The conference concludes the three-day launch event of the JARDIN Joint Action on the integration of the European Reference Networks (ERNs) into national health systems and aims to raise awareness of the Joint Action and rare diseases in general in order to reach a wider range of stakeholders.
The Joint Action on Integration of ERNs into National Health Systems (JARDIN) kick-off meeting was held on 6 – 8 March 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. Two days of technical meetings were followed by a session organised by the European Economic and Social Committee on the last day: “Rare Diseases in the EU: Joint Action shaping the future of ERNs”, it highlighted a firm commitment among EU institutions, Member States and the rare disease community to progress towards connecting ERNs and national healthcare systems.
The action is an important part of the ERN initiative, involving all EU Member States, Norway and Ukraine, and aims to help integrate the ERNs into national health systems and ensure their long-term sustainability, for example by developing national patient pathways linked to the ERNs, designing national reference networks modeled on and complementing the ERNs, and developing structures for undiagnosed patients.
