European Affairs (CEA)

Commission Members

Subcommissions

Bursaries, Madrid congress Chair: Santiago Arroyo
Congress evaluation

Madrid Chair: Antonio Gil-Nagel

Bursaries, Vienna congress Chair: José Serratosa
Congress evaluation, Vienna Wolfgang Serles

Central/Eastern Europe Chair: Alla Guekht

Working Group on Development of Quality Care
Chair: Peter Wolf

Aims

To stimulate and coordinate all aspects of epileptology across Europe, including organising the European Congress on Epileptology.

Achievements prior to July 2003

International Course: From basic knowledge to rational prescribing in epilepsy. A course at the International School of Neurological Sciences in Venice under the aegis of the ILAE Commissions on European Affairs and Therapeutic Strategies, and the European Epilepsy Academy, San Servolo, Venice July 10-19 2003.

The Subcommission on Central/Eastern Europe. A plan is set out in areas related to education, quality of care, and research. A workshop on Clinical Trials of AEDs in Eastern Europe was held on July 17, 2003 in conjunction with the San Servolo summer course with invited participants from ILAE chapters.

Publications: Malmgren K, Flink R, Guekht AB, Michelucci R, Neville B, Pedersen B, Pinto F, Stephani U, Özkara C. ILAE Commission on European Affairs Subcommission on European Guidelines 1998-2001: The Provision of Epilepsy Care Across Europe. Epilepsia, 2003; 44:727-31.

Commission Activities
July 31, 2003 to June 30, 2004

Meetings: October 16, 2003, Lisbon; February 14, 2004, ILAE Office, Brussels

Publications: Gil-Nagel A, Perucca E, Garcia-Morales I, Arroyo S, Serratosa JM. Subcommission on Congress Evaluation of the ILAE Commission on European Affairs. Evaluations and awards at the fifth European Congress of Epileptology, Madrid, 6-10 October 2002. Epilepsia. 2004 Apr;45(4):396-8.

The Subcommission on Central/Eastern Europe. A plan is set out in areas related to education, quality of care, and research. The last meeting was held during the Vienna congress with participation of delegates from a number of chapters. Future activities will focus on four areas:1) development of an outcome study project, within the context of EUCARE, 2) promotion of clinical trials in Central/Eastern Europe, 3) education, in collaboration with EUREPA, 4) implementation of epidemiological studies to acquire information about regional differences in quality of care and to stimulate collaboration among physicians in the area.

A faculty consisting of CEA members contributed to the conference on Epilepsy: Social Aspects, Diagnosis and Treatment, which was a part of the Russian National Congress on Man and Medicine in Moscow in April 2004, a large medical congress attended by about 22,000 delegates from Russia and FSU countries. The 1,000 delegates who attended the epilepsy program were provided with printed educational material supplied by faculty members. A workshop on refractory epilepsy and epilepsy surgery was held at the Burdenko Institute of Neurosurgery in Moscow and an educational course was held in Chita.

Working Group on Development of Quality of Care. The initial task is to contact national European ILAE chapters enquiring about availability and/or needs of tertiary care centers, then evaluate responses, consult with relevant third parties and develop a project aimed at establishing a model tertiary care epilepsy center or unit in an underserved European country or region. The Working Group in collaboration with the EAC held a successful Chapter Convent during the Vienna congress.

EURAP. The CEA supports the international registry aimed at assessing the comparative teratogenic risks of prenatal exposure to different antiepileptic drugs. The project is chaired by T. Tomson, Sweden. Over 4,000 pregnancies have been registered to date.

European Congresses on Epileptology. The 6th European Congress was held in Vienna 30 May - 3 June. Svein Johannessen and Gerhard Bauer
co-chaired the International Organizing Committee, and Christoph Baumgartner chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee. A system for CME credits was established.

The congress attracted a total of 3,408 participants from 89 countries. Based on the feedback the congress was very successful, both scientifically and socially.

Bursaries 50,000 Euro were allocated from the congress budget for a Travel Bursary Fund for the congress. The age limit for application for assistance from the fund was raised from 35 to 40 years. Selection criteria for the congress was adhered to rigorously and abstracts submitted by all those qualifying for a Travel Bursary were scrutinised by the Travel Bursary Subcommission which awarded 51 Travel Bursaries based on abstract quality and age criteria. Special consideration was given to applicants from Eastern Europe. CEA Bursary for Central/Eastern Europe. This new bursary system was jointly coordinated by the Subcommission on Central/Eastern Europe. Each European Chapter was given the opportunity to send one representative to the congress, with a particular aim of increasing attendance at the European Chapter Convention on 29 May and the Eastern European Discussion Group Session on 3 June. Each participant was offered complimentary registration (charged at the early junior registration rate), return economy flight travel to Vienna and up to 6 nights accommodation in Vienna. Out of the total 22 Central/Eastern European Chapters, 16 participants accepted support under this bursary scheme.

European Epileptology Prize. For the second time CEA supported the European Epileptology Prize (EUR 10,000). The winner was Charlotte Dravet, France.

Upcoming Activities

Future European Epilepsy Congresses 2006. The 7th European Congress will be held in Helsinki. Svein Johannessen and Matti Sillanpää will co-chair the International Organizing Committee, and Retta Kälviainen will chair the Scientific Advisory Committee.

2008. The 8th European Congress will be held in Germany in collaboration with the German and Israeli chapters, with Greece as backup.

Continue with plans for subcommission activities and other ongoing activities.

On 21 April, 2005 the International Conference Epilepsy—epidemiology, treatment and quality of life of the Russian National Man and Medicine Congress (18-22 April) will take place in Moscow. One thousand delegates from Moscow and other regions of Russia will participate in the meeting. After the Congress, 24-26 April, there will be an Educational Course on Epilepsy in Yaroslavl region. The event is organised by the All-Russian Society of Neurologists and the Commission of European Affairs of the ILAE (Subcommission for Central/Eastern Europe).

18-25 September, 2005, an International Educational Course: Pharmacological Treatment of Epilepsy will take place in Eilat, Israel under the auspices of the Eilat Conferences Organising Committee, the Commission on European Affairs and the European Epilepsy Academy.

Svein Johannessen
Chair