The European Parliament backed an initiative taken by Maltese MEPs Therese Comodini Cachia and Marlene Mizzi alongside a number of other MEPs and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Europe, on Diabetes in the EU.

Reacting to the achievement Comodini Cachia said "This written declaration continues to raise diabetes as a priority on the European Agenda. Diabetes affects 32 million people in the EU. In 2014 Malta had a national prevalence of 11% of its population as affected by diabetes. Some € 114 billion was spent on treating diabetes in the EU in only 2013. Yet we can take action to help people prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes and to facilitate its control for patients with Type 1 diabetes. Not only can we make the life of those with diabetes better through relevant and good care, but we can help its prevention."

MEP Marlene Mizzi said: "There currently is an alarming European and global trend that has seen a sharp increase of people with diabetes and a prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.  Recent data shows that diabetes is a direct cause for the death of 1.5 million people per year and by 2040, 1 in 10 people worldwide will be with diabetes. I am afraid that the gravity of the diabetes pandemic is not fully perceived. It is time to act and prioritise diabetes as a major European health, social and economic concern. I am happy that so many MEPs shared our concerns and supported the Declaration. Preventing or delaying diabetes and its complications will have clear benefits for the individual and the society as a whole, will reduce the occurrence of costly and irreversible diabetes-related complications and avoid devastating personal suffering for people with diabetes."

The written declaration which was signed by over 383 MEPs is an important initiative as it calls upon the Commission and Council to prioritise diabetes as a major European health, social and economic concern; to develop an EU strategy for diabetes prevention, diagnosis and control; to encourage Member States to establish national diabetes plans and to develop a strategy to encourage consumption and production of healthy food.  Diabetes is a condition that affects European citizens irrespective of the Member States in which they reside. This makes it a European challenge which needs to be effectively coordinated 

MEP Therese Comodini Cachia is the co-chair of the EU Diabetes Working Group. Over the past months she has supported various researchers in Malta working in this sector. She has also called for more national funding to back existing EU funding and for the government to set diabetes as a priority when Malta will have the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2017.