In April 2006, Dr. Thomas Ulmer, Member of the European Parliament, launched a Call for Action in the European Parliament to make hepatitis B a priority area for European policy. This initiative received support from MEPs from the four largest political groups and from at least 12 Member States.  Dr Ulmer is a practising general practitioner as well as a politician and he was aware that, unlike other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C, hepatitis B had not received appropriate political focus in European policy.

The report by the European Hepatitis B Expert Group is entitled European Orientation Towards the Better Management of Hepatitis B in Europe. It highlights the fact that hepatitis B is a significant public health problem, with up to 36,000 deaths attributable to HBV every year in Europe. The report includes recommendations for the prevention, screening, diagnosis and management of hepatitis B in Europe.

In his Preface to the report, Dr Ulmer writes: "It is our hope that it may serve as a
blueprint for a comprehensive policy on hepatitis B throughout Europe and that its Recommendations be adopted by Member States and then be applied at a national level across the EU and beyond".

Members of the European Hepatitis B Expert Group involved in the report included Hepatitis B Foundation UK Trustee, Professor Howard Thomas, Division of Medicine, Imperial College London, St Mary's Hospital Campus, London and the charity's Co-ordinator, Penny Wilson-Webb.