European Union (EU) level through and with EPF and influencing effectively the EU health policy debate through initiatives at national and regional level.
• Explore initial findings from the VALUE+ project, compare this with examples of patient involvement in national and regional health projects, and glean feedback from grassroots organisations.

The seminar will have contributions from representatives from the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Commissions, the Czech Presidency, the Directorate General for Health and Consumers and its Executive Agency, and patients’ leaders.