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European Liver Patients' Association

ELPA

ELPA’s aim is to promote the interests of people with liver disease and in particular: to highlight the size of the problem; to promote awareness and prevention; to address the low profile of liver disease as compared to other areas of medicine such as heart disease; to share experience of successful initiatives; to work with professional bodies such as EASL and with the EU to ensure that treatment and care are harmonised across Europe to the highest standards.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Olivér Várhelyi (Commissioner) and

18 Sept 2025 · Commission priorities in the area of health

Response to EU cardiovascular health plan

17 Sept 2025

MASLD: THE MISSING PIECE IN CARDIOVASCULAR PREVENTION. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is Europes leading cause of death. Yet one highly prevalent condition remains largely unaddressed in prevention guidelines: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Strongly linked to diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension, MASLD significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure. Including MASLD in cardiovascular strategies will improve early detection, risk assessment, and long-term outcomes.
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Meeting with Olivér Várhelyi (Commissioner) and

25 Jun 2025 · Ongoing policy developments

Meeting with Michalis Hadjipantela (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Jan 2025 · Follow up meeting before event

Meeting with Irena Joveva (Member of the European Parliament)

27 Jan 2025 · Issues liver patients face in Slovenia and the EU

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

20 Nov 2024 · EU health policy

Meeting with Stella Kyriakides (Commissioner) and

3 Apr 2023 · noncommunicable diseases

Response to Vaccine-Preventable Cancers

6 Feb 2023

Please see attached document.
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Response to Cancer Screening Recommendation

21 Feb 2022

HCC is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. More than 830,000 people died from liver cancer in 2020, making liver cancer the 3rd most common cause of cancer death globally. In Europe, we had 98,787 diagnoses and 89,130 deaths in 2020. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and occurs predominantly in patients with underlying chronic liver disease, and cirrhosis accounts for 70-90% of primary liver cancers. This provides an opportunity to reduce mortality through surveillance of this population at risk. While we wait for the results of policies tackling primary and secondary prevention, mortality from HCC can be prevented by promoting active surveillance of patients with chronic liver diseases. Surveillance with twice-yearly blood tests and ultrasound examination allows the detection of HCC at an early stage. Patients with advanced HCC have a median survival of <1 year with palliative treatment, but patients with early-stage HCC have a 5-year survival of 70% with resection/transplant. Therefore, we are in front of three driving forces: prevention, early screening and detection, and access to the best possible care. These are crucial because they can ensure a reduction in the incidence of liver cancer, access to several options for treatment, a decrease in the mortality incidence. ELPA is calling all Ministries of Health in the EU countries and all stakeholders to develop fully funded national screening programs for Liver cancer, to be implemented through partnerships between all relevant stakeholders, both in the health and broader social context, assisted by EU development legislation and its health program, which is expected to provide the so-called "Wind in the back" in preparation for dealing with serious health threats and improvements in the rapid recovery of the health system in the European Union and the European region. ELPA believes that national health systems can be strengthened under the EU coordination, reducing the inequalities among the Member States towards an EU Health Union. Priorities and goals: The main goal of screening is to reduce the mortality of Liver cancer! Specific objectives: 1. Increasing the number of persons covered by the organized screening. 2. Raising awareness among the general public and risk groups (hepatitis B and C, Alcohol user, NAFLD and NASH) about the importance of regular preventive examinations and involvement in organized screening. 3. Ensuring equal access to organized screening programs. 4. Enabling access to a multidisciplinary team for patients diagnosed with liver cancer. 5. Increasing the involvement of the liver patient community in organized screening. (Health-literacy programs, patient-centricity in cares) See the full document attached!
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Response to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan

3 Mar 2020

Too many people in the EU and WHO Europe region are still living with hepatitis B and C. 29 million people (15 million with HCV, 14 million with HBV) are infected across WHO European region and EU member’s state. They are at risk of liver cancer, feeling stigmatized and lonely despite the fact that elimination is feasible and can be achieved. We know for the fact that hepatitis C is a curable disease. We also know, that hepatitis B is preventable and treatable disease. ELPA therefore believes that it is possible to reduce and eliminate hepatitis B and C and to reduce liver cancer for 60 - 70% in Europe as a public health threat by 2030! However, ELPA strongly believes that these results can be achieved even earlier, if all the stakeholders work together at European, national, regional and local level. This is why ELPA propose to include in the EU Cancer Plan the #EndHep Europe Initiative. Joining different forces such as patients' organisations, EU institutions, medical institutions, WHO Europe, representatives of Health of the member’s states, experts and researchers, which will lead to the elimination of hepatitis in Europe before/in 10 years’ time...
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Meeting with Anne Bucher (Director-General Health and Food Safety)

3 Feb 2020 · presenting most important initiatives and discussing future collaboration

Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

2 Mar 2017 · Towards a renewed EU Alcohol and Health Forum

Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

28 Nov 2016 · EU and NGOs action on HIV, TB and Hepatitis

Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

11 Jan 2016 · Hepatitis: action to fight Hepatitis, access to Hepatitis treatment