Dear EASL members, colleagues and friends,

As is usually the case, the end of year brings an opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months, and what we have achieved. As far as our 2012 activities are concerned, we are delighted to share some highlights of the last six months with you.

Earlier this month EASL submitted a contribution to the Commission consultation on the European Research Area (ERA). This is our second contribution to a Commission consultation this year, the first being our input to the Commission's Green paper on the Common Strategic Framework which we submitted in May.

As in past years, we have met with the Commission (DG Research and DG SANCO) on a number of occasions and have continued to actively participate in the European Health and Alcohol Forum (EAHF). We have also taken part in WHO meetings and a European Partnership Against Cancer (EPAAC) sub-workgroup meeting. We have done our best ensure that EASL continues to be regarded as the interlocutor in the field of liver disease by all stakeholders in the health field. We have also participated and/or been represented in meetings with MEPs and other stakeholders, both in hepatology specific contexts and in the context of other disease areas which are relevant to us, such as cancer and rare diseases.

With regards to research specifically, we have continued to work towards ensuring that liver disease has access to Commission grants and have submitted comments to the Commission on possible upcoming call topics. We were pleased to see that although not liver disease-specific, there are a number of upcoming topics which appear suitable for EASL members and would encourage you already to consider putting together a consortium in preparation for the calls being published in the summer of 2012.

As far as the current open calls are concerned, EASL awarded three grants of Euro 10,000 to consortia that were applying to the first stage of the 2012 health call grants. EASL members who are part of a consortium which was successful at first stage are welcome to apply for EASL support at the second stage.

Finally, as well as responding to consultations and requests for input from the Commission we have actively participated in the activities of the European Chronic Disease Alliance (ECDA) and the Alliance for Biomedical Research (BioMed Alliance). As you know, EASL has been a member of both organisations since 2010. In addition, we are looking into ways in which closer cooperation could be established with United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEGF) to ensure that our awareness-raising efforts in Brussels are streamlined and we use our resources in the best possible manner.

In closing, we would like to remind you that should you wish to receive additional information on current or upcoming FP7 calls, on EASL support for applications, or on our EU public affairs work in general, you should not hesitate to contact Margaret Walker our Director of EU Public Affairs at margaret.walker@easloffice.eu.

We wish you happy and healthy holidays and look forward to working with you to raise awareness of the importance of research for liver disease in 2012!

With kind regards,

Prof. Markus Peck, EASL Vice-Secretary	Prof. Dominique Valla EASL EU Policy Councillor
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		EASL contributes to Commission consultation process

Ensuring policy change in the field of health research continues to be our main aim, with our focus being on the funding allocation for liver disease research. Part of the work we carry out entails awareness raising at EU level of the importance of tackling liver disease within the spectrum of health priorities and as part of this on-going effort EASL submits responses to relevant Commission consultations.

Our contribution to the consultation on the future of the European Research Area (ERA) can be accessed here.

		FP7 2012 Health Programme: Calls for Proposals

The first stage results for the Commission's FP7 2012 Calls have been announced, with a 27% success rate FP7-Health-2012-INNOV-1 and a 41% for FP7-Health-2012-INNOV-2. Projects which were successful at first stage have been/were invited to submit full proposals for the 2nd stage. The deadline for submissions for the second stage of FP7-Health-2012-INNOV-1 is 8th February 2012 (second stage deadline for FP7-Health-2012-INNOV-2 was 13th December).

EASL members that are part of a consortium that was successful at first stage, please note that you are welcome to apply for EASL support for preparation of your the second stage application. Further information can be found here.

		EU related topics will be highlighted at the International Liver Congress™ 2012, in Barcelona, Spain

For The International Liver Congress™ (ILC) 2012, EASL has organised a session specifically related to EU matters. The session called "EU and Impact on General Health" will be held on Thursday 19th April 2012 and will be chaired by Prof. Markus Peck and Prof. Dominique Valla. Further information on the ILC can be found here.

		EASL joins the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe (BioMed Alliance)'s call for a European "Institute for Health Research"

EASL has recently joined forces with the United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEGF) to support the BioMed Alliance's call for a "European Institute for Health Research". This new structure would focus on the need for common strategic planning of biomedical and clinical research in order to tackle the health challenges currently facing Europe. The full press statement can be found here.

		European Alcohol Heath Forum Meeting

EAHF is a platform where bodies active at European level can debate, compare approaches and act to tackle alcohol related harm. EASL's commitment to the EAHF for 2012 is related to publication of the upcoming Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Alcoholic Liver Disease which will be published in the spring of 2012. Prof. Patrizia Burra, incoming EASL EU Policy Councillor, represented EASL at the meeting of the European Alcohol Forum which was held on 19th October. A summary of the meeting can be found here (pdf).

		WHO consultation NGOs and health professionals on reduction of harmful use of alcohol

Following the recent UN Political Declaration on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the World Health Organization (WHO) invited representatives from selected non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and professional associations to discuss and explore possible avenues for collaboration with a focus families and communities. During the meeting EASL made a statement which was extremely well on how we can best contribute to reducing harmful use of alcohol and its impact on individuals, received by all stakeholders. The full EASL statement can be found here.

		EASL joins call for a comprehensive Alcohol Policy Strategy in the European Union 2013-2020

EASL, together with 67 other NGOs, signed the call asking for a continuing Alcohol Policy Strategy in the EU. The current strategy is due to end in 2012. By signing the Call, EASL and other stakeholders asked Ministries of Health in Europe to acknowledge the need for a comprehensive alcohol policy framework. Further information on the call can be found here.