On the 7th of December 2012, the voice of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was heard from the tribune of the Parliament in Vilnius, during an international conference hosted by the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament).

The event was attended by 200 participants, including representatives from EMSP, health professionals and also representatives of various organisations and non-governmental organisations from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The discussions were centred around burning issues such as access to treatments for Lithuanian patients, in order to have the same level of quality of life as patients in other European countries.

The situation of people with MS in Lithuania, as shown is the MS Barometer 2011, is a cause of great concern. There is a crucial need to establish this issue on the political agenda in order:

• to allow MS patients to receive adequate and timely treatments and therapies that are available in other European countries;
• to raise funds to support the fight against MS and tackle the discrimination faced by people with MS in Lithuania.

Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and one of the authors of Written Declaration Nr. 20 on better care for people with multiple sclerosis across Europe – highlighted the strong support from the European Parliament to the cause: 306 MEPs endorsed and signed the Written Declaration last year and presented it as a stepping stone to tackling the challenges faced by people with MS throughout Europe.