The 3rd European Reference Network (ERN) Conference took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the 9th of March 2017, formally recognizing 24 ERNs and marking a new era for cooperation in the field of health. The report has now been published. The conference was an initiative of the European Commission and was hosted by the Ministry of Health of Lithuania under the auspices of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU. It was attended by around 600 healthcare providers, patient representatives, policy makers and health experts. In addition to opening addresses, the conference consisted of four multistakeholder roundtables on the following topics: organisation and management of ERNs, EU policies and supporting Actions to ERNs, ERNs and national healthcare systems, and the way forward for the new ERNs. Considerable emphasis was placed on the importance of the ERNs’ work being supported by adequate information technology and eHealth tools, which play a valuable role in facilitating collaboration.
More information: Press release, OrphaNews, Conference report