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EUROCAM

The main aim of EUROCAM is to achieve a significant political presence within the EU so as to influence the decision making of the European Commission, European Parliament and the Member States to support and provide the means for the integration of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) into European healthcare systems as well as to fund research into its benefits and cost effectiveness.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Margarita De La Pisa Carrión (Member of the European Parliament)

3 Jun 2025 · Homeopatía

Meeting with Aurelijus Veryga (Member of the European Parliament)

14 May 2025 · Terminology and Patient Safety in EU Health Regulation

Meeting with András Tivadar Kulja (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Nov 2024 · Traditional, Complementary & Integrative Medicine

Response to A comprehensive approach to mental health

15 Feb 2023

A Creating Health approach to mental health and the Traditional and Complementary Integrative Health (TCIH) [1] sector. EUROCAM and its members appreciate the importance that the EU places on mental health. Prevention of mental health problems through the provision of better overall living conditions will benefit the population and strengthen the EU. With regard to treatment, mental disease and the mental health aspect of illness are not always sufficiently recognised. This may be due to a lack of effective and efficient treatment options for mental health conditions. The TCIH sector offers many effective solutions that help patients regain their normal mental health balance. Current trends in Integrative Medicine illustrate an increased awareness of the need for support for the individuality and the mental state of the patient. In order to improve health service outcomes though the development of a multidisciplinary Integrative Medicine approach, there needs to be research into the contribution the largely overlooked TCIH sector can make. Further, this multidisciplinary approach should aim at creating health. Creating health is a different perspective from treating illness. In creating health, the aim of treatments is to improve the resilience of the patient, and people, to both the mental and physical challenges of life, which includes pressures from infections and pollution. This is in line with the emerging definition of health [2]. In this approach the centre of the health service becomes the relation between the practitioner and the patient. This individual and personal relationship is considered to play an essential role in improving outcomes. Hence, the quality of this relationship needs primary consideration above any value technical means may bring. The creating health perspective will change research questions and approaches to chronic illness (of which mental health is an important part), which in turn will result in the reduction of the number of people having to rely on the health services, thereby also reducing financial pressures. This is because the aim of the creating health approach is to provide treatments and approaches that result in patients and people becoming more resilient or, in other words, more self-sufficient, and thereby also providing a cost benefit for healthcare services. It needs to be considered that the resilience of health services is strongly linked to the resilience and empowerment of the population. The TCIH sector not only offers a wide range of interesting and effective solutions [3,4,5] but will also contribute to a reduction of the pressure on the environment resulting from the use of pharmaceutical medication. [1] https://tcih.org/ The peoples declaration for Traditional and Complementary Integrative Health care. [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5346014/ [3] https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-016-1104-2#group-1 [4] https://www.hri-research.org/resources/homeopathy-the-debate/macias-cortes-2015/ {5] Hempel S, Taylor SL, Solloway MR, et al. Evidence Map of Acupuncture. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US); 2014 Jan. Evidence map of acupuncture for mental health. Online available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK185076/
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Meeting with Michèle Rivasi (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Jul 2022 · medicine integrative

Meeting with Margrete Auken (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Jun 2022 · Integrative medicine

Response to Pharmaceutical Strategy - Timely patient access to affordable medicines

2 Jul 2020

EUROCAM, representing 60,000 organised patients/citizens, 250 national associations and a substantial part of the 400,000 doctors, veterinarians and practitioners in the sector of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) across Europe, welcomes the Commission’s Roadmap towards a Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe. For more details about T&CM, please refer to the WHO global report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine 2019, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/978924151536 Currently, one in two EU citizens uses T&CM as part of their healthcare. They would like to see increased integration of T&CM into healthcare systems. In addition, T&CM can offer a significant contribution to meet the current challenges in the health sector, such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), increasing prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and soaring costs. EUROCAM therefore aims at having the best of conventional medicine and T&CM thoroughly integrated into healthcare schemes for the benefit of European citizens. T&CM medicinal systems can substantially contribute to the overall goal of the strategy, which is to help to ensure Europe´s supply of safe and affordable medicines to meet patient´s needs and support the EU pharmaceutical industry to remain an innovator and world leader. They are capable to ensure greater access and availability of pharmaceuticals to patients because established production methods exist throughout Europe which are only limited by lack of knowledge of patients and counterproductive regulations or application of regulations. They offer pharmaceuticals in a yet undiscovered variety by using only natural ingredients and are reasonably priced. The demand for T&CM medicinal systems is constantly growing in Europe as well as abroad and concerted action supported by the EU will not only meet the demand but create new possibilities of sharing existing and new developed resources. T&CM medicines - depend on natural ingredients, knowledge and simple technology to produce cost-efficient medicines (affordable). - are already produced in the EU, mostly if not completely by small or medium sized companies. Nevertheless, they are part of the “health industry”. High standard products rooted in the complementary, alternative and/or traditional medicinal systems have an outstanding prospect of strengthening the position of the EU in health matters. T&CM medicinal systems combine prevention, cure, cost-efficiency and sustainability and are privileged to become a pillar of the aspired holistic health system and infrastructure in Europe and meet the goals of Art. 162 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. But they need perception, recognition and support.
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Meeting with Xavier Prats Monné (Director-General Health and Food Safety)

1 Apr 2016 · Cooperation with DG SANTE in the development of patient-oriented European public health policy