June 23 – 24, 2023

Annual General Meeting
20 years of ECPC Advocacy Efforts to Unite & Make the European Cancer Patients’ Voice Heard
June 25, 2023
Renaissance Hotel Brussels

Registrations are open till June 15, 2023 17.00pm CET

For registrations after June 15, 2023: Please complete the registration form, and proceed to organize your travels, in line with instructions below.

ECPC 2003 -2023: Twenty Years of Cancer Patient Advocacy

ECPC celebrates in 2023 twenty years of cancer patient advocacy in the service of European cancer patients. The European Cancer Patient Coalition – ECPC was officially launched in 2003 at the ECCO 2003 Congress in Copenhagen at a press conference chaired by Kathy Redmond and Lynn Faults Wood.

ECPC was the result of an earlier meeting in 2002 between Kathy Redmond, from the European School of Oncology, and Lynn Faulds Wood, a UK TV presenter, who had survived advanced colon cancer in 2002. They both admired the Dutch national cancer patient umbrella organization, the NFK and wished that a similar European organization exists.

Kathy Redmond and Lynn Faulds Wood both considered important that European cancer patients speak with one voice and joined forces to set up the European Cancer Patient Coalition. They were supported by Patricia Huijbregts, Director of NFK-Dutch Federation of Cancer Patient Organizations, who organized the administration of the new Coalition. A Steering Group was formed with Lynn as Chairman and three-year funding for Masterclasses & Educational activities from the European School of Oncology.

The aim of ECPC, under the motto “Nothing About Us, Without Us!”, was to represent the views of cancer patients at the European level and to provide a forum for European cancer patient organisations to exchange information and share best practices.

In 2005, the ECPC was ready to organize its first congress. Kathy Redmond organised the first Masterclass in Cancer Patient Advocacy at the prestigious European Institute of Oncology in Milan, with an impressive list of speakers including the Dutch Minister of Health Mrs Borst-Eilers; Prof. Umberto Veronesi, Europe’s leading breast surgeon and director of the Institute; and a Brussels-based political lobbyist, cancer survivor Hildrun Sundseth. One hundred people from cancer patient organisations in 30 countries attended the first Masterclass.

These 20 years were not all easy years. ECPC, while getting stronger and tripled its membership during the last 10years, it had also to face challenges, as every living organization. These challenges with the support of its members, staff and board were overcome and the ECPC,  20 years after its establishment, is today the leading European cancer patient umbrella organization.

The 20th anniversary to be celebrated at our Annual Congress 2023 will look back on the achievements and challenges of two decades of ECPC, build on the lessons learnt and listen to our members, partners and friends about the future of the cancer patient’s voice in Europe in the new cancer landscape to be shaped by the EU Cancer Plan and the Cancer Mission.

We cordially invite all the ECPC Members, partners, sponsors, and friends to our Annual Congress and Anniversary 2023 and hope that you will join us to celebrate 20 years of dedication to uniting cancer patient organizations across Europe and building a strong unified European cancer patient voice at the EU level.

Annual Congress

Friday 23 June, 2023 – Saturday 24 June, 2023

Annual General Assembly

Sunday 25 June, 2023

Renaissance Hotel, Brussels, Belgium

REGISTRATION AND DEADLINES

ECPC is pleased to invite all its Members, partners, sponsors and friends to our Annual Congress and 20year Anniversary on June 23-24, 2023.

ECPC partners and friends can also register to virtually attend the Congress. After receipt of your registration, you will receive a link to attend the livestreaming.

Early bird offer: closed

Registrations for ECPC Full and Associate Members – post May 20th, 2023:

ECPC is pleased to welcome all Full and Associate Members to its Annual Congress and General Assembly. We would request you to please register via the link provided. In order to ensure our members are able to attend the Congress and General Assembly, our offer includes the following:

Who is covered: ECPC will cover one participant per ECPC Member organization who will attend the Annual Congress and General Assembly.

Travel: ECPC will cover airfare up to 350 Euros for one representative from each ECPC Full or Associate Member, who will attend the Annual Congress and AGM. We would request you to please select Economy class flights, with carry-on luggage and no extras. As the meeting starts on June 23rd in the afternoon (15:00), we would request you to please select flights landing no-later than 13:00 on Friday June 23, and departing from Brussels after 17:00 on June 25, 2023.

Hotel: ECPC has pre-booked accomodation for 2 nights at the venue of the meeting, the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels, Belgium for one representative from each ECPC Full or Associate Member. The offer includes the cost of the accomodation at the hotel (with breakfast), dinner on June 23, lunch on June 24 and light lunch on June 25th, 2023.

To be sure that you will have a room in the Congress Hotel,we would be grateful if you could please register soon. Late registrants may have accommodation in another hotel.

Please note that check-in time is 15.00 and check-out is 12.00 noon. Guests arriving before15.00 will be accommodated as bedrooms become available. To guarantee a room for arrival before 15.00, the night before has to be blocked and it will be charged at the regular price. Guests will be asked for their credit card or a deposit to guarantee any consumption in the hotel.

Members who are traveling with a companion, can share the hotel room with their companion,who will be charged with 15euro/night for double occupancy, and 4.50euro/night for city tax.

Refunds: ECPC members who are booking post May 20th, are requested to please send ECPC the original invoices (flights), in line with the abovementioned travel policies, no later than July 3rd, 2023 to: agmcongress@ecpc.org

This will allow us to process the refunds in an expedited manner.

Transport to venue: Please note that taxi transfers from/to airport are not reimbursable. As the hotel is conveniently located next to the bus stop with direct buses to/from the airport, we would kindly request you to take the Bus directly from the Airport and get off at the stop: Luxembourg (which is 5 minutes from the Renaissance Hotel).

Programme

Annual Congress: June 23 – 24, 2023

The registration for the Annual Congress & 20 Years Anniversary will be open on Friday, June 23, 2023 from 14.00 – 15.00pm and the Congress will start at 15.00pm and will conclude at 19.30pm. A networking dinner will follow at 20.30pm.

On Saturday, June 24, 2023 the registration will start at 08.30-09.30am and the congress will run from 09.30am-17.30pm CET. Saturday evening, will be a free evening.

Annual General Meeting: June 25, 2023

On Sunday, June 25, 2023 the registration will start at 08.30-09.30am CET and the Annual General Meeting will run from 09.30am-14.30pm CET.

Networking and connecting:

You are most welcome to bring your organization’s information material in English language, e.g. brochures, annual reports, white papers to share with colleagues. We will arrange a Members’ Corner to exhibit our members information.

You are cordially invited to post about ECPC’s 20 year Anniversary and Annual Congress on your organization’s social media.

Enquiries:

For any additional information please send a message to the Secretariat at agmcongress@ecpc.org

Annual General Meeting 2023

You can also find here the previous editions of ECPC  Annual Congress and Annual General Meeting.