EPHA is a leading NGO advocating for better health for everyone living in Europe. Our mission is to bring together the public health community to provide thought leadership and facilitate change; to build public health capacity to deliver equitable solutions to European public health challenges, to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Our key role is to promote health in the European Union at the highest levels of policy making across the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council.

80 million people still live in poverty in the EU, and poor living conditions, low income, poor employment conditions and unhealthy diets due to being unable to afford to buy healthy food are all key determinants of health. In addition, many of the key determinants of health lie outside of the control of individual citizens, such as how healthcare systems are managed, how food production in the EU is organized and how trade regulations enable or discourage healthy food choices and how pharmaceutical policies and the cost of medicines are regulated, for example.

EPHA's proposal for an operating grant under a Framework Partnership Agreement covers core operating costs for actions that contribute to the four objectives of the Third Health Programme. EPHA's workplan covers 4 strategic aims: improve overall population health and healthy life years, strengthen European health systems for better patient outcomes and reduced inequalities, and support institutional and policy frameworks that promote health and to strengthen and increase effective public health.

Health in all Policies, prevention-promotion-protection, reducing health inequalities and solidarity are central tenets of EPHA's workplan and are reflected in our approaches to working inter alia on food systems, trade and EU governance. Decreasing health inequalities is a core value that we endeavor to mainstream in all activities. Actions in the 2015 workplan reflect the final year of EPHA’s current strategic plan, and this year will be crucial for setting the 2016 to 2020 strategy.
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HAI Europe contributes to European Union (EU) policy that promotes universal and equitable access to affordable needed medicines of assured quality and policy and practice that ensures those medicines are used rationally. HAI Europe’s work plan 2015-2017 is dedicated to identify, monitor and support EU policies that provide a response to persistent shortfalls in access to medicines and that are aligned with HAI’s overarching goals on Access to Needed Medicines, Rational Use of Medicines and Democratisation of Medicines Policy in Europe. HAI will work towards these goals through research, evidence-based policy analysis and intervention, training and information sharing. As a result, HAI will advocate for citizen-centred public health policies that address health challenges in the EU and health inequity both within and between EU member states. HAI Europe’s multi-annual programme addresses the objectives of the Third Health Programme and contributes to EU added-value by supporting medicines policies that have the potential to maximise the impact of policy intervention at a regional level, and thereby contributes to better and safer healthcare for EU citizens. HAI Europe is a non-profit, independent NGO and maintains a membership network of consumers, healthcare providers, academics and public interest groups working on pharmaceutical policy issues in Europe. The growing European regional network is represented in over half of EU Member States. The HAI Europe office coordinates actions with the HAI Europe Members Association, and integrates its work in collaboration with other European civil society organisations.
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Health Action International’s (HAI) 2019 European workplan builds on previous successes supported by CHAFEA. It provides a response to persistent shortcomings in European medicines policy and regulation. HAI’s workplan is aligned with the objectives of the Third Health Programme and with HAI’s organisational goals: (1) Access to Affordable Medicines, (2) Medicines Safety, Added Therapeutic Value and Responsible Use, (3) Democratisation of Medicines Policy. In 2019, HAI will continue to address factors affecting access to medicines, including Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) while campaigning to broaden public and policy support in the European Union for alternative models of biomedical innovation that prioritise unmet medical needs, contribute to medicines affordability and ensure public return on public investment. Through the ‘Our Medicines, Our Right’ Campaign, we will seek to broaden policy support to medicines price transparency and R&D costs, as well as needs driven R&D modelling. We will roll-out campaign activities in Germany and thereby build bridges between policy discussions at the EU and Member State level. HAI will, furthermore, implement initiatives to promote responsible use of medicines, including antibiotics, by healthcare professionals. As a member of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Network Stakeholders Pool, HAI will contribute to the work programme of the network and advocate for strengthened EU collaboration on HTA. We will advocate specifically for joint HTA to be driven by high evaluation standards, transparency and independence from commercial interests. HAI will also seek policy and regulatory support for a more robust EU framework for medicines market authorization, in particular for cancer medicines. As a member of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Patients’ and Consumers’ Working Party (PCWP), HAI will bring an independent consumers’ voice to EMA’s discussions and public consultations.
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Health Action International’s work in Europe focuses on improving access to medicines through evidence-based advocacy, sharing expertise and engaging for change. To do this we campaign for greater transparency, and rationally used, affordable, safe and effective medicines.

PRIORITIES FOR 2021
European Parliament Working Group on Innovation, Access to Medicines and Poverty-related Diseases: HAI and MSF provide the secretariat for a group of European Parliamentarians interested in access to medicines issues. Over 2021 we will mobile this group to advocate on numerous issues.

Furthermore, we aim to change the narrative around TRIPS flexibilities to encourage more regular use of these legitimate tools. In 2021, we will implement the conclusions of the Great Health Hack, including producing the beta version of the technical solution suggested by participants. We hope to broaden understanding of the evidence base behind IP flexibilities and facilitate more policymakers to support implementation of a sustainable pricing system.

We will continue to share our recommendations how Member States can achieve greater transparency in medicines prices, research and development (R&D) costs and reimbursement decisions.

We will facilitate medical students and healthcare professionals to detect, counter and avoid exposure to pharmaceutical promotion.

As always, there will be many other upcoming issues and opportunities in access to medicines this year, both regionally and globally. We will be watching how other dossiers and events unfold in the fight against medicine shortages, also in light of COVID-19.

We pride ourselves on being active members of European civil society and part of the global access to medicines movement, via groups like the European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines, Medicijnen Netwerk Nederland, HTA Network Stakeholder Pool and the EMA PCWP.

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This proposal lays out the Work Programme for 2017 within the contents of the Multiannual Work Plan for the European Reference Network for Craniofacial Anomalies and ENT disorders (ERN CRANIO). ERN CRANIO involves teams from 29 European hospitals (10 Member States) that provide care, education, teaching, research and management of rare craniofacial anomalies, cleft lip/palate and ENT disorders. Our vision is that the best multidisciplinary initial care for all those with craniofacial anomalies and ENT disorders is not a privilege to be purchased but a moral right secured for all European patients.
Our MISSION is to consistently and persistently strive towards achieving our vision through:
1. Establishment and management of a steady referral network for patients with craniofacial anomalies and ENT disorders throughout Europe; 2. Improvement of the quality of care, by enhancing diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the patients with rare craniofacial anomalies and ENT disorders; 3. Minimization of the deviation from our operational standards and sharing best practices through suitable quality improvement initiatives, while monitoring their effectiveness using measures and indicators; 4. Stimulating innovation through multicentre research projects on (genetic) causes, pathophysiology, and associated problems, and introduction of eHealth; 5. Supporting the continuous learning and development of all our members by providing high quality educational and training opportunities to medical, nursing and other healthcare professionals; 6. Disseminating gained knowledge, making it available to all stakeholders.

In Year 1, ERN CRANIO will focus on collecting and analysing the available data on diagnoses, treatment, follow-up programmes, education and eHealth. In addition, the aim is to further expand the network in the first year by including relevant partners and experts. The results of the first year will set the agenda for subsequent years.
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