June 19th, 2003. From 16.15 to 18.15
Location: WONCA Conference 2003, Ljubljana. Room E2 Cankarjev Dom


Those present:

Jasna Vuchak (Croatia), Ramón Ciurana (Spain), Arthur Mierzecki (Poland), Maciek Godycki-Cwirko (Poland), Leo Pas (Belgium), Frans Govaerts (Belgium), Jean-Pierre Hoengenaert (Belgium), Donatella Sghedoni (Italy), Mary Sheehan (Ireland), Ingrid Pichler (Austria), Irina Moisseeva, Ton Drenthen (The Netherlands), Maxime Mancini (Switzerland), Dominique Durrer (Switzerland), Carlos Martins (Portugal), Rosa Piñeiro (Spain), Carlos Brotons (Spain) and Antonia Sánchez.

Apologies received from Pilar Kloppe and Mateja Bulc, Mario Sammut
(Notes in italics do not refer to items discussed at the time of the meeting, but to latter developments).

1. CB reads the minutes of the previous meeting, last November in Madrid. They are adopted.
   
   CB comments the results of the meetings of the Constitutional Working Party held in London, 30th November 2002 (see below an excerpt).
   
   Relationship of WONCA Europe with other general practice organisations in Europe:
   - European Working Groups
   - Currently potential groups would be EURIPA and EUROPREV.
   
   Such groups would be proposed by the executive committee for consideration by Council.
   
   They would have observer status at Council meetings
   
   The criteria for these groups would be as follows:
   
   
   • Pan-European,
   • Similar aims to WONCA Europe
   • Scope to be generalist, relating to the discipline of family medicine,
   • An democratic constitution,
   • Links with Academic national organisations of general Practice ,
   • Open and clear financial accountability.

   A three year working plan would be proposed and agreed with the WONCA Europe Executive Committee with an agreed level of funding from WONCA Europe.
   
   If agreement is achieved the proposed plan and funding level would be submitted to the triennial council meeting of WONCA Europe for approval

   • The relationship to be reviewed on a triennial basis.
     
     
     
2. Those are good news for EUROPREV and it is an important step forward in the process of development of the network. (CB had the opportunity to talk with the President of the ESGP/FM- Dr. Philip Evans- and he will send us very soon how we should proceed in the future. The decision of obtaining financial support from WONCA will be based on a proposal that we have to prepare and submit, and it will be taken at the WONCA World Congress in Orlando).
   
   
   
3. It is convenient that all the delegates inform their national societies about this important achievement.
   
   
   
4. Membership: It is decided to send a remainder of paying fees to all Societies that have not paid Europrev annual fee yet. The letter will be sent to the national college and to the delegate as well.
   
   
   
5. Rosa Piñeiro presents Plan of activities of Europrev in relation with the development of a guide on Healthy Diet in Primary Care. This topic generates important debate. It is agreed the following:
   
• A review of the evidence should be done be done.
• Definition of healthy diet
• Definition of counselling
• Posibility of adaptations into differents countries in Europe.
• Raise some questions to be answer by delegates concerning this guide (also if national soceities are working in this topic and if they have also raise some questions to be answered).

Rosa, Mateja and Dominique will lead this project, and they will circulate a draft before next meeting of Europrev.




6. Carlos Brotons informs to the presents about the 9th European Nutrition Conference (1st-4th October, Rome) where the open discussion is: "Dietary advice in clinical practice: the views of general practitioners in Europe." It is decided to present in this Conference a summary of comments made by the delegates about the guide (see previous point).
   
   
   
7. European Commission Public Health Funding:
   EUROPREv have been invitated to participate as an expert network in a EC project (already approved and financed)
   
   
   • "Mobilizing the Health Professions for Effective Alcohol Policy"
   • EUROPREV also has been invitated to participate in this case throughout its delegates or other representatives of national societies to two other projects:
   • "Integrating Health Promotion Interventions for Hazardous and Harmful
   • Alcohol Consumption into Primary Health Care Professionals' Daily Work"
   • "Health Professionals and Smoking Cessation in a Larger Europe".
   • It is discussed the convenience of participate or not in this projects, and specifcally what it is the trade-off. CB comments that unfortunately we did not have much time to discuss this topic because (as usually happens) the time for taken the decision of participating was very short. At this moment we do not know the time and the effort that will be required to participate in these projects- as network and as individuals-if they are finally approved. In principle we have to acknowledge that it is a good opportunity to collaborate with other institutions/organisations in research projects particularly in the topics of tobacco and alcohol.
     
   
   
   
8. Subgroups creation within Europrev.
   
   CM comments the idea of creation different working groups within europrev.
   
   Everybody agrees that it is a good idea, but also requires an important personal effort to move it forward. CB comments that an EUROPREV newsletter could be the tool to disseminate the the results of these working groups, especifically an update of the scientific evidence of different topics. (after the interesting europrev workshop on screening for colon cancer CB, CM and RC agreed to prepare a draft of that review and prepare it for the first newsletter).
   LP comments the importance of taknig advantange of what is alredy function, particularly an alcohol group, a nutrition group and eventually others.
   
   CB mentions the invitation Europrev has received from UEMO to participate in its meeting (October 2003) and know UEMO Prevention group projects (Mateja Bulc introduces the President of UEMO, Dr. Christina Fabian, to Carlos Brotons. We decided the importance of collaborate toguether particularly in topics related to prevention and health promotion. Next meeting of UEMO will be held in Croatia next October, and it will be a good opportunity to share experiences in that meeting. Jasna Vuchak (and Carlos Brotons if the agenda permits it) will attend this meeting on behalf of EUROPREV.
   
   
   
9. Next meeting will be in November o December, in a few days we will offer you some dates to choose the suitable for the majority (after discussing with different members of EUROPREV it is decided that the meeting will be on Friday the 12th of december (starting at 16.00).