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MEP Tomislav Sokol (EPP) told Euractiv that Europe needs a plan to tackle Alzheimer’s disease with concrete measures, each with its own deadline and properly funded.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a variety of brain disorders that affect memory and behaviour. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, for which there is currently no cure. Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Europe and has a societal cost of €392 billion, with member states under pressure to develop and implement national dementia plans to cope with future pressures.
By 2025, 9.1 million people in the EU will have dementia, a figure MEPs acknowledge will rise sharply as populations age. Projections from umbrella group Alzheimer’s Europe suggest that figure will rise to 14.3 million by 2050.
“The fact is that Alzheimer’s disease affects an increasing number of people,” Sokol told European Events, adding that Europe must commit to an ambitious plan to tackle Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Those organisations that have campaigned to ensure this priority will be eager to see these words put into action after the EU elections in June, which they argue have mostly ignored adequate policy proposals to tackle diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s Society Europe said the issue of dementia should be given greater attention during elections and in the manifestos of European political parties.
Owen Miller, European Alzheimer’s policy officer, told Euractiv: “Disappointingly, this was not the case. Although health-related issues were widely featured in the manifesto, health policy was not a focus of this election.”
EPP Focus on Alzheimer’s Disease
However, Miller said they were pleased to see a specific commitment to a European dementia plan in the European People’s Party (EPP) manifesto. declaration Mentioned ensuring full implementation of the anti-cancer plan, adding that the EPP wants to take the next step: developing a European plan to tackle Alzheimer’s disease.
Miller added: “As the largest party in the European Parliament following the election, we call on them to deliver on this commitment and ensure the voices of people with dementia and their carers help shape this plan.”
Sokol reiterated that the plan will be a priority during the new parliamentary term.
“As coordinator of the European People’s Party’s public health subcommittee (SANT), I will strongly advocate for this,” he told Euractiv after his recent re-election to the position.
Alzheimer’s Europe also had more than 300 candidates sign the latest Dementia Commitment, and around 7,400 people signed a similar call to action, which the organisation said showed the level of support for dementia as a priority across Europe.
Europe is a global leader
Globally, Europe is leading the way in developing dementia plans. Status Report The WHO said dementia plans were unevenly distributed across the world, with half of them in Europe. But there was still room for improvement.
“In the European Region, many programmes are about to expire or have already expired, requiring a renewed commitment from governments to prioritise dementia,” the WHO said.
When comparing dementia policies and strategies across Europe, Alzheimer’s Europe highlights that there is a clear gap between progress made in eastern and western Europe, with western and northern Europe scoring higher than their neighbours.
The analysis shows that the best performing countries in the EU are Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, which are tied for second place after Scotland. The worst performing countries in the EU are Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
Overall, the organization found that the number of countries with an ongoing dementia strategy had fallen from 26 in 2020 to 22 in 2023. Of the countries with a strategy, only 10 reported that they had allocated dedicated funding for it.
Miller said the organization believes member states should use EU funding flows to achieve WHO’s goals.
On 21 September, World Alzheimer’s Day, the European Alzheimer’s Association will formally re-establish the European Alzheimer’s Alliance (EAA), a cross-party alliance of MEPs. This will coincide with the run-up to the hearings of the Commissioners-designate of the European Parliament.
“We hope that EAA members will urge future commissioners to explain how dementia will be a priority in the commission’s work over the next five years,” Miller said.
(Author: Christoph Schwaiger | Editor: Brian Maguire | Euractiv Promotional Lab ）
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