MCB: Building solidarity in Western Europe

23.12.2025

The Workshop on Building solidarity in Western Europe , part of EMSP’s Membership Capacity Building (MCB) Programme, was held in 2022.  In this article, you can explore the main outcomes of the workshop and access the presentation slides for further learning.

Objectives

The objectives of this workshop were as follows:

1. To foster collaboration and build out the solidarity in Western Europe
2. To discover commonalities – common needs and challenges in the region
3. To support and nurture best practices sharing and peer support, acknowledging easier implementation, given the sociocultural and regional similarities.
4. Identify common issues to work on together

Creating Common Ground for Peer Learning and Partnering among the MS Organizations in the Western European region

For 2022 and 2023, one of the main objectives of EMSP is to ensure that MS Societies are in the best position to respond to the new needs and challenges post-covid and persistent challenges that are not related to the pandemic ensuring that they are able to provide high quality services for people with MS.

Under a SWOT analysis frame (figure below), several areas of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges emerged in the Western region, expressed by participants.

Reflection around top common priorities, with a goal to set the baseline for partnership and conversations about future collaborations

All areas are of importance, participants were invited to outline the main areas (figure below) that potentially can be organised in common projects and collaboration between the MS Society Organizations in the region:

The following are the main key challenges that have been identified in the workshop:

• Lack of data / lack of MS-Register at national level
• Structural fundraising/financing
• Digitalisation
• Accessibility of services: age and need appropriate
• Advocacy efforts
• Finding the right human resources
• Unifying policies
• More exchange on success stories
• Diverse and accessible communication

Areas for potential collaboration

The participants voted for “lack of data / lack of MS-Register” as the first challenge to work on. The challenge “reaching out early to young / newly diagnosed people with MS” got the second most votes and will therefore also be looked into in a second step.

1. Support in setting up MS registries due to lack of data.
2. Reaching out early to young / newly diagnosed people with MS

In addition to that, the member-organizations would expect and appreciate:

More strategic meetings at EMSP level, including:

• Fundraising: possibility to consider joint efforts between EMSP and member organizations
• Insurance efforts: Joint efforts at EU level to improve insurance coverage

Lack of data / lack of MS-Register SWOT analysis:

Strengths:

• Some registers already exist
• MSDA Resources
• Success stories:
  • Germany
  • Denmark
  • Switzerland
  • Portugal
  • Spain
  • UK
• Big register in Australia
• Digital patient files
• Minimum data set

Weaknesses:

• Funding – securing it over the years
• Structural source – health insurances?
• Neurological registry?
• Who are the stakeholders to involve?
• Regulations – who has access to the data?
• Legitimacy of some of the MS societies
• European laws
• Feasibility studies?
• For some of the member-organizations – lack of staff and volunteers

Opportunities:

• Internal and external networking;
• Synergy opportunities;
• Opportunities for general funding as well as for research;
• Experiences from the existing registers

Threats:

• Data protection
• Cost of studies and what it includes
• Political attractiveness – opposition?