On March 5, 2025, Nataliia Gerasymchuk, EATG CORE Project Manager, took part in the policy event in the European Parliament “Health Equity for Marginalised Voices: EU’s Path Forward” organised by the Nobody Left Outside initiative and co-hosted by MEPs Vytenis Andriukaitis, Tilly Metz and Stine Bosse. The discussion was moderated by Ms Julie Cooper, partner at DGA Group. The event brought together policymakers and community representatives to discuss key challenges in healthcare access for marginalised groups, the role of institutions in advancing health equity and practical policy solutions rooted in lived experiences. The event marked a re-launch of the “Friends of NLO” network, an informal platform fostering collaboration between policymakers and health stakeholders. Ms Nataliia Gerasymchuk presented the role of the CORE project in integrating community-led health services into national healthcare systems, its main achievements and lessons learned.

The main points raised and supported were:

• To listen to people who work on the ground and to ensure that the most vulnerable people are treated well.
• To amplify the voice of the marginalised people in the EU agenda.
• “Lack of data” is often used as a justification not to make political decisions.
• People often do not seek support, including medical attention, due to the fear of legal consequences.

The call to action, supported by all participants, was to keep prioritizing, funding and sustaining community-based and community-led initiatives.

The conclusions made by the event participants and generalized by Mr Frederik Spinnewijn, NLO Chair, were as follows:

• Political commitment to deliver good health should be more explicit. Marginalized groups should be explicitly stated in policy documents, otherwise they are ignored.
• A specialized approach has to be taken to reach marginalized groups.
• Stable connection with mainstream healthcare should be ensured.
• The focus should not only be on infectious diseases.