Dear Friends and supporters, Looking back at 2020 takes us on an emotional roller coaster as the world has suddenly been put on hold by the COVID-19 global pandemic. If anything, the MS Community at all levels – national, European, and globally – has demonstrated how resilient, strong, and supportive it can be. More than ever, the time is to strengthen alliances and collaborate to face the challenges of the world to be in the post pandemic era. We started 2020 with the aim to continue working on building communities for change to pursue our mission to improve the quality of life of people affected by multiple sclerosis. Our plans and identity were shaken by the multiple crisis impacting the world in 2020 - including the impact on the access to healthcare systems, the need for racial justice, the global and European political stability - all of these, rooted in the need for better policies and sustainable administration.

Annual Report

Download the 2020 edition

The technology makes it possible to ship parcels anywhere in the world in no time. But malicious viruses also travel with them and have thus seriously disrupted “normal life” all over the world. EMSP was not spared, we strongly feel the impact of the measures taken to contain the pandemic. Project sponsors are more careful with the resources available.

Everyone lives in their own bubble and we only see each other and the world through the computer screen. 2021 was marked by the departure of our long-term External Affairs Director (fundraiser). Our newly hired fundraiser got off to a rock-solid start, showing a lot of refreshing creativity. Our long-term sponsors confirmed their continuous support throughout the year, allowing EMSP to adapt its work to the global context. We were also pleased to welcome new pharmaceutical companies interested in supporting EMSP projects. As a result, we performed reasonably good in project sponsorship: we realized 93% of the budget.

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who provided their support to successfully achieve our objectives in 2020, including EMSP member organisations, Executive Committee members, partners, and sponsors.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the MS advocates and experts that contribute to the development of EMSP’s projects and help us to deliver high-quality resources for people with MS, including the MS Nurse PRO Steering Committee and Syllabus Committee members, the members of the MS Data Alliance working group and the members of the Young People’s Network.
We would like to acknowledge the committed and valuable contribution of Torben Damsgaard, EMSP Vice-President who served on EMSP Executive Committee during the past 12 years contributing to its strategic development with the people we serve in mind.
EMSP’s reach and impact is enhanced by the close cooperation with many other European organisations. Among them: Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS); MS International Federation (MSIF); European Patients’ Forum (EPF); European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA); European Brain Council (EBC); the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS); the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the International Organisation of MS Nurses (IOMSN).

A heartfelt thank you also goes to our external consultants who supported the work of the EMSP Secretariat in 2020: Downtown Europe team (Professional Conference Organiser), Dr Rebecca Maguire, Health Policy Partnership team, Campaign Accelerator team, Chrissy Curtin, Jon Strum, Impact Media, IST1 and many others that accompany us in our journey.

With deepest sadness on the passing of Gerardo García Perales, President of the Spanish MS Society (AEDEM-COCEMFE) who we lost in September 2020, we dedicate our achievements to Gerardo, recognizing his commitment to give visibility and improve the quality of life of people with Multiple Sclerosis in Spain.