The European Group of Governmental Experts on Dementia held an in-person meeting on 5 and 6 October in Bologna Italy, advance of #35AEC. 24 European countries were represented at the meeting Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom (Scotland). In addition to representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission’s Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and from Alzheimer Europe. Over the course of the two-day meeting, the group heard about national dementia strategies and policies, as well as European and international policy developments.
Presentations were given on a range of subjects, with national representations primarily focused on updates on their national dementia strategies and policies, as well as their ways of monitoring and evaluating these. The OECD provided an update on its ongoing work on dementia care and forthcoming report on the subject. WHO provided an update on the global developments relating to dementia, including the extension of the Global Action Plan on Dementia, whilst Alzheimer Europe provided updates on European developments, work on reimbursement and regulatory policies for new treatments, as well as research into risk factors on dementia. The European Group of Governmental Experts on Dementia was formed in 2018 by Alzheimer Europe, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Italian Ministry of Health and the Scottish Government and is facilitated by Alzheimer Europe.