#VaccinAction2024: strengthening adult immunization across Europe
We are thrilled to announce the launch of #VaccinAction 2024, the fourth edition of our European project dedicated to strengthening adult immunisation in Europe. Building on the success of previous editions, this project aims to protect the value of routine immunization throughout life. We are working to activate stakeholders and inform EU policy through institutional meetings, educational seminars, advocacy initiatives and communication campaigns. Stay tuned for updates and opportunities to get involved! Read more

Mission Board on Vaccination in Europe: Consensus Report launch
The Mission Board on Vaccination in Europe (MBVE) initiative, in which Active Citizenship Network is officially involved, recently launched its first Consensus report at a multi-stakeholder event in the European Parliament. The report presents concrete recommendations aimed at identifying ambitious yet achievable targets for strengthening vaccination policies and programmes across Europe.
MEPs welcomed the recommendations, stressing the need for a renewed political commitment to vaccination as a cornerstone of public health, especially in light of the upcoming EU elections. To know more, click here and here

EU-funded co-OPERATOR project to share best practices for vaccination promotion
co-OPERATOR is an innovative Horizon EU4Health funded project that aims to develop a Country-Observatory to share best practices for vaccination promotion. The co-OPERATOR project seeks to capitalize on research findings by developing and piloting a knowledge hub, a virtual observatory, and a training system in participating countries and beyond.
Cittadinanzattiva, through its European branch Active Citizenship Network, participates in the project as a consortium partner, in continuity with its ongoing commitment to vaccination policies . Read more

Italian celebration of the 18th European Patients' Rights Day: to overcome medical desertification an alliance between professionals, citizens and institutions is needed.
The lack of services on a local level, the shortage of a number of specialised health professionals, and the distance from health facilities, particularly in the country's inner, peripheral and ultraperipheral areas, represent an element of inequality in access to care and services that must be tackled through an alliance between institutions, health professionals and citizens in order to draw up proposals for the adoption of public policies to counter the phenomenon and promote the effective fruition of the right to health by all citizens, wherever they live.
This is the message conveyed by the Italian celebration of the 18th European Patients' Rights Day, which was held on 18 April 2024 in Rome, at the European Commission’s Representation in Italy, in an event hosted by the Italian MEP Beatrice Covassi and organized by Cittadinanzattiva. Read more here and here (IT)

European Patients' Rights Day 2024: Videos & Declarations
As with previous editions of the EPRD, this year Active Citizenship Network would like to celebrate the European Patients' Rights Day with messages from all stakeholders who have supported our ongoing commitment to citizens and patients over the years.
Watch the video interviews made by journalist Mariam Zaidi on the occasion of the European Patients’ Rights Day 2024, focused on the key role of HCPs for a healthier Europe. Indeed, 15 million people, 7% of the EU workforce, work in the health sector. Therefore, neglecting the health workforce crisis jeopardises current and future prevention and care options for citizens and patients.

Video-message from Elena Moya, Vice-President of AEM-Asociación Española Contra la Meningitis (Spain)

Video message from volunteers of Fundacja STOMAlife, for better intimate health conditions (Poland)
European Patients' Rights Day is not only a symbolic date but also a source of hope for everyone who has ever found themselves to be a patient. It is a day on which every person can feel not just an object of medical procedures, but a partner in the treatment process. Every patient deserves to be informed about their treatment, to have the opportunity to make decisions and to be treated with respect. Because after all, it's about life - the most precious treasure we have". Click here

Video-message from Marko Korenjak, President at European Liver Patients'​ Association - ELPA

Video-message from Inés, Diario de una Mutante - Asociación Española de Afectados por la Poliposis Adenomatosa Familiar-AEAPAF (Spain)

Video message from volunteers of Associação de Doentes de Dor Crónica dos Açores (Portugal)

Video message from Jasna Karacic-Zanetti, Head of Health Diplomacy Unit, International Council of the Patient Ombudsman

Declaration and video by Malta Health Network, ACN partner from Malta

Joint Declaration by EPECS and euPrevent, two ACN’s partners from the Netherlands

Declaration by the ACN partner from Azores Islands (Portugal)

Declaration by National Patients’ Organization, ACN partner from Malta

Engage project web series: citizens' responses to emergencies
The complete web series of the EU-funded project ENGAGE, in which Cittadinanzattiva gave voice to the citizens who experienced the emergency of the earthquakes in L'Aquila and Central Italy, is now available on our YouTube channel.
With this web series, a story articulated in 8 videopills (of about 2 minutes each), we wanted to enhance the experience and the point of view of citizens with the aim of exploiting the ENGAGE experience to support the debate with authorities, first responders and civil society around our statement that "managing emergencies with citizens is better".
“Rethinking the emergency means tackling it collectively, as a kind of extended civil protection where every citizen becomes an active participant”. Making the most of the territory's resources in order to deal better and faster with emergency situations caused by environmental disasters. Nurturing 'community empowerment', i.e. the power of a community to overcome a difficulty and to rise up from a stumble.
Click here to watch the web series in the English subtitled version.
The project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 882850. To know more, click here.

New EU Institutions are called to tackle the health workforce crisis
For many years, the severe shortage of health workers around the world has been identified by the WHO as one of the most critical constraints to achieving health and development goals.  Click here to read the article written by ACN’s Director entitled “New EU Institutions are called to tackle the health workforce crisis, the main precondition for a greater protection of patients' rights across Europe” and published - as a follow up to the 18th European Patients’ Rights Day - by the peer-reviewed journal “International Journal of Medical Case Reports and Medical Research”.

Enhancing lifelong vaccination: Insights from Spain, France and Italy 
ACN is pleased to announce the publication of our latest research on the project 'Civil Society promoting vaccination across the life-course'. Through focus groups in Italy, Spain, and France, we explored the importance of lifelong vaccination. The project aimed to enhance collaboration with health stakeholders and to engage citizens' and patients' associations across Europe to effectively implement vaccination policies. The results of national focus groups held in 2023 revealed challenges such as a polarised approach to vaccination and confusing communication problems. Suggestions include advocating for personalized communication and exploiting digital tools to improve vaccination rates. The importance of evaluating vaccination campaigns was emphasized. Click here to read the full article just published by the international peer-reviewed jiurnal "Journal of Medical Case Studies".

Strengthening vaccination policies ahead of the European elections
In June, voters across Europe will elect the new European Parliament. Immediately afterwards, the new European Commission will take office. This moment in the five-year political cycle has prompted reflection on the progress of immunisation policy over the past five years, as well as some worrying signs that the issue is slipping off the agenda.
Click here to read the article written by the ACN’s Director titled “Strengthening Vaccination Policies Towards the European Elections: from Recommendations to Concrete Experiences” and published - as a follow up to the event organized by ACN at the EU Parliament - by the peer-reviewed journal "International Journal of Nursing & Care”.

6-10 of June, France: NIGHTINGALE heads to France for First Full-Scale Exercise
From 6 to 10 June, the NIGHTINGALE project, in which Cittadinanzattiva-ACN is a key partner, will travel to France to host our 1st Full-Scale Exercise (FSX). Together with citizen representatives, we will test the NIGHTINGALE toolkit—a set of tools developed to improve the management of large-scale emergencies—in two separate Mass Casualty Incident scenarios.
Here's a reminder of our Small-Scale Exercise held in Novara (Italy) last year: Small-Scale Exercise Recap. Stay tuned for more updates!

11-13 June 2024, Brussels and online: European Sustainable Energy Week. Net-zero energy solutions for a competitive Europe
In line with our long-lasting committment to energy issues at national & EU level and our recent participation in the EU-funded NUDGE project, Active Citizenship Network is glad to invite to participate in the European Sustainable Energy Week. EUSEW is the biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe. It is organised by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and the Directorate-General for Energy. Read more

13 June 2024 Örnsköldsvik (Sweden): Certifying the sustainability of biological resources in the forest industry: a multistakeholder perspective
The next regional stakeholders meeting of the BioReCer project - of which Cittadinanzattiva-ACN is a member - is coming up! In Sweden, the event will be an opportunity to bring together all the major stakeholders in the forestry sector. In particular, besides the residues and side streams from forest industry, in Sweden BioReCer will consider value chains where green chemicals and materials comprise potential products derived from these feedstocks, as it will also consider the valorisation of other associated residue streams, e.g. warm water and CO₂. We will present the project developments and you will get a sneak peek at the innovative ICT-Tool that is currently in its final development phase! To participate you have to be a registered member of the BioResources Stakeholders Platform (BRSP): https://biorecer.eu/brsp/