Brussels, 14/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration of 13 September 2012 on tackling multiple sclerosis (MS) in Europe, the European Parliament calls on the Commission and Council to encourage - within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme - closer scientific collaboration and comparative research on MS, and to promote - in their reflection process on chronic disease - equal access to treatment and flexible employment policies for people with chronic neurological disorders such as MS.
Member states are called to: - enhance equal access to quality care, for example by using certified educational training tools (such as specialisation modules for MS) in order to develop, standardise and benchmark specialist nursing staff training; - support the European Register for MS project by encouraging patient data collection at national level. Europeans suffering from MS number 600,000, with MS being the most common neurodegenerative disorder. Most people with MS are diagnosed in the prime of their working lives, and almost half leave the workforce within three years of diagnosis. (LC/translF.l)