One Million Minds campaign

29.11.2023

“One Million Minds” was EMSP’s European Elections 2024 campaign.

Together we:

  • Highlight recommendations from the MS Barometer 2020 to the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) 2024-2029, other European institutions and national authorities to improve the quality of care and lives of people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions in Europe and encourage future MEPs to sign up to our pledge to deliver on our proposals during their mandate.
  • Mobilise our partners, supporters and friends by endorsing the Manifesto and joining our efforts to achieve a tangible change in the next 5 years.
  • Provide a platform to the MS community voicing the urgency with which the European and national decision-makers must act to deliver on the recommendations.

Campaign Manifesto

EMPOWERING LIVES, SHAPING THE FUTURE: A MANIFESTO FOR A UNIFIED APPROACH TO MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Blue and green illustrated silhouettes of human heads around an illustrated heart shape with the brain. Link to the full manifesto. One Million Minds Campaign by the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform

Click to read the Manifesto in English.

The manifesto is a response to address the unmet needs faced by over 1.2 million people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) across Europe.

The prevalence of MS is growing, with 37,000 new  people diagnosed across 27 European countries in 2018. As a chronic neurodegenerative condition, multiple sclerosis (MS) involves the immune system attacking healthy nerves. MS manifests uniquely in each person, with unpredictable symptoms such as pain, fatigue, reduced mobility, and cognitive issues. An MS diagnosis can have a profound impact on a person’s life, disrupting their education, careers, families and life path.

🇬🇷 Manifesto in Greek.

🇷🇸 Manifesto in Serbian.

🇸🇮 Manifesto in Slovenian.

🇪🇸 Manifesto in Spanish.

🇭🇷 Manifesto in Croatian.

🇱🇹 Manifesto in Lithuanian.

Endorse our Manifesto

This campaign is supported by the European Brain Council, ECTRIMS, the MS International Federation and the European Disability Forum.

Activist and world-changer Helen Keller reminds us that“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” 

European Brain Council Logo

ECTRIMS Logo

MS International Federation Logo

European Disability Forum Logo

 

 

Simply email us your organisation’s name, the name of the person endorsing our campaign on behalf of your organisations and a short quote why it is important for your organisations to support our campaign and why you are endorsing it.

Page with organisations supporting EMSP campaign.

Are you an MEP in the European Parliament 2024-2029? Sign the pledge!

Members of the European Parliament have a real power to make a difference for people living with MS and other neurological conditions! Now that you have read the Manifesto, we encourage you to sign the pledge below. Once you’ve signed the pledge, we will send you a visual to share on your social media accounts so your constituents can learn about the steps you are taking to ensure quality of care and life for people with MS. Spread the word! Invite other MEPs and candidates to sign the pledge and

  • commit to the empowerment of individuals with MS throughout the upcoming mandate (2024-2029).
  • champion the principles of human rights, equality, social inclusion, and social protection for the MS community.
  • actively contribute to creating a more inclusive, supportive, and empowering environment for the MS community in Europe.

MEPs who have endorsed the Manifesto:

Adam Jarubas Poland
Aodhán  Ó Ríordáin Ireland
Barry Andrews Ireland
Brando Benifi Italy
Clare Daly Ireland
Dolors Montserrat Spain
Elżbieta Łukacijewska  Poland
Günther Sidl Austria
Hilde Vautmans Belgium
Kateřina  KonečnၠCzechia
Katrin Langensiepen Germany
Luke “Ming” Flanagan Ireland
Maria da Graça Carvalho Portugal
Mick WALLACE Ireland
Milan Brglez Slovenia
Pascal Arimont Belgium
Radka Maxova Czechia
Sara Cerdas Portugal
Sean Kelly Ireland
Sirpa Pietikäinen Finland
Stelios Kympouropoulos Greece
Tiemo Wölken Germany
Tilly Metz Luxembourg

By clicking “Sign the Manifesto!” you are agreeing to EMSP using your information for the purpose of our work, and specifically to communicate about the One Million Minds campaign. Read our full privacy policy.

 

See the list of organisations which endorse our campaign.

Sign our petition

“The power in people is stronger than people in power.” Let’s show our power and make sure that the people in power listen to us and act upon our needs and demands!

Sign our petition Quality Access to Care for People with Multiple Sclerosis and Neurological Conditions, ask your your family, friends, colleagues to sing, share it on your social media channels.

 

About the One Million Minds Campaign
Campaign Manifesto
Are you an MEP in the European Parliament 2024-2029? Join your colleagues and sign the pledge!
Are you an Organisation? Endorse our Manifesto
Are you an Individual? Sign the petition

Read the Manifesto in plain text format.

Download the Manifesto in PDF format.

Download the Manifesto in Word format.

To the President of the European Parliament, Members of the European Parliament, Ministers of Health, Social Affairs, Labour and Education, the European Commission and the European Council.

This petition is run by European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP).

PETITION

Together, we will build a better Europe for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions and people with disabilities, their carers, and their communities.

We call the EU and the Members States to 

  • Support all countries to improve access to appropriate MS therapies and programmes, expand cross-border access to treatment, and improve the use of regional funds and other EU financial mechanisms.
  • Reduce inequalities in access to specialised, multi-disciplinary healthcare by supporting professional societies and others to develop accredited MS specialist courses for healthcare professionals, and encouraging uptake in all countries.
  • Improve the social, economic and employment opportunities for all people with MS and monitor that their rights are consistently and equally applied in all countries.
  • Expand employment and educational support to young people with disabilities and chronic conditions, through existing European study and employment programmes.
  • Adopt employment legislation to protect people with MS and their carers from workplace discrimination and unfair dismissal.
  • Support the use of a common data set for MS data collection including patient-reported outcomes across all countries, and encourage trustworthy and transparent real-world data collection practices.

We call all national decision-makers to 

  • Includes a holistic MS care model in a national chronic or neurological disease policy and provide dedicated funding for implementation. Eliminate delays in national licensing and reimbursement of disease-modifying drugs and symptomatic treatments after European Medicines Agency approval.
  • Increase specialist training opportunities for MS among neurologists, nurses, rehabilitation specialists and other healthcare professionals. Integrate rehabilitation therapists and other specialists, such as neuropsychologists, pain specialists and social care specialists, into all MS multi-disciplinary teams as standard and secure reimbursement for these roles.
  • Provide long-term and consistent funding for social care to expand provision of quality services and secure financial protection.
  • Expand the social care workforce and integrate new models of care which better support people with MS and their carers.
  • Expand and standardise distance learning and flexible working options to enable people with MS and carers to take up and maintain education and employment.
  • Expand MS disease registries to cover all people with MS and mandate data collection encompassing clinical, occupational, and patient-reported data.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

This petition is a response to the urgent need to address the unmet needs faced by over 1.2 million individuals living with MS across Europe.

Every five minutes, someone, somewhere in the world is diagnosed with MS.

As an unpredictable chronic neurodegenerative condition, MS involves the immune system erroneously attacking healthy nerves. The complex nature of MS makes it an ideal case study for strengths and failures in health and social care.

Our vision for care of MS,  inspired by the World Health Organisation’s framework for integrated care, is for “all people [to] have equal access to quality health services that are co-produced in a way that meets their life course needs, are coordinated across the continuum of care, and are comprehensive, safe, effective, timely, efficient and acceptable; and all carers [to be] motivated, skilled and operate in a supportive environment”.

Countries that fail to provide quality care are failing their communities.

There are currently huge and unacceptable inequalities in the care of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological conditions across Europe, in access to timely, appropriate healthcare, healthcare professionals and social support for people with MS and their carers. Inadequate standards of care cannot and will not be accepted.

According to 2020 MS Barometer:

  • 43% of people with MS in Europe do not receive diseases-modifying drugs.
  • 52% of people with MS in Europe do not have access to physical rehabilitation services.
  • only 16 countries in Europe provide social support specific to carers of children and adolescents with MS.
  • only 48% of people with MS in Europe are in employment.
  • 65% of people with MS in Europe are not recorded on the national MS diseases registries.

The 2020 MS Barometer shows that the entire MS community has work to do. Policymakers and decision-makers from the local to the European level must immediately secure sufficient and consistent funding for health and social care systems to provide people with MS with the clinical and practical support that meets their needs. We must facilitate access to employment, and secure disability benefits and social support for all people with MS. These services need to be available from the life-changing moment of diagnosis and be responsive to changing needs. The health, social, education and employment sectors must organise around people with MS.

European Multiple Sclerosis Platform

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