European Parliament calls for a strategy on Alzheimer's and dementia

Published on 12/09/2025 - 10:36 GMT+2

During a plenary convention successful Strasbourg, MEPs underlined nan standard of nan challenge: astir 7 cardinal group successful Europe presently unrecorded pinch Alzheimer’s, a number expected to double by 2030. 

Dementia represents “one of our astir superior nationalist wellness challenges”, said fund Commissioner Piotr Serafin, who joined nan lawmakers during nan plenary, stressing that practice is important successful research, test and treatment, “by acting together we could get faster and amended results.” 

The Commission launched a Joint Action connected Dementia and Health (JADE Health) successful January 2025, a three-year inaugural supported pinch €4.5 cardinal from nan EU4Health programme.  

It intends to thief personnel states amended prevention and early detection, and to supply acquisition and support for relatives, attraction professionals and different stakeholders. 

But nan European Parliament wants to spell further pinch a dedicated semipermanent plan. 

“After nan European scheme against crab we are expecting nan scheme for cardiovascular diseases, but we should not extremity there,” said Tomislav Sokol (Croatia/EPP), calling for a akin attack to dementia. 

Lawmakers highlighted nan multifaceted effect of dementia, affecting patients but besides carers and healthcare systems. They called for a broad strategy pinch unafraid funding, finance successful research, and stronger prevention measures. 

People pinch dementia person connected mean betwixt 1 and 5 hours of informal attraction per day, usually from family members, according to a Lancet study. This type of attraction accounts for astir dementia-related costs, betwixt 50% and 90% of nan total. 

Overall, nan yearly costs of dementia was estimated astatine betwixt €2,687 and €15,468 per person, ranging from €162.9 cardinal successful Estonia to €32.6 cardinal successful Germany. 

“We must ne'er place patients and their families, who must beryllium pillars of our action. On galore occasions carers and families are alone, and their affectional and financial resources go exhausted,” said Margarita de la Pisa Carrión (Spain/ECR). 

“By pooling our resources together successful areas for illustration nan 1 we are debating today, we tin execute overmuch more, and faster. That is nan astir important point for European societies,” concluded Serafin.