ELPA was formally launched in Paris on 14 April 2005 during the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

[3] Nowadays, ELPA represents 39 liver patients' organisations from 29 different countries (Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia,Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom).

[4] ELPA aims to promote the interests of people with liver disease and, in particular: ELPA vision and activities are coordinated and supervised by an elected president, and a Governing Board made up of Directors who belong to an organisation that is a full member of the association.

It provides a different perspective based on the fact that ELPA, through its members, has immediate and direct access to the patients' lives and the best practices in a national and regional context.

[7] As one voice, ELPA works to promote the development and implementation of policies, strategies, and healthcare services that empower patients to engage in decision-making.