European Polio Union

The European Polio Union (EPU) is a European umbrella organisation for national organisations that support people who have had polio. Polio Survivors Ireland is a founder member of the EPU and currently has two of our members serving on its governing body: Macrina Clancy, our Cathaoirleach and Pat McGillion, our former Chairman.

About EPU

The EPU member organisations support people that are currently coping with Post Polio Syndrome (PPS) or Late Effects of Polio. The EPU aims, by bringing all these organisations together, to strengthen their force, to learn from each other and to help each other. In some countries in Europe the knowledge and treatment of PPS is (much) better than in others and the aim is to make this more equal all over Europe.

The EPU has 24 member organisations from 17 countries, which are within the European Union or Associate EU counties. These include: Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. These organisations represent polio survivors, their families and carers.

EPU is an international non-profit association (IVZW) under Belgian law.

Source of Information

The EPU’s website brings together information, advice and knowledge from across Europe. This includes articles and entries specifically for the medical professional, as well as a wealth of general information for the polio survivor. The most recent newsletters from the EPU with all the news from our European polio colleagues, can be found by clicking here.

Conferences

The 2023 Polio France Conference took place in May 25 – 27, followed by the EPU’s AGM 2023. Entitled ‘Poliomyelitis, a congress to build the future!’, a report from the Conference, in Nancy, can be found by clicking here.