2023 AGM
EPF’s Annual General Meeting 2023
29 April 2023: Representatives from EPF member organisations from across Europe gathered in person, in Brussels, for the Annual General Meeting. During the event, EPF’s board members, together with the Secretariat, reported on 2022 activities and gave an overview on the current and upcoming work plan for 2023.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) plays a crucial role in the democratic and governance process of the organisation and is a good opportunity for members to have an overview on EPS’s activities.
Reporting and upcoming activities
The Annual Report reviewed EPF’s collective accomplishments, showcased focus areas for 2022 in terms of policy and advocacy, presented the ongoing projects’ highlights, featured communication milestones, and outlined the main activities carried out in the capacity building and membership areas. The annual report and the financial report were approved during the meeting by the members’ unanimous vote.
Later, the members were presented with EPF’s workplan for 2023, including the policy areas we will cover this year, our ongoing involvement in projects, the foreseen capacity building activities, and expected communications outcomes and deliverables. The workplan received a unanimous favourable vote from members, together with the 2023 Budget.
The EPF Youth Group contributed to the annual overview by presenting their achievements for 2022 and upcoming events and activities for 2023.
New Board members
This year, five seats in the board were open to re-election. The members’ vote reconfirmed Marco Greco (European Liver Patients’ Association) and Radu Costin Ganescu (Coalition of Organisations of Patients with Chronic Diseases in Romania - COPAC) as Board members, while Andreas Christodoulou (Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations), Nikos Dedes (Greek Patients Association), and Konstantina Boumaki (EPF Youth Group) have been elected as new Board members. The newly constituted board re-elected Marco Greco as President.
The EPF Secretariat, together with the Board Members, have expressed their gratitude towards the departing Board members: Manuel Arellano (Plataforma de Organizaciones de Pacientes - POP) and Dimitrios Athanasiou (World Duchenne Organization).
New Members in the Ethics Committee
As the current three-year term of all five members of the Ethics Committee had come to an end, the AGM allowed us to elect new members for the Committee. Following the members’ vote, the Ethics Committee now welcomes Dimitrios Athanasiou (World Duchenne Organization), Dominik Tomek (Association for patient’s rights protection in Slovakia), Michal Rataj (EAMDA - European Alliance of Neuromuscular Disorders Association), Pedro Carrascal (Spanish Platform of Patient Organisations), and Veronica Rubio (Association of European Coeliac Societies).
New EPF Members
This year, we welcomed the Latvian Network of Patient Organizations and Sjögren Europe as Associate Members. The National Association of Patients' Organizations (NAPO), after joining last year as an associate member, has now become a full member, after meeting all the requirements and receiving a positive vote from the EPF membership.
The EU Pharmaceutical Reform
To conclude the event, Julie Spony, EPF Policy Officer, delivered a much-anticipated overview of EPF’s position on the recently published revision of the pharmaceutical legislation. The presentation walked the audience through the legislation’s relevance to the patient community, while highlighting EPF’s key recommendations.