On 9 April, the European Group of Governmental Experts on Dementia held an online meeting to share developments, publications and projects with relevance for dementia policy, as well as to exchange knowledge and information.
In total, 45 attendees from 21 European countries were represented at the meeting, in addition to representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission’s Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), the Joint Action on Health and Dementia (JADE) and from Alzheimer Europe. National representatives were present from Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
Alzheimer Europe opened the session by providing an overview of health technology assessments, clinical guidelines and reimbursement decisions relating to anti-amyloid treatments across Europe, with representatives exchanging knowledge on the situation within their country.
Alzheimer Europe provided an update on some key developments at EU level, including hearings and events within the European Parliament, as well as ongoing developments in relation to the EU4Health programme. The representative from JADE updated the group on the progress of the Joint Action, highlighting its work to improve health systems through best practices, equitable access to care and policy developments, as well as involvement and collaboration with external partners and public institutions.
The attendee from Poland provided an update on the country’s first national dementia action programme (adopted in December 2025), highlighting its policy priorities and the challenges of implementation within a constrained funding environment.
The final session highlighted the work of an expert group of academics in Germany who had developed a data-driven approach to dementia prevention, which could inform the development of policies in the next German national dementia strategy.
The next meeting of the Governmental Expert Group will take place in person on 26–27 October, in Dublin, Ireland, just prior to the 36th Alzheimer Europe Conference.
