Doc. 10545

10 May 2005

An European Framework for Diabetes - A Call for Europe’s Leaders to Act

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mrs Krohn and others

Today, over 50 million people live with diabetes in Europe, with an average prevalence rate of 7.5%. It is also estimated that 50% of people living with diabetes are unaware of their condition, leaving them exposed to the risks and costly complications associated with poor control of the illness. This low level of awareness demonstrates the serious lack of systematic diagnosis amongst risk groups and highlights often inadequate national healthcare policies.

Diabetes has become a leading cause of death in Europe and an increasingly uncontrolled health problem. It carries a 3-4 times higher risk of major cardiovascular complications and is now the commonest cause of heart attack and stroke and a major cause of peripheral vascular disease and peripheral neuropathy leading to a 20 fold higher risk of amputation. Diabetes is also the most common cause for dialysis and blindness in Europe. Type one or juvenile diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of children in many European countries, especially in the Northern part of Europe. Furthermore, the obesity epidemic in children is leading to increased type 2 diabetes in our future generations.

The International Diabetes Federation European Region adopted Otocec Declaration in its annual Assembly in Slovenia in 2004 to call European leaders to act in shaping policy and action to encourage European states to provide adequate prevention, diagnosis and control of diabetes. In addition to those 50 million people who have diabetes, it is estimated that a further 100 million have pre-diabetes of which 50% will develop diabetes within 5 years.

Despite today’s unhealthy lifestyles and poor nutritional habits, few appropriate public health measures are currently being taken to address the increasing prevalence and personal and national cost burden of diabetes.

Although having signed the 1989 St Vincent Declaration, many European states have not developed or implemented national diabetes plans. Europe lacks an overall public health framework that calls for the sharing of best practices and benchmarking of national approaches to the direct benefit of the individual patient. Such a framework could also encourage the creation of minimum standards for diabetes prevention, diagnosis and control.

A European Framework for Diabetes would benefit all citizens in Europe. We undersigned specifically call upon Council of Europe to take immediate steps to develop a European Recommendation for Diabetes Prevention, Diagnosis and Control in co-operation with WHO European region, EU and IDF European region. We also call upon Council of Europe to encourage its member states to develop National Diabetes Plans.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed ¹:

KROHN, Irina, Finland, SOC

ELO, Mikko, Finland, SOC

HURSKAINEN, Sinikka, Finland, SOC

JURGENS, Erik, Netherlands, SOC

McNAMARA, Kevin, United Kingdom, SOC

OHLSSON, Carina, Sweden, SOC

PLATVOET, Leo, Netherlands, UEL

SASI, Kimmo, Finland, EPP/CD

SMIRNOVA, Svetlana, Russia, EDG

TULAEV, Nikolay, Russia, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group