The adoption of the new EU regulation on the provision of food information to consumers by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU was welcomed by EFA as a positive step to enhance the protection of the health of people with allergies. Clear and understandable food information helps consumers make better-informed choices and safe use of food, important for people with food allergy or intolerance or with special dietary requirements because

Greetings from the EFA Board who held their meeting on the 19th of September in Brussels. Please save the date and venue of our next AGM and network meeting in your diary: the 31st of May to the 1st of June 2013 in Rome, Italy, invited by Associazione Italiana Pazienti BPCO. This month the Board discussed a draft paper on strategic priorities for 2013 and reviewed the excellent progress of our work plan this year. EFA is organising an alignment meeting

EFA launched a new video earlier this month in which Austrian MEP Karin Kadenbach speaks about how EFA’s EU work can contribute to concrete change for allergy patients across Europe. At the annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in Vienna this year, EFA’s Symposium was proud to display a new video of Karin Kadenbach, Austrian Member of the European Parliament, who spoke to EFA on the subject of EU healthcare policy and why

This month EFA reports on its food allergen labelling event at the European Parliament and has news about a European project soon to issue guidelines on indoor air quality in schools across Europe. EFA holds “Contains/May Contain” Food Allergen Labelling Event Policy-makers and other stakeholders joined EFA at the European Parliament on Wednesday 19th of September to discuss food allergen labelling in EU policy and everyday practice. Hosted

EFA has been busy racing around over the last few weeks (literally!). We participated in the the ELF Lung Run, hosted a stand at the ERS World Village in Vienna, took part in the EMA Patient and Consumer working party, attended a ‘patient think-tank’, received training in health technology and participated in a meeting on paediatric medicines. Wrap-up of EFA at the ERS Congress 2012 in Vienna – EFA in World Spirometry Day (WSD) 2012 Lung Run

In policy news this month we report on the air quality situation in Europe and how two new EU proposals are aiming to improve the safety of medical devices produced here. Launch of the 2012 EEA report on the air quality situation in Europe – the way forward to the 2013 EU Year of Air On the 24th of September, the European Environment Agency (EEA) launched their 2012 report on the air quality situation in Europe with a presentation and discussion

In care related news this month, new guidelines on atopic eczema have been published and a big capacity building project for patients on clinical trials has been launched. New guidelines on Atopic Eczema published The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) has published new guidelines on managing Atopic Eczema (AE). EADV is an organisation that aims to advance research, education, training and the standards of clinical care in the

In other news EFA has made a large contribution to a new report on COPD published last month, and the GAAPP has been presented at a scientific conference for the first time   First GAAPP scientific conference symposium On August 21 at the 21st World Congress of Asthma organized by the Interasma Global Asthma Association in Québec, Canada, the Global Allergy and Asthma Patient Platform (GAAPP) held its very first scientific conference symposium.

On 20 September, 2012 the European Parliament magazine released an article on the EFA "Contains/May Contain" Food Allergen Labelling Event at the European Parliament, which took place from 18.30h until about 20.45h on Wednesday 19 September. To read the full article, please click on the article heading below!   EU food labelling rules 'do not go far enough'   

This summer EFA has been busy preparing for a busy autumn, but also replied on behalf of allergy and respiratory patients to a European Commission Consultation on the subject of climate change in Europe; the Presidency of the EU was handed over to Cyprus who will guide European policy-making for the next 6 months; and new rules for the labeling of allergens in wines have recently come into force.   Submission of EFA Response to the EU Consultation

In care related news this month, the European Medicines Agency releases a video explaining the new EU pharmacovigilance legislation, the European Commission attempts to revamp how medical trials in Europe are run, and a review of the recalled vaccine Preflucel is completed, following reported suspected allergic side effects   New EMA video on pharmacovigilance   The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched a video to introduce and explain

Following its summer break, EFA is proud to welcome you to our new-look website and newsletter!   This month sees the launch of the new EFA website and newsletter. The website is now a more interactive, informative and up-to-date tool for EFA members, patients and all those interested in keeping up to date with the issues of allergy, asthma and COPD in Europe.   New features include a public video and photo gallery, a calendar for upcoming