On May 11th The Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) will host the first EU Stroke Summit and launch of the Burden of Stroke in Europe report at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Stroke accounts for more than 9% of all deaths and is the leading cause of long term severe disability in Europe. Despite its impact on societies and economies, stroke continues to receive limited attention among European policy-makers. In 2016, SAFE therefore commissioned a Europe-wide report to assess the burden of stroke and derive recommendations for action. The EU Stroke Summit ultimately aims to discuss these recommendation with a diverse group of healthcare providers, patients, carers and policy-makers and to culminate in a Call to Action for the future .

The Summit will be framed by interventions from the four co-hosting MEPs Elena Gentile (S&D), Marian Harkin (ALDE), Aldo Patriciello (EPP) and Helga Stevens (ECR) regarding the European view on stroke relevant policies such as health and disability/social. The central element of the meeting will then be the first public presentation of the Burden of Stroke report and a discussion on its key findings and recommendations with MEPs, the European Commission, patient and carer representatives and other relevant European stakeholders.