27 June 2023

In the beginning of June, MEP Kateřina Konečná, member of the MEPs Mobilising for Diabetes interest group (MMD) and Greens rapporteur for the 2022 Diabetes Resolution submitted, in collaboration with other MEP supporters and IDF Europe, a European Parliament written question to the European Commission, concerning its response to the Resolution text on March 8, 2023.

In its response, the Commission specifically mentioned its work in relation to the primary prevention of diabetes through initiatives such as the Healthier Together – EU Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Initiative and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Nevertheless, existing programmes fall short of representing ambitious action on diabetes; there is little to no focus on the complex management of diabetes, including the secondary prevention of diabetes-related complications such as cardiovascular and renal diseases, nor concrete Europe-wide targets or an implementation roadmap to achieve them.

The MEPs set out to understand:

• If the Commission will present a diabetes plan, with coordinated milestones, targets and an implementation roadmap, in order to meet these targets
• How the Commission is planning to address the request to improve the lives of the 32 million PwD in the EU, who are at risk of developing severe complications such as cardiovascular diseases and some cancers
• What steps the Commission is taking to ensure the meaningful engagement of citizens, notably people living with diabetes and other chronic diseases, and civil society organisations to build a stronger European Health Union.

We want to sincerely thank all the MMD members and other supporting MEPs who co-signed the question:

• Kateřina Konečná (The Left)
• Marisa Matias (The Left)
• Frédérique Ries (Renew)
• István Ujhelyi (S&D)
• Antoni Comín i Oliveres (NI)
• Franc Bogovič (PPE)
• Tilly Metz (Verts/ALE)
• Pascal Arimont (PPE)
• Tomislav Sokol (PPE)
• Ondřej Knotek (Renew)
• Stelios Kouloglou (The Left)
• Mick Wallace (The Left)
• Robert Hajšel (S&D)
• Željana Zovko (PPE)
• Max Orville (Renew)
• César Luena (S&D)
• Nicolás González Casares (S&D)

We look forward to receiving the Commission’s response before the summer recess. In the meantime, you can read the full EP written question here.