On 21 March 2023, the EU Parliament (Brussels) hosted a panel discussion on “The Future of European Pain Research”. This panel discussion was the first-ever pain specific event held within the EU Parliament and was co-hosted by MEPs Cristian Silviu Busoi and Alex Agius Saliba with support from the European Pain Federation. Invited attendees included experts in pain research from across Europe, as well as representatives from the European Cancer Organisation, European Brain Council, Innovative Health Initiative, European Association for Palliative Care, World Physiotherapy (Europe region), European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations, and European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. 

Professor Kevin Vowles was one of the 40 or so invitees in attendance at the two hour panel discussion.  Kevin said:

"On a personal level, it was something special to be sitting in a house of government where politicians seemed to be genuinely engaged and interested in achieving adequate care for pain across Europe. The key agenda items they noted were to:

1. 1. ensure that pain research has a clear role in EU funding programmes such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and EU4Health,
   2. improve the assessment and treatment of acute and chronic pain in healthcare across the EU, and
   3. decrease the disparities across the EU in terms of access and effectiveness of care."