Reporting from the parliamentary dialogue on equitable access to oral PrEP within the EU and beyond

On 16 November 2022, The European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI Rights, in partnership with UNAIDS, AIDS Action Europe, Aidsfonds, European AIDS Treatment Group, and the European Public Health Alliance organised a policy dialogue on measures to be taken to scale up equitable access to Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV as part of HIV prevention combination strategies within the EU and beyond. Oral PrEP, as a tool in combination prevention strategies, can be a gamechanger in helping EU member states achieve the 2030 targets on Ending AIDS. It can also a pathway for equitable and affordable access to novel health technologies within the EU and in partner countries.

In the run-up to World AIDS Day, the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI Rights and partners brought together various stakeholders – Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, EU and UN health agencies, representatives from communities lacking access to PrEP and civil society groups – to discuss the challenges faced by populations most affected by HIV in accessing PrEP.

The meeting started with an overview of PrEP access challenges across the EU.

• Marc Angel, Member of the European Parliament, Co-President of the Parliamentary Intergroup on LGBTI Rights introduced and chaired the meeting
• Jantine Jacobi from UNAIDS provided a global update from UNAIDS and presented data from the European Centre on Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• Nina Tumanyan from AIDS Action Europe presented the findings and recommendations from civil society organisations survey on PrEP and practical access challenges

The second part of the meeting examined the real-life barriers that some communities face in accessing PrEP.

• Attila Krsjak, volunteer at the Altalap Foundation and member of the European AIDS Treatment Group presented on lack of access to PrEP in Hungary.
• Amanita Calderon Cifuentes, Transgender Europe followed with an intervention on access barriers for Transgender people in Europe.
• Grâce Ntunzwenimana, Plateforme Prevention Sida, drew her presentation from a project on migrant access to PrEP in Brussels, Belgium.
• Luca Stevenson from the European Sex Workers’ rights Alliance presented current challenges for sex workers across Europe in accessing PrEP.

The third session provided an opportunity for dialogue on ways to ensure equitable access to PrEP in which representatives from the European Parliament and European Commission participated:

• Tilly Metz, Member of the European Parliament
• Cyrus Enger, Member of the European Parliament
• Rimalda Voske from the European Commission Directorate General Responsible for health (SANTE)
• Pierre Karleskind, Member of the European Parliament

A report from the meeting and the presentations are available at the side of this page