Policy

EASO's policy mission centres around contributing to evidenced-based policies for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of obesity as a chronic disease throughout the life course.

We therefore focus on key policy dossiers at EU and transnational levels to align policies with science.

Obesity prevalence rates have almost tripled in Europe since 1980 with no sign of them abating.  the main push for policy interventions at EU level has remained primary prevention of obesity with an emphasis on legislating around food policies, physical activity and nutrition.

With the EU Commission’s recognition of obesity as a chronic relapsing disease, its commitment to prioritising obesity as a non-communicable disease and the aim to build more resilient health systems across the European Union, now is the time to ensure that policy interventions go beyond primary prevention and equips governments and health systems to put in place the infrastructure needed to provide long-term management of obesity along the life course.

At EASO we work to inform and support EU institutions in their efforts to strengthen EU health systems by ensuring obesity is prioritised and addressed as a chronic disease across EU health policies and initiatives.

Secretariat Responsibilities

open obesity logo

EASO coordinates the expert secretariat for OPEN-EU (Obesity Policy Engagement Network-EU).

OPEN-EU acts as a multi-stakeholder collaborative policy coalition, which seeks to ensure that all relevant European institutional strategies and policies integrate measures that effectively help support people living with obesity at EU, national and regional levels and that the treatment of obesity as a gateway disease to type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and over 230 other complications of obesity is accessible to all.

For more info visit: www.obesityopen.org/open-eu-overview/

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EASO coordinates the scientific secretariat for the MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Resilient Health Systems.

The informal MEP interest group 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.

For more info visit: www.mepobesityinterest.eu