ELPA Liver Disease Prevention Village 2026

From June 1 to 5, 2026, the European Liver Patients’ Association (ELPA) transformed the Esplanade of the European Parliament in Brussels into a vibrant hub for health promotion with the ELPA Liver Disease Prevention Village.

The Prevention Village represented an important evolution of ELPA’s commitment to bringing liver health directly to citizens. Rather than waiting for people to seek healthcare, ELPA brought prevention into one of Europe’s busiest public spaces, creating a unique environment where science, policy, healthcare professionals, patient organisations, and the public came together around one shared goal: preventing liver disease before it is too late. Throughout the five-day event, visitors had the opportunity to receive free, non-invasive liver health assessments, learn about the major risk factors for liver disease, and speak directly with healthcare professionals and patient advocates. The initiative also provided practical advice on healthy lifestyles, early detection, and when to seek medical follow-up, helping to improve health literacy while reducing the stigma that still surrounds liver disease.  The Prevention Village reflected the growing recognition that liver health cannot be addressed in isolation. Liver disease is closely linked with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cancer, and viral hepatitis. To illustrate these connections, ELPA created an interactive prevention pathway in collaboration with a multidisciplinary network of partners. Visitors moved through six themed stations dedicated to liver screening (Liver4Life), body composition (ELPA), diabetes prevention (International Diabetes Federation Europe – IDF Europe), cardiovascular disease prevention (Federación Española del Hígado), cancer prevention (Cancer Patients Europe), and viral hepatitis testing (SOS Hépatites Champagne-Ardenne). Together, these organisations demonstrated that protecting liver health requires an integrated approach to preventing and managing non-communicable diseases, with patients, healthcare professionals, and policymakers working side by side. The timing of the event was particularly significant. Just days earlier, WHO Member States had adopted a landmark Resolution on reducing the global burden of liver disease, reinforcing the urgent need to prioritise liver health within the wider non-communicable disease agenda. At the European level, ELPA continues to advocate for liver health to be fully integrated into key policy initiatives, including the upcoming EU Safe Hearts Plan and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.