MEP Interest Group on Continence Health

Continence health problems are a major health issue affecting a large number of Europeans, between 55 and 60 million people.

Incontinence is the medical term used to describe the involuntary loss of urine or faeces. Continence problems are experienced across all genders, ages and socio-economic backgrounds. They are often the result of another health condition or a side effect of treatment, are debilitating and often chronic, and can result in a serious negative impact on quality of life.

While optimal continence health should be a reality for everybody, we must acknowledge that risk often correlates with age, and the burden of long-term care for people suffering from continence problems still falls disproportionately on women.

As the socio-economic report found, the estimated economic burden of urinary incontinence was calculated as nearly 70 billion euros in 2023, a staggering figure, which is set to rise by 25% in 2030 if no action is taken. Continence health problems impact many areas of society: gender inequalities, employment, financial systems, the environment, health systems, demography and quality of life. See Infographic.

By establishing an MEP Interest Group with representatives of different parliamentary committees and political groups, we are demonstrating that continence health is an important priority, which should be implemented using a cross-cutting approach in key EU initiatives in order to ensure a competitive and resilient Europe.

These include: the Gender Equality Strategy and the EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights, the European Care Strategy, Roadmap on Mental Health, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, EU initiatives on NCDs and prevention and future EU funding for health research and innovation in the new multi-annual financial framework.