Author: ΕΔΕ

YOURAH mentors’ weekend
in Brussels

On May 24–25, five mentors for this year’s IDF Europe Youth Leadership Lab (YLL) gathered in Brussels for a weekend of workshops and team-building activities ahead of the camp, which will take place in July in Italy.

The sessions helped participants form strong connections and focused on core mentoring skills including: the role of a mentor (explored through peer learning between senior and junior mentors), leadership, communication, workshop facilitation and practical tools such as icebreakers and project
coordination strategies.

Next generation: public health of today and tomorrow

The final day of this year’s European Public Health Week celebrated young people as key drivers of change in public health.

At IDF Europe, we firmly believe in the power of young people living with diabetes to be leaders in their communities, raising awareness and pushing for better prevention and care.

To highlight this, we invited members of our YOURAH network to share their advocacy journeys and reflect on the
experiences that inspired them to take action.

T2GETHER Summit
in Brussels

On May 10-11, we hosted the second T2GETHER Summit in Brussels – IDF Europe’s annual event aiming to grow and strengthen our Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) Advocacy Platform.

People living with T2D from 14 countries came together to connect, share experiences and advance T2D advocacy across Europe. CVD advocates living with T2D also joined the event, highlighting the importance of looking beyond individual conditions. Participants took part in interactive sessions on advocacy, storytelling and the links between T2D and other NCDs, exploring stigma, the use of language and access to diabetes care across Europe.

IDF Europe position paper on CGM assessment

As part of the European Commission public consultation to review the performance of the Medical Devices and In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulations, we submitted a position paper on the Assessment of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Systems.

These regulations are crucial to ensure the safety, quality and performance of devices, including those used by PwD such as insulin delivery systems and blood glucose monitors.

However, concerns around the safety and reliability of CGMs raise important questions about the CE-marking process and its ability to protect users.

IDF Europe at the
WHA side event on
“Better liver health”

On May 22, IDF Europe Regional Manager, Elisabeth Dupont, joined the World Health Assembly side event organised by the Global Liver Institute (GLI) and the European and American Associations for the Study of Liver Diseases (EASL and AASLD): “Together for Better Liver Health: Strengthening Public Health Responses to Metabolic Disease”.

During the second panel discussion on the importance of addressing interconnected health challenges together, she described  key milestones in diabetes advocacy such as the European Parliament Resolution on Diabetes in 2022 and the IDF Europe-WHO Europe Declaration in 2023 along with lessons learnt and strategies for accelerating action on diabetes and other NCDs.

IDF Europe at the 25th International Conference
on Integrated Care

On May 14, IDF Europe Director, Strategy & Policy, Sabine Dupont, joined the symposium organised by Roche at the International Conference of Integrated Care on “Strengthening Diagnostics Capacity and Integrated Solutions for Managing Diabetes and its Comorbidities”.

The panel discussion explored the current landscape and principles of integrated care models and the role of the various constituents in driving their adoption.

Sabine notably
highlighted the need to scale up integrated, person-centred care across Europe to better manage diabetes and its complications. While many promising pilot initiatives exist, their broader adoption remains a challenge.

IDF Europe at the #BEACTIVE DAY 2025 campaign launch

On May 27, IDF Europe Communication & Engagement Manager, Marian Brennan, joined the #BEACTIVE DAY 2025 campaign launch. The launch, hosted by EuropeActive, brought together national member associations and project partners to kick off the fifth #BECACTIVE campaign.

This year’s campaign highlights the importance of inclusive health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) in the prevention and management of NCDs. Marian presented IDF Europe’s contribution to this year’s HEPA Guide – the role of
physical activity in the prevention and management of diabetes. Her presentation detailed key considerations to effectively support PwD to achieve their physical activity goals and key elements of physical activity programme design for programmes targeting PwD.

Further details of the HEPA Guide 2025 to follow in coming weeks.

IDF Europe at the Wellbeing Economy Forum

On May 8–9, IDF Europe Project Coordinator, Cameron Keighron , took part in the 2025 Wellbeing Economy Forum in Reykjavík, representing the Youth Advisory Group of the Joint Action to Prevent NCDs. The forum convened global leaders, policymakers, academics, and youth advocates to explore economic systems that prioritise both human and planetary wellbeing.

During the event, Cameron contributed to a panel discussion on how a wellbeing economy can promote public health and why the voices of those with lived
experience must be central in shaping policy. Reflecting on the experience, Cameron said: “It was both exciting and humbling to share the stage with leaders and experts from around the world and to see how open they were to listening – helping attendees understand that when we have intergenerational conversations, we can help drive real, meaningful change.”

World Hypertension Day

On World Hypertension Day, May 17, we raised awareness of the damage that consistent high blood pressure can cause to various organs.

PwD are more likely to have hypertension, and the reverse is also true – those with hypertension are more likely to develop diabetes than the general population.  Screening for complications, early detection, timely action and effective disease management are essential for anyone living with diabetes or other chronic condition to prevent, delay or even stop the progression of complications that can affect quality of life.

We need a holistic approach to NCDs – one that recognises their
interconnectedness and ensures integrated care to address their shared risk factors.

European Mental Health Week

During the European Mental Health Week (May 19-23), we called for better access to psychological support in Europe.

Barriers to equal access to psychological support are particularly challenging for PwD who often face unique mental health needs. The relentless nature of diabetes, which requires round-the-clock self-management every day of the year, can take a toll on mental health. PwD are two to three times more likely to experience depression than those without diabetes.

Our recent publication, “An overview of access to diabetes care in Europe”, shows that psychological support for PwD is often unavailable or difficult to access due to high out-of-pocket costs and a shortage of specialised professionals.

New WHO report on social determinants of health

On May 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a global report on social determinants of health equity.

People’s health is not just about medicine or genetics. It is also shaped by where they live, their income, their access to education and more. These factors contribute to avoidable and unjust health inequities

The report outlines key strategies to reduce their impact, including addressing economic inequality and investing in social infrastructure and universal public services; overcoming structural discrimination; managing the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change and the digital transformation; and putting
in place governance arrangements to maximise the coherence and impact of action.

78th World Health Assembly
in Geneva

The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) convened in Geneva from May 19–27, 2025. The theme of this year’s WHA, ‘One World for Health’ underscored the need for sustained commitment to equity and improving the health of people around the world. Key outcomes included the adoption of the first WHO Pandemic Agreement, discussions on NCDs and global health financing and a renewed push for digital innovation in care.

IDF and IDF Europe actively contributed to side-events, including to discussion on the digital health transformation and the need for collaboration across disease areas to advance effective action on NCDs.

The WHA highlighted both the urgency and opportunity to build more equitable, resilient health systems.

New OECD working paper on medical devices assessment

On April 28, the OECD released a new working paper on identifying good practices in the assessment of digital medical devices.

As healthcare systems adopt new technologies, governments face increasing pressure to decide what to fund and at what cost. The paper highlights how six countries (France, Germany, Israel, Korea, Spain and the UK) are adapting health technology assessment (HTA) frameworks to better evaluate digital tools.

The document points to the lack of a common taxonomy and rapid tech advancement as key challenges and calls for more harmonised approaches. The study draws on real-world experiences to identify pathways for more effective
HTA processes.

OECD High-level Policy Event on the burden of CVD in the EU

On May 5, IDF Europe Director, Strategy & Policy, Sabine Dupont attended the OECD ‘Policy Dialogue on the Burden of CVD in the EU’, held in Paris.

The event brought together government representatives from OECD countries, civil society organisations and health experts to inform the upcoming OECD report on how countries are tackling the CVD burden and identifying opportunities to strengthen health outcomes. Given the interconnectedness between CVD and other chronic conditions such as diabetes, the involvement of organisations and individuals representing people with lived experience across the NCD spectrum ensures that influential reports like this truly reflect their needs.

MOVEUP
Consortium Meeting
in Bucharest

IDF Europe is part of the Erasmus+ MOVEUP project, which aims to enhance the well-being and physical condition of adults living with chronic conditions, specifically T2D and CVD through adapted sports programmes.

On May 5-7, consortium partners met in Bucharest for the second project meeting, where they shared progress, trained the first group of ‘master trainers’ and experienced the adapted sports first-hand. From walking football to catchball, these inclusive, team-based activities are designed to overcome the
barriers faced by people living with chronic conditions in practicing sports. By promoting fun, connection and individualised support, MOVEUP aims to make physical activity more accessible and enjoyable for all.

DigiCare4You capacity building and recommendations
workshop

IDF Europe is part of the DigiCare4You Horizon 2020 project which aims to improve the early prevention and management of T2D and hypertension.

On May 13-14, DigiCare4You held its first ‘Capacity Building and Recommendations Workshop’, bringing together members of its International Stakeholder Advisory Board alongside other leading experts. During the workshop, consortium partners provided an overview of the project’s progress and key learnings.

Participants had the opportunity to share insights and explore how the programme could be adapted to other settings or countries. These discussions will feed into the development of the ‘DigiCare4You Roadmap for Scale-Up’.

Healthy ageing vs multiple long-term conditions in a digital world

One of the themes of this year’s European Public Health Week was “Healthy Ageing vs Multimorbidities in a Digital World”. To mark the occasion, we shared news of the EIT Health project, SmartDiabetes, of which IDF Europe is a member.

The project seeks to bridge the gap between the potential of digital health tools in managing chronic conditions – particularly for vulnerable groups such as older adults – and the limited access to and adoption of these solutions.
SmartDiabetes addresses this gap by promoting the systemic uptake of digital innovations and by developing a sustainable, person-centred and value-based, reimbursement model for diabetes care.

New ISLET blog:
daily life
with T1D

IDF Europe is part of the EU-funded research project, ISLET, which seeks to generate islet cells to replace those destroyed in people living with T1D and enable insulin production again.

As part of the project, IDF Europe fosters the engagement of PwD and supports dissemination activities, including a series of blog posts about life with T1D. These aim to raise awareness of how innovations in diabetes care can help improve the lives of those living with the condition.

Our latest blog post provides an overview of what managing T1D means day-to-day, from the perspective of those with lived experience.