Our Efforts in Southeast Europe

On 11 May 2026, ECO held a regional event in Bucharest, Romania, organised in collaboration with the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO) and the Romanian Football Federation (FRF). The meeting brought together policymakers, clinicians, patient advocates and public health experts to assess progress on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening in Southeast Europe, and to discuss practical ways to close the gap between policy commitments and implementation in the Southeast Europe region.

Building on the previous landmark regional event held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 23 January 2025, the Bucharest meeting continued ECO’s work to strengthen cooperation on HPV prevention across Southeast Europe. The Sofia event had brought together health leaders, policymakers, researchers and advocates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey, and featured the signing of the 

The Bucharest event also highlighted new tools developed to support countries in the region, including the ECO Good Practice Guide on HPV Vaccination, the HPV Prevention Policy Atlas Europe 2025 and the report “Closing the Gaps: The Status of Cervical Cancer Screening Programmes in Europe”. These resources provide evidence, benchmarking and practical recommendations to help strengthen vaccination delivery, screening systems, data monitoring, communication and equitable access.

During the Bucharest meeting, ECO and partners presented an updated May 2026 edition of the joint declaration “Message Across Borders”, a regional call to action to eliminate cancers and other diseases associated with HPV in Southeast Europe. This refreshed version builds on the original text by adding more concrete guidance on how to achieve its objectives. It renews the regional call for action on data systems, stakeholder engagement, gender-neutral vaccination, screening programmes and cross-border cooperation, while inviting organisations and stakeholders to endorse the Declaration and support its implementation.

The Declaration sets out a shared commitment to collaborate more closely on HPV prevention, focusing on five key objectives: strengthening data collection and monitoring systems; engaging stakeholders for collective action; expanding gender-neutral vaccination coverage; enhancing screening programmes; and addressing common challenges through regional cooperation.