The TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is an advocacy network that brings together civil society representatives (individuals and organisations) from across the WHO European Region; in order to strengthen the role of civil society within the region response to tuberculosis (TB), and to increase the political and financial commitment required to effectively control the epidemic in the region.
The year 2016 is another critical year for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in Europe. The latest evidence continues to affirm that the fight against TB, and particularly drug-resistant TB, is far from won in the region and sustained community advocacy, capacity building, and high-level advocacy are needed to achieve this goal.

Main specific objectives of the programme:
1) Increase understanding of the civil society contribution to the TB response;
2) By the end of 2016, maintain and strengthen the TBEC website as a regional platform serving 375 civil society stakeholders working within the TB response;
3) Provide access to TBEC support and representation to civil society stakeholders in at least 75% of countries within the Region by the end of 2016;
4) Strengthen the voice of civil society in all accessible EU and regional forums/ consultations throughout 2016;
5) Manage TBEC’s governance and internal processes for the successfully implementation of this work programme throughout 2016;

These objectives will be achieved via the delivery of key outputs:
- Map civil society stakeholders across the WHO European Region
- Facilitate access to information and resources for capacity building for target groups
- Conduct outreach to civil society across the region with the aim of expanding the network and building relationships with target groups
- Engage with decision-makers on behalf of civil society across the region
- Manage the network effectively to implement the three-year work programme







The TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is an advocacy network that brings together civil society representatives (individuals and organisations) from across the WHO European Region; in order to strengthen the role of civil society within the region response to tuberculosis (TB), and to increase the political and financial commitment required to effectively control the epidemic in the region.
The year 2017 is the 3rd year of the FPA and another critical year for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in Europe. The latest evidence continues to affirm that the fight against TB, and particularly drug-resistant TB, is far from won in the region and sustained community advocacy, capacity building, and high-level advocacy are needed to achieve this goal.

Main specific objectives of the programme:
1) Increase understanding of the civil society contribution to TB response across 80% of the Region by the end of 2017;
2) By the end of 2017, maintain and strengthen the TBEC website as a regional platform serving 400 civil society stakeholders working within the TB response;
3) Provide access to TBEC support and representation to civil society stakeholders in at least 80% of countries within the Region by the end of 2017;
4) Strengthen the voice of civil society in all accessible EU, regional and international forums/consultations throughout 2017;
5) Manage TBEC’s governance and internal processes for the successful implementation of this work programme throughout 2017.

These objectives will be achieved via the delivery of key outputs:
- Mapping civil society stakeholders across the region;
- Facilitate access to information and resources for target groups;
- Conduct outreach to civil society across the region with the aim of expanding the network and building relationships with target groups;
- Engage with decision-makers to advocate on behalf of civil society across the region;
- Manage the network effectively to implement the three-year work programme.



TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is the only regional civil society network working exclusively on TB in the WHO Europe region and, with 171 members in 35 WHO Europe countries, is uniquely positioned to increase the political will needed to end the TB epidemic across the region by strengthening the coordinated response of civil society.
According to the latest figures released by the WHO in the Global Tuberculosis Report 2017, TB continues to be the world’s leading infectious killer, resulting in 10.4 million new infections globally - 600, 000 of which were drug resistant. Unfortunately, the WHO Europe region continues to lead in two key areas of concern - drug resistant TB and TB/HIV co-infection. Nevertheless, TB has maintained a low profile on the regional - and global - political agenda, failing to receive the attention and resources it deserves. 2018 provides unprecedented political opportunities to advance the fight against the epidemic, such as the first ever UN High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, which could trigger a dramatic shift in the global and European response. A strong, engaged and coordinated civil society will be key to guarantee these opportunities are not missed.
TBEC has identified health system financing, people-centred TB policy, and TB R&D as the key thematic priorities in the region for the next three years.
TBEC has identified four key objectives for 2018 work plan: 1) well-structured TBEC governance and accountability mechanisms; 2) robust processes for communication and external outreach, including one-to-one engagement; 3) strong partnerships with key decision makers, influencers and civil society in interdependent policy areas, in particular TBEC priority thematic areas; and 4) identification of skill gaps and knowledge needs amongst TBEC members, specifically with focus on best practices, as well as opportunities for training programme in 2019.



The “Joint Action on integrating prevention, testing and link to care strategies across HIV, Viral Hepatitis, TB & STIs in Europe” (INTEGRATE) has the overall objective to increase Integrated early diagnosis and linkage to prevention and care of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in EU Member States by 2020.
A number of tools have been developed to reduce transmission, optimize early diagnosis and linkage to care for one or more of these four diseases. INTEGRATE will map relevant existing tools for cross-linking. A peer-review process will identify which of these tools are complimentary or redundant for other disease(s), and which could be adapted or require further innovation.
HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs are cross-borders public health threats of concern to Europe that affect vulnerable populations disproportionately and require personalised interventions. As multiple dimensional approaches are required to reduce the public health burden, the most optimal profile of approaches that provide additive effects (and that are reasonably cost-effective) should be identified and implemented broadly.
INTEGRATE provides a platform to disseminate and exchange best practice among Member States and facilitate discussions on innovations and emerging issues within the four diseases. In this respect, INTEGRATE is a shared European effort that extends beyond the partners and can create important synergies across European stakeholders, projects and initiatives.
INTEGRATE supports the implementation of the Commission Communication on ‘Combating HIV/AIDS in the European Union and neighboring countries’ and the ‘Action Plan on HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighboring countries’ by ensuring better preparedness across the EU and by identifying innovative evidence-based testing and prevention tools to reduce new cases of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in priority groups.


The Joint Action proposal on “HIV and Co-infection Prevention and Harm Reduction” (HA-REACT) addresses existing gaps in the prevention of HIV and other co-infections (especially tuberculosis and hepatitis) in priority areas of the EU. Despite huge advances in treatment and care and successful implementation of evidence-based preventive interventions in many EU member states, these infections are still not controlled among certain population groups and regions. The HA-REACT Joint action (JA) directly addresses the Communication from the Commission [COM(2009)569] on “Combating HIV/AIDS in the European Union and neighbouring countries, 2009 -2013” and relevant actions laid out in the associated [SWD(2014)106] action plan extension 2014-2016. The project takes a practical rather than a theoretical or purely guiding approach. It will implement concerted, multi-country, and multi-actor actions, strengthening evidence-based practices in the focus countries, where the situation and needs are particularly challenging. Focused action for greater impact is the leading principle of this proposal. The HA-REACT will focus on pragmatic actions targeting the most vulnerable populations, i.e. people who inject drugs (PWID). The focus countries for the JA were selected according to an objective and transparent selection criteria, developed by the ECDC and the EMCDDA in which the countries were ranked according to their epidemic situation and coverage of preventive measures. In addition to work packages of Coordination, Dissemination and Evaluation, HA-REACT actions are organized into five core work packages: Testing and linkage to care, Scaling up harm reduction, Harm reduction and continuity of care in prisons, Integrated care, Sustainability and long-term funding.
