Hello from Copenhagen, where the EFA delegation is attending the 75th WHO Regional Committee for Europe. We are here to ensure that the voice of patients living with respiratory and allergic diseases is heard in health policymaking. Through a statement led by EFA and co-signed by many other NGO non-state actors, we are advocating for the implementation of the World Health Assembly resolutions on lung and skin health and calling for stronger prevention, cleaner air, smoke-free environments and better protection for young people in Europe.

Earlier this month, we brought lung health to the forefront of the European Health Forum Gastein. Our session with the European Lung Health Group “Breathing Together for Change” explored how Europe can achieve earlier diagnosis, stronger prevention and better care through a future European Lung Health Plan. More than 130 participants got a lung test at our spirometry booth, a collaboration with Lungenunion, showing the importance of prevention in practice.

In November, I will join the European Medicines Agency webinar to speak about the impact of medicine shortages on our communty and what needs to change to ensure better continuity of care. Later in the month, we will welcome 45 patient advocates to Prague for the launch of the European Respiratory Patient Academy. Over four days, they will learn new skills, build confidence and connect with others to strengthen their voice in respiratory health advocacy across Europe.

Warm regards,

Marcia Podestà
EFA President

EFA represented patients at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2025 in Amsterdam to strengthen collaboration between science, policy and real-life experience in respiratory health. Together with our community of members, we shared insights on prevention, early diagnosis, and patient-centred care, showing how advocacy and expertise can work hand in hand to improve lives. The European Lung Health Group also met during the Congress, marking two years of cooperation under the #KeepBreathing campaign. Partners reaffirmed our shared commitment to making respiratory health a stronger priority across Europe.

Photo: Frazer Goodwin (EFA Policy Coordinator), José Luis Castro (WHO Special Envoy for Respiratory diseases), Susanna Palkonen (EFA Director)

EFA brought lung health to the 2025 European Health Forum Gastein, the leading EU health policy conference, with a high-level session on the future of lung policy, organised on behalf of the European Lung Health Group. Policymakers, researchers, civil society and patient representatives discussed how Europe can strengthen prevention, improve early diagnosis and ensure better care for people living with respiratory diseases. The debate highlighted the need to integrate respiratory health into broader public health strategies through a European Lung Health Plan. Participants also had the chance to visit our #KeepBreathing spirometry booth, where more than 130 people tested their lung function and learned the importance of early detection and prevention.

Photo: Gergely Meszaros (EU-PFF), Cornel Radu-Loghin (ENSP), José Luis Castro (WHO), Susanna Palkonen (EFA), Thomas Allvin (EFPIA), Zsuzsanna Miklós (JARED), Frazer Goodwin (EFA)

This week, EFA is participating in the 75th meeting of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in Copenhagen, bringing the voice of people living with allergy, asthma, COPD and atopic eczema to the discussions. Together with nine partner organisations from the civil society, we have submitted a joint written statement (also delivered in the plenary) on the Strategy for Child and Adolescent Health and Well-Being in the WHO European Region 2026–2030. With this statement, we highlighted the importance of using the new WHA Resolutions on Lung Health and Skin Diseases as building blocks for a strategy that effectively safeguards the health of young people. Our contribution calls for stronger prevention by tackling key risk factors such as smoking, air pollution and climate change, as well as early diagnosis and access to care for young people affected by these conditions across Europe. At the same time, EFA co-signed statements of sister civil society organisations on other topics of the agenda, including the 2nd European Programme of Work and the strategy for healthy ageing.

Photo: Hans Kluge (Regional Director WHO Regional Office for Europe), Marcia Podestà (EFA President), Panagiotis-Minos Chaslaridis (EFA Senior Policy Advisor)