The Heart Failure Policy Network has worked closely with 17 MEPs from 12 countries who launched a new Written Declaration (110/2016) on heart failure in the European Parliament. The campaign ran from 24 October 2016 to 24 January 2017 and secured 234 MEP signatures, making it arguably the largest political campaign ever on heart failure in Europe. The Written Declaration was initiated by the following MEPs:
The initiative also had significant support from organisations across Europe, over 25 European and National groups representing patients, professional groups and NGOs participated in the initiative.
The Written Declaration on Heart Failure requested that the European Commission considered initiatives to:
Despite not receiving enough signatures to pass (European Parliament rules require 376 signatures, or half of all MEPs), the Written Declaration and its associated campaign provided a significant awareness-raising opportunity. Some of the many campaign successes included reaching more than 1.6 million people on Twitter, and the presentation of the signatures to the Maltese Health Minister during the European Parliament’s ENVI committee meeting on 24 January 2017. MEP Edward Czesak (ECR, Poland) also submitted an official Written Question on heart failure to the European Commission.
Find out more about on the Written Declaration project page.