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CITTADINANZATTIVA APS

CA

Cittadinanzattiva APS (www.cittadinanzattiva.it) is an organization, founded in Italy in 1978, which promotes citizens' activism for the protection of rights, the care of common goods, the support for people in conditions of weakness.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Michalis Hadjipantela (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Jan 2026 · Introductory Meeting and event proposal

Response to EU cardiovascular health plan

16 Sept 2025

Cittadinanzattiva (www.cittadinanzattiva.it) is a civic organization founded in 1978 that promotes citizen activism to protect rights, safeguard common goods, and support people in vulnerable conditions in Italy and across Europe. For decades, health has been one of its core areas of work, with a growing focus also on cardiovascular prevention. A recent initiative, Cuore di donna in farmacia, represents a concrete example (www.cittadinanzattiva.it/progetti/15974-cuore-di-donna-in-farmacia-prevenzione-e-screening-al-femminile.html). A total of 1,510 women participated in this health promotion project, undergoing a free electrocardiogram (ECG) through telemedicine services provided in pharmacies. The results were striking: based on 22 parameters, including previous conditions and lifestyle factors, one out of five women was found to be at high (17.3%) or very high (3.6%) cardiovascular risk. Even within the subgroup initially classified as no risk, 5% showed unexpected ECG anomalies of varying severity, requiring further diagnostic follow-up. These outcomes highlight the crucial role of ECG screening also in accessible settings such as pharmacies in identifying both unrecognized pathological conditions and individuals at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (primary prevention). The pilot demonstrated three key strategic directions: a) scale up screening through pharmacies and civic/patient groups to reach apparently healthy but at-risk individuals; b) expand telemedicine, especially in remote and underserved areas, for timely and accessible screening; c) raise awareness of cardiovascular diseases, particularly among women, with structured health education. In parallel, Cittadinanzattiva has carried out the FEEL GOOD survey (www.cittadinanzattiva.it/comunicati/16391-feel-good-presentati-i-risultati-della-campagna-su-obesita-e-sovrappeso-patologico.html?highlight=WyJmZWVsIiwiZ29vZCJd), conducted in Italian schools and pharmacies, exploring perceptions of obesity and overweight. Among students, 93.1% considered it useful to discuss obesity and severe overweight, and 59.4% expressed interest in projects specifically dedicated to these issues. At the same time, 67.8% recognized that peers with obesity face greater difficulties in social inclusion, and 91.3% acknowledged that they are more exposed to bullying. The adult population showed different gaps: 29% admitted to having little or no knowledge of obesity, overweight, and their related risks especially cardiovascular risks. While more than half recognized the role of genetics and family predisposition, far fewer considered psychological or socioeconomic factors as significant causes. Based on these findings, we issued several recommendations for public institutions: launch institutional awareness and education campaigns on obesity and cardiovascular risk, targeting children, adolescents, and parents; formally recognize obesity as a chronic disease; integrate civic and health education into school curricula; ensure an intersectoral, inter-ministerial approach in designing integrated interventions to tackle obesity and related cardiovascular complications as a major public health issue. Finally, consistent with its long-standing advocacy on vaccination policies both in Italy and at the European level, Cittadinanzattiva calls for a stronger integration of vaccination within the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan. Vaccination is increasingly recognized as protection against infectious diseases and an effective preventive measure for cardiovascular conditions in high-risk patients. The European Society of Cardiology has recently reiterated this perspective in its paper Vaccination as a new form of cardiovascular prevention. Through these projects and recommendations, Cittadinanzattiva reaffirms its mission: empowering citizens, strengthening health literacy, and ensuring that prevention including cardiovascular prevention becomes a right accessible to all.
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Meeting with Dirk Van Den Steen (Acting Head of Unit Health and Food Safety)

18 Jun 2025 · Economic sustainability of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) at the European level. (Meeting convened at request of interest representative following a request made to Director-General, followed up at technical level.

Meeting with Dario Tamburrano (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Jun 2025 · Incontro di presentazione

Meeting with Letizia Moratti (Member of the European Parliament)

1 May 2025 · Health Policies

Meeting with Stefano Bonaccini (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Mar 2025 · Meeting with FAIS

Meeting with Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Feb 2025 · EU Policy

Meeting with Nicola Zingaretti (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Jan 2025 · health

Meeting with Giuseppe Lupo (Member of the European Parliament)

3 Dec 2024 · Presentation of the activities of Cittadinanzattiva

Meeting with Antonella Sberna (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Nov 2024 · Strengthening and protecting the right to health and the rights of the sick

Meeting with Tomislav Sokol (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Oct 2024 · Health Policy

Meeting with Raffaele Topo (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Oct 2024 · Health

Meeting with Cecilia Strada (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Oct 2024 · promozione della cittadinanza attiva e protezione del diritto alla salute dei cittadini europei.

Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Mar 2023 · European Health Union

Meeting with Margaritis Schinas (Vice-President) and

8 Apr 2021 · Health Union

Response to Evaluation of patient rights in cross-border healthcare

8 Feb 2021

From Active Citizenship Network(ACN) the development and full implementation of the Cross-border Healthcare Directive is a key for the reduction of health inequalities and the construction towards an EU Health Union. Directive 2011/24/EU4 established a comprehensive set of patients’ rights regarding access to health services in the EU. However, reports from the EP and the European Court of Auditors – also supported by our multi-annual activities carried out in 23 Member States - concluded that the impact on patients is still too limited. In the EU only 2% of citizens had planned treatment abroad but, if properly adopted, the Directive can help reduce health inequalities not only among the MS but within each country and with benefits for the rest of 98% of the EU population. Main barriers: • Lack of information: low awareness • NCPs should have an essential role to play but in reality, in-depth information on patients’ rights is generally lacking on NCPs websites.• Lack of homogeneous assistance• a complicated system of prior authorization, different from the MS to MS; • little or denied reimbursements; • long or complicated administrative procedures; •Disparities amongst NCPs in the way they operate • common obstacles in the patient's journey• Lack of economic resources provided by EU Institutions and the MS to increase awareness of the role of NCPs • missing broader cooperation among stakeholders: art. 6 of the Cross-border Dir. not fully implemented. Proposals to empower citizens to benefit from crossBorder healthcare opportunities:1. appropriate information for both citizens and doctors, hospitals and social security services alike: simple language should be used. 2.Communication campaigns, dissemination activities & study visit to raise awareness among Eu patients on ERNs, with the direct involvement of civic organizations 3. Integration of different EU policies (cost-effective and cost-efficient strategy) • introduction of rules on mediation, ODR/ADR (Online Dispute Resolution/Alternative Dispute Resolution)• better coordination of EU agencies (Solvit, Your Europe Advice, NCPs, Europe Direct, ECC-Net). • integration of the principles of the Directive in the EU mobility policy. •integrate the function of ECC-Net in healthcare or establish a European Patient Centres Network(EPC-Net) with civic & patient organisations. ERN's impact should be much broader: a platform for e-Health tools; greater cooperation on more common chronic diseases, in addition to the rare ones. About ERNs, what is in place at this stage is excellent but next steps: they should be opened o non-rare diseases with the involvement of a broader multi-stakeholder group. The governance of ERNs needs to be updated: civic & patient organisations &all the relevant stakeholders including the private sector should play an active role in facilitating access to information on healthcare, and the options that a European knowledge of diseases could bring to citizens, promoting patients’ empowerment, bridging the gap between patients’ and institutions/providers and increasing patients’ treatment options. So, ACN welcomes the intention to scale up networking through the ERN and extend it to infectious and non-communicable diseases, (EU4Health programme 2021-2027). ACN's proposal is to encourage, for each ERN, the establishment of a multi-stakeholder forum opened to all the actors already involved in the Cross-border healthcare and in the implementation of its Directive, with attention to the unmet needs of patients with severe genetic and rare diseases, interested in the development of personalized medicine and ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products). These goals could be reached also thanks to a more active role of the broader constituency of advocacy groups and patients’ associations to clearly show to the EU citizens that the innovative potential expressed by the Directive is powerful. MORE DETAILS of ACN proposals and information in the attached FILE.
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Response to Proposal for a Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health

1 Feb 2021

The proposal reveals a serious gap completely unjustified in light of the lessons that we should have learned from the pandemic: there is no reference to the role and involvement of actors of the civil society and Patient Advocacy Groups (PAGs) who can be called in support of the institutions and for the benefit of the communities. An affair managed directly by the Commission, such as the one described in the Proposal for Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council on serious cross-border threats to health, which inserts itself in the path indicated by the President of the European Commission towards building the European Health Union and thus cannot fail to directly address the European population as well. The European institutions must feel the need of "ferrying" European citizens towards this necessary awareness (i.e. in terms of global health and its main treats, a "one health approach", etc.), which is fundamental in building the European Health Union, announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union. Considerations: No one can be considered as excused or feel 100% safe in avoiding infection. The behaviour of merely one individual can go a long way in preventing the risk of infection for others, and it is therefore fundamental in raising more awareness of the ways in which a single person can abide by respecting the rules. The widespread awareness of global health being a common good or courtesy is not as widespread as it should be. Advocacy and rights protection’ associations play an important role in bringing out the needs of particular targets for populations. Authorities that should benefit from the aforementioned associations to disseminate specific information necessary to ensure, for example, the essential continuity of care for patients in need. 20 years of progress in terms of prevention were put at risk when screening and vaccination services were delayed or suspended during the pandemic. Proposals: 1. Extension of the model of the European References Networks (ERNs) to be applied to epidemiological surveillance services based on the establishment of a network of EU reference laboratories managed and coordinated by the ECDC, and a network to support disease outbreak monitoring. 2. In establishing a permanent EU advisory body for health threats and crises, it is recommended to take up the recent example of the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), which, in the Scientific Committee for post-marketing surveillance of Covid19 vaccines (CSV-Covid19), also involved as observers representatives of civil society. In addition, the proposed Regulation should also - starting from European Consumer Centers Network (ECC-Net), integrate this, or establish a European Patient Centres Network (EPC-Net) in order to improve citizens’ protection & empowerment in the framework of cross-border health issues, with the direct involvement of civic & patient organisations. We kindly suggest to the EC to explore the feasibility to integrate the function of the ECC-Net also in healthcare issues. The EPC-Net could boost health confidence across the EU, in line with the hope of building the European Health Union. Why can consumers’ issues on cross-border be managed while patients’ issues cannot? The EPC-Net could be: the necessary channel for institutions to invest in health literacy, training citizens empowerment on global health. A connecting point between civil society the scientific community, that of patients and the institutions for a correct and constant flow of information in an emergency. A reference point for patient associations active on cross-border health threats, to facilitate the exchange of info, data collection and best practices, monitoring citizens’ problems and identifying common solutions. The “missing piece” between National Contact Points and ERN. A natural manner for the enhancement of experiences gained during the first wave of the pandemic by patients and civic associations.
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Meeting with Eduard Hulicius (Cabinet of Commissioner Věra Jourová) and MUST Partners and Coordinamento delle associazioni e dei comitati di tutela dell’ambiente e dei diritti degli utenti e dei consumatori

16 Mar 2016 · Corporate social and Consumers responsibility of fast-food chains