WRITTEN DECLARATION ON EPILEPSY SUPPORTED BY 459 MEPs
We are delighted to announce that the European Written Declaration on Epilepsy has passed, with its approval announced during the plenary session in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday (Thursday 15th September).
In order to have a written declaration approved, a majority of the 768 elected MEPs (i.e. 369 MEPs) must sign it within a tight time limit. When the declaration closed for signatures it had received 90 more signatures than was required for approval. With the signatures of 459 MEPs supporting the declaration, it has the third highest number of signatures of all disease related declarations since 2004 which are the earliest available records.
This great achievement is thanks to the IBE members and ILAE chapter associations in Europe who diligently and repeatedly contacted their local MEPs to encourage them to sign. Particular thanks are due to those who were able to travel to Strasbourg and Brussels to meet with MEPs during the monthly plenary sessions, to talk to them about epilepsy issues and the declaration itself: Christian Elger (Germany); Mike Glynn (Ireland); Astrid Nehlig (France); Guido Rubboli (Italy); Wim van Paesschen (Belgium), Hanneke de Boer (Netherlands) and Pete Scott (UK). We appreciate very much that they took time out of their busy schedules to assist us.
The declaration was initiated by the European Advocates for Epilepsy Working Group, working with the IBE/ILAE Joint Task Force: Epilepsy Advocacy Europe, and was submitted by its President, Gay Mitchell MEP. Four other members of the European Advocates for Epilepsy Working Group were also signatories: Marian Harkin MEP (Ireland), Nirj Deva MEP (UK), Angelika Werthmann MEP (Austria); and Peter Skinner MEP (UK). Special thanks are due to these five MEPs, without whom the declaration would not have been introduced; to all members of the European Advocates for Epilepsy group, who encouraged their national and party group colleagues to sign; and, of course to all the MEPs who supported the Declaration with their signature.
Within the next few weeks the Written Declaration on Epilepsy will be officially communicated from the Parliament to the Commission and to the Parliaments of the EU Member States. Next week the European Advocates for Epilepsy Working Group in the European Parliament will meet briefly in Brussels to discuss the best options to advance on the success of the declaration and the Epilepsy Advocacy Europe task force of ILAE and IBE will also be planning the next steps including activities for the next European Epilepsy Day celebrations in February 2012.
Listed below are the names of the MEPs who have signed during the May, June, July and September sessions.
Click here to see the list of MEPs who signed the declaration in May
Click here to see the list of MEPs who signed the declaration in early June
Click here to see the list of MEPs who signed the declaration in late June
Click here to see the list of MEPs who signed the declaration in July
Click here to see the list of MEPs who signed the declaration in September
Click here to find out more about the Written Declaration.