At the EUSOMA congress in Paris, France, in 1993, Italian breast surgeon
Umberto Veronesi presented the concept of a European organisation of women to increase
breast cancer awareness and represent patients and women. A small group of women from various European countries then began to establish the organisation, which started as an educational arm of the
European School of Oncology. Under a constitution signed in 1996, Europa Donna is headquartered in Milan, Italy, and is overseen by an Executive Board consisting of a maximum of nine members, three of whom must be breast cancer survivors. The coalition comprises 47 member countries, called fora, whose national delegates elect the members of the Executive Board. Europa Donna’s activities focus on policy, education, prevention and research. The organisation has been the recipient of an operating grant from the
European Commission. ==References==