MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience
As demonstrated with the EU4Health programme, the European Parliament can play a key role in promoting actions impacting long-term health of EU citizens and strengthening health systems for the future.
The informal interest group, chaired by MEP Pernille Weiss (EPP, Denmark), focuses on implementing obesity as a non-communicable chronic disease. The ambition of the group is to ensure obesity is recognised as a chronic disease in definition, scope and how it is treated beyond primary prevention within policy instruments. The group also goes beyond obesity and considers resilient health systems and ecosystems more broadly.
Key facts
- In Europe, obesity has tripled since 1980
- There are over 230 complications of obesity
- 8.4% of OECD countries’ health budget expenditure is predicted to be spent on obesity and related diseases from 2020-2050
- Obesity is estimated to cost around €70m per year to health systems alone
- 10-13% of deaths in different parts of Europe is caused by obesity
Twitter Feed
https://twitter.com/EUObesity
Main aims and objectives
- Embed the language of obesity as an NCD (non-communicable disease) within the European Parliament and shift the dialogue beyond prevention
- Set-up a workable framework for National Plans on obesity as an NCD
- Advocate for the collection of data across people living with obesity’s life course to enable for realistic treatment and management options
- Call for the implementation of Obesity Centres of Excellence and sufficient resources to implement obesity as an NCD (interconnected with other NCDs such as cancer)
Obesity and Health System Resilience: Our Manifesto
As we build a new reality across Europe in a Post COVID-19 era, a silent pandemic – the chronic disease (Non-Communicable Disease) of obesity – will persist unless we, as policymakers and civil society alike take action. The time to act is now.
European National Plans on Obesity within NCD Frameworks
Along with over 100 EU stakeholders and across five EU Member States, we call for the inclusion and prioritisation of obesity as a chronic disease in EU level strategies and NCD frameworks.
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events
Past Events
Cost of inaction on obesity study launch
ECO 2022
MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience’s panel discussion.
WOD Europe 2022
MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience’s World Obesity Day Event (online)
EHDS
Obesity in European Health Data Space (EHDS).
LAUNCH
MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience.
About
Who we are
The MEP Interest Group was established in January 2021 and comprises of a Chair, Vice-Chair and membership of interested MEPs across political groups and nationalities.
How do we work?
The MEP Interest Group was established in January 2021 and comprises of a Chair, Vice-Chair and membership of interested MEPs across political groups and nationalities. The MEPs are members of a range of European Parliament Committee groups such as ENVI, ITRE, BUDG, AGRI, FEMM, demonstrating the diversity needed to address resilience and obesity effectively.
The MEP Interest Group meets on average 3 times per year with external stakeholders (annual meeting + other meetings dedicated to obesity and health system-related topics).
Latest Developments
MEP Interest Group Represented on the new European Parliament Special Committee on COVID-19 (COVI)
The MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience welcomes the formal establishment of the European Parliament Special Committee on COVID-19 which was constituted this week. Both our Chair MEP Pernille Wiess (EPP-DK) and one of our Vice Chairs Sara Cerdas...
Building a Joint-Declaration: A collaboration between French, Belgian, Italian, Danish and Spanish stakeholders
To develop an NCD roadmap framework at EU level on obesity, we conducted a study trip which took place across 5 EU Member States (France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Denmark) from 21-22 February in order to gather insights.
Launch of Joint Declaration for a Framework NCD Roadmap to be developed at EU level on obesity
Launched at a virtual European Parliament event, on World Obesity Day Europe, the Declaration comes a year to the day that the European Commission officially categorised obesity as a chronic disease in 2021.