Europe Ups Patient Rights After Two Decades

The European Patients’ Rights Day, launched twenty years ago by Active Citizenship Network, has become a cornerstone of European health policies, with a focus on placing patients’ rights at the centre.

Today, after two decades of civic engagement and advocacy, the idea of prioritizing patients’ rights is more relevant than ever, with the XX European Patients’ Rights Day held on 12 May 2026 at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The event, organised by Cittadinanzattiva and Active Citizenship Network, gathered over 40 participants from 18 countries, with more than 150 online participation requests from 34 countries, to discuss personalised prevention as a crucial challenge for the future of healthcare systems, including the potential to reduce cardiovascular disease risk through respiratory vaccines.

A key message emerged: personalised prevention must become a right for all citizens, not a privilege for a few, ensuring innovation is implemented according to principles of equity, accessibility, transparency, and citizens’ empowerment.

From a civic perspective, this transition raises both opportunities and risks, as scientific and technological progress can improve prevention strategies, but without informed participation, health literacy, and public trust, personalised prevention risks widening inequalities.

Citizens and patients must be recognised as active partners in healthcare governance, research, and policy-making, a principle guiding Active Citizenship Network since the adoption of the European Charter of Patients’ Rights in 2002.

Evolution of Patients’ Rights

The 2026 edition of the European Patients’ Rights Day focused on the evolution of the Right to Preventive Measures, now including personalised approaches based on individual profiles, which they believe will improve healthcare outcomes.

This transformation requires not only scientific investment but also strong democratic safeguards to ensure equal opportunities for all European citizens, as they move forward with personalised prevention strategies.

The event built upon the outcomes of the EU-funded PROPHET project, coordinated by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, which identifies concrete priorities for implementing personalised prevention across Europe.

Policy Discussions

During the institutional debate, MEP Brando Benifei stressed the unsustainable social and economic burden of preventable diseases, estimated to account for nearly 69% of healthcare expenditure, and it is clear that personalised prevention is essential for reducing this burden.

Participants discussed how Europe can avoid the risk of a “two-speed” healthcare system, where only some citizens benefit from personalised prevention tools and services, and the report highlights the need for equal access to these services.

A Vision for Healthcare

Reaffirming patients’ rights means reaffirming a vision of healthcare centred on dignity, participation, and equality, with personalised prevention becoming a powerful tool to improve public health, and Cittadinanzattiva and Active Citizenship Network will continue to advocate for this vision.

However, this can only be achieved if Europe ensures that no citizen is left behind, a concern that strongly emerged throughout the discussions at the European Parliament, and the outcome of the event will inform future policy decisions.

As the European healthcare systems face growing demographic, economic, and social pressures, the need for personalised prevention to become a civic priority has never been more pressing, according to the report, and it is essential that citizens are empowered to take control of their health through personalised prevention strategies.

More information on the European Charter of Patients’ Rights can be found on the Wikipedia page dedicated to the topic.

In the coming years, it’s expected that personalised prevention will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of European healthcare systems, and researchers will continue to explore new ways to improve healthcare outcomes, including the development of new vaccines that can help prevent diseases.