Luxembourg, 21 September 2024 – On World Alzheimer’s Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, as well as challenging the stigma that surrounds dementia, Alzheimer Europe is proud to relaunch the European Alzheimer’s Alliance (EAA) bringing together 75 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from 21 countries and seven political groups.
The EAA, which has been active in the European Parliament since 2007, is a non-exclusive, multinational and cross-party group that brings together MEPs supporting the campaign of Alzheimer Europe and its members to make dementia a public health and research priority in Europe.
Alzheimer Europe is delighted to announce that Nina Carberry MEP (Ireland, European People's Party) and Tilly Metz MEP (Luxembourg, Greens/European Free Alliance) have agreed to become Co-Chairs of the EAA.
As Alzheimer Europe launches the new EAA for the 2024-2029 parliamentary term, we would like to say a huge thank you to all former members of the EAA for their support.
European Parliament Dementia Day
Alzheimer Europe will organise the first edition of its European Parliament Dementia Day on 10 December 2024. On that day, representatives of national Alzheimer’s associations and members of both the European Working Group of People with Dementia and European Dementia Carers Working Group will meet with their MEPs to give an update on the context of dementia at a national level and present Alzheimer Europe’s call to see dementia recognised as a priority in the European Union health and research programmes, as well as in European social and disability policies.
At a lunch debate hosted by Tilly Metz, MEP on the same day, Alzheimer Europe will be providing an update for EU policy makers and civil servants on recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The association will also announce the winners of its third Anti-Stigma Award which will go to European journalists for news stories or documentaries addressing the stigma attached to dementia.
Contact:
Jean Georges, Executive Director, Alzheimer Europe
Tel.: +352-29 79 70
Email jean.georges@alzheimer-europe.org
Website www.alzheimer-europe.org
Notes to editors:
Alzheimer Europe is the umbrella organisation of national Alzheimer associations and currently has 41 member organisations in 36 European countries.
Further reading
The work to engage with new and re-elected MEPs for the 2024-2029 term was largely done through our campaign work, in advance of the 2024 elections which took place in early June. The campaign was a collaborative effort between Alzheimer Europe and its member organisations, with three distinct elements, each demanding that dementia be prioritised as a policy issue:
• The Helsinki Manifesto – An outline of the current situation in relation to dementia across Europe, detailing specific demands for the European Commission and national governments in the areas of health, research, disability policy and informal carers. The Manifesto, which European and national organisations are invited to endorse, will continue to be the basis of our campaign work in the coming years. To date, 83 European and national organisations have endorsed the Manifesto.
• A public Call to Action – A call signed by members of the public, demanding that European decision-makers prioritise dementia as a policy issue and implement the actions of the Helsinki Manifesto. To date, 7,500 individuals have signed the Call to Action. It remains open until December.
• The Dementia Pledge 2024 – A commitment which candidates standing for the European Parliament elections were invited to sign, pledging to prioritise dementia and to join the EAA, upon election. An impressive 304 candidates signed up and we would like to again say a huge thank you to all of the signatories and to our national member associations who played an integral part in making the campaign a success!
All signatories of the Pledge who were elected have joined the EAA, but the work does not end there. We continue to reach out to other MEPs, inviting them to join the EAA and to attend our European Parliament lunch debates in Brussels, which are hosted by members of the EAA. These debates cover a wide variety of dementia-related topics. We also use these events, among other communication channels available to us, to ensure current and prospective EAA members understand the importance of dementia across a range of policy areas, as well as what they can do as parliamentarians to ensure it remains a priority.
For more information about the European Alzheimer’s Alliance, including the names of the 75 MEPs who have joined so far, see the Alzheimer Europe website: https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/policy/european-alzheimers-alliance/members