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Announcement

EUROPLAN II
Athens, December 1st 2012

The Greek Alliance for Rare Diseases as a member of EURORDIS organizes the second EUROPLAN conference, at the Eugenides Foundation, on

December 1st 2012.

The conference is an opportunity to evaluate the effects and results of the first EUROPLAN conference, and to promote the realization process of the Greek National Plan for Rare Diseases.

Quoting from the official EURORDIS website:

The conferences helped to build up the momentum needed to hatch a new strategy or bring together all existing initiatives into one National Plan. Stakeholders involved in National Conferences shared the feeling that momentum should not be lost as it is necessary to build the next phase of work.

“We cannot change the world in one day but for those countries that are starting to tackle the challenges of rare diseases, the EUROPLAN conferences have been incredibly positive,” said Mirjam Mann, from ACHSE and a EURORDIS-EUROPLAN Advisor. “Those countries, like Germany, who are further along that path, will now need to discuss more specific best practices in each area of intervention.”

“This is just the end of the first step of EUROPLAN”, continued Antoni Montserrat from the European Commission at the EUROPLAN Final conference in Rome. “We need to consolidate what has been created, which is strong.”

This is why another series of EUROPLAN Conferences is being prepared. “EUROPLAN II” will thrive in the broader context of the Joint Action for Rare Diseases and include up to 20 countries.

EURORDIS has extended the process to countries not involved in the first phase, but also to provide support to those countries where there is a clear need to reinforce the process with a second conference.

The new National Conferences take place in 2012 and 2013.

“I hope that even beyond 2013, after plans have been established, we will all continue on a strong and solid base” said Yann Le Cam, CEO of EURORDIS. “The actions we will undertake together at a European level –he continued- through the first years of national plans are the building block for the future of rare disease in Europe.”

More details will be published as they become available.