The EFA Community gathered in Malta for its Annual General Meeting and Community Meeting, hosted by the Malta Eczema Society. 31 member organisations from 21 countries came together for two days of shared work, peer learning and a special celebration: 35 years of EFA. It was a moment to reconnect look ahead at what still needs to change for people living with allergy, asthma, COPD and atopic eczema across Europe.
Annual General Meeting 2026: new leadership and a growing community
The AGM marked the end of Marcia Podestà's six years on the EFA Board, where she served as Board Member, Vice President and President. EFA Director Susanna Palkonen thanked her: "Marcia, you led with integrity and warmth and you strengthened EFA through every step." Former EFA President Mikaela Odemyr: "You kept the EFA spirit strong and you lifted the whole community with you."
The Community thanked Marcia for her work and commitment and welcomed its new Board.
Károly Illy, CEO of Longfonds, becomes EFA President. Simone Miles, Chief Executive of Allergy UK and current EFA treasurer becomes Vice President. Georg Kneer, a volunteer from the German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB), joins as a new Board member. We also thank continuing Board members Anna Andrałojć from the Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients Associations and Fríða Rún Þórðardóttir from the Icelandic Asthma and Allergy Association for their ongoing leadership and commitment to EFA Community.
The AGM marked a proud moment of growth for the EFA Community, with three new member organisations joining: Asma y Alergia España, PHURDA from Ukraine, and Allergic Compass from Slovenia. EFA now counts 38 members in 24 countries.
Asma y Alergia España works to represent and empower people affected by asthma and respiratory allergies in Spain by promoting equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, education, and support, while advancing awareness, research, and innovation.
Pulmonary Hypertension Ukrainian Rare Disease Association (PHURDA) works to improve the lives of people suffering from chronic respiratory conditions in Ukraine.
Allergic Compass is a recently founded organisation that aims at improving the quality of life for people living with allergies, allergic diseases and urticaria in Slovenia.
Finally, EFA AGM approved the 2025 EFA activity report and accounts as well as the 2026 EFA workplan and budget.
Atopic Eczema #BreakTheInvisibleBurden and Atopical Lives photo exhibition
A distinctive feature of this year's meeting was the presence of the Atopical Lives photo exhibition, which travelled to Malta as part of the Atopic Eczema #BreakTheInvisibleBurden campaign. The portraits and lived experiences of people with atopic eczema were brought into the heart of the meeting.
As EFA President Marcia Podestà highlighted: "Over 200 million people in Europe live with allergies, asthma or COPD and the World Health Assembly resolution on skin diseases and integrated lung care create a real opportunity for national action. For atopic eczema, our asks stay the same: improve access to care and treatments, reduce the financial burden, and take the mental and social burden seriously."
EFA Community was pleased to welcome Malta's Minister for Health, Dr Jo Etienne Abela, who spoke about supporting patients in smaller countries and the value of working through organisations like EFA. "I am keen on having the Malta Eczema Society work through EFA as a channel of communication and I believe together we can do great things," he said. Michael Boffa, President of the Malta Eczema Society, also spoke about what patients face in their daily lives and why access to the right treatment is still uneven.
Community Meeting: working together across borders
The second part of the two-day event was dedicated to our Community Meeting, which opened with members’ working groups across EFA’s four disease areas: asthma and allergy, atopic eczema, COPD and food allergy. Members shared what is changing in their countries, where the gaps remain for patients and what are the priorities to take forward together.
A communications and advocacy session focused on how to speak to different audiences clearly, without losing the core message. One of the meeting's highlights came in as a Jenga game that opened a genuinely useful discussion on what sustained, meaningful and transparent cooperation takes between EFA members and our sustainable corporate partners. Members and partners worked through real and complex issues such as medication shortages and pricing, uneven access across countries, different regulatory frameworks and the practical limits of information sharing in a format that encouraged honest, productive dialogue.
Members also presented projects from their own national work, which gave others the chance to learn from what is being built at home and bring ideas back to their own contexts. This included creative and interactive projects:
Pascale Couratier (AFPRAL) shared work on anaphylaxis and the use of adrenaline auto-injectors, highlighting that many parents are still afraid to use auto-injectors on children in an emergency. The campaign “Jamais sans mon adré !” focuses on improving confidence, preparedness and understanding around severe allergic reactions and life-saving treatment.
Špela Novak (Društvo Atopijski dermatitis) presented the healthcare dictionary project, which has reached 122 countries, recorded 500,000 page visits in two years, and generated more than 1 million Google searches linked to events. The initiative has also served as inspiration for international organisations, showing the value of accessible, multilingual health information for patients and families.
Tamara Smit and Nicky Wallace (Luxembourg Allergy Network) spoke about their classroom awareness sessions in response to the increasing number of students with allergies. Each session has clear objectives: raising awareness, building empathy, increasing safety and empowering children to recognise the signs of an allergic reaction and know what to do in an emergency. Activities include showing children pictures of food products and helping them identify whether they may contain tree nuts. The aim is to create empathy and practical understanding, rather than fear. Check out their “Back to school allergy checklist”.
Károly Illy (Longfonds) shared the #YourChoice vaping prevention campaign, which uses doctors and influencers to reach young people. The campaign recognises that young people want to make their own choices, and therefore focuses on giving them credible information in a format and voice they are more likely to engage with.
Alexandre Cuvello (French Eczema Association) presented “Eczema à fleur de peau / Eczema Skin Deep”, a theatre performance about living with eczema. The performance was followed by a debate with the audience, creating space to discuss the visible and invisible impact of the condition and to bring lived experience into public conversation.
The meeting closed with a respiratory sophrology session led by Liliya Belenko Gentet from our French Member organisation FFAAIR, using breathing and simple movement to energise, and close two full and networking days.
35 Years of EFA
Malta was also the occasion to mark 35 years of EFA. Members, partners, current and former Board leaders and the EFA team took a moment to recognise what has been built and the people behind it.
Susanna Palkonen: "EFA's journey has been shaped by members. Thank you to our members, the Board, partners, advocates and friends who keep showing up to improve lives."
Marcia Podestà spoke about what EFA means to her: "I found a place where I can be understood. That is what makes this community special. It is not just a network, but a community with a shared goal to improve the lives of people living with our diseases."
Incoming President Károly Illy looked ahead: "I am inspired by the strength of this community. I look forward to working together and making sure patients are at the centre of policy, research and care."
And Mikaela Odemyr, EFA former President and President of Swedish Asthma and Allergy Organisation, reflecting on nearly three decades in the community: "The most beautiful word is 'together'."
Thank you to the Malta Eczema Society for hosting, to our Community Meeting Committee for supporting us in shaping the event programme and to everyone who brought their energy and commitment to Malta. There is more work to do and we will keep doing it together for patients!