Professor Tacconelli at the European Parliament - Long COVID and the contribution of EU funded research projects in the Spotlight

On 30 September, Professor Tacconelli was honoured to deliver the keynote address at the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) workshop "Long COVID: Current Realities, Future Directions," held in Brussels.

Professor Tacconelli at the European Parliament, in Brussels.

This high-level event built upon a previous European Parliament discussion that explored the early understanding of Long COVID—its clinical profile, its impact on patients and society, and the urgent need to close knowledge gaps, raise awareness, and advance treatment options.

This second workshop brought together Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, communicators, and patient advocates, with the aim of fostering a coordinated, multidisciplinary debate around the long-term strategies for addressing Long COVID across Europe.

The proceedings focussed on sharing insights, challenges, and innovations, while informing both citizens and specialized audiences about scientific progress, policy developments, and practical experiences.

In her keynote speech, “Long COVID: Advances, Open Questions, and Patient-Centred Perspectives,” Professor Tacconelli presented the scientific evidence that has emerged from EU-funded projects such as ORCHESTRA including: the socio-economic and health burden; clinical spectrum and clusters of symptoms​; epidemiology and key risk /protective factors; impact on quality of life and daily functioning​; insights into pathophysiology, including genome-wide association.

She also highlighted the vital role of EU-funded initiatives such as COMECT and VERDI in improving research coordination and hence in generating more robust evidence around this topic. Both projects have been instrumental in establishing collaborative research infrastructures like the Trial Coordination Board, the Cohort Coordination Board, and the Central Data Repository —a key online platform for sharing data from clinical research studies. These efforts are driving forward a more unified and effective response to Long COVID at the European level.

For more information, click here: Long Covid: Current Realities, Future Directions