On 20 July 2004, the Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco) of the Euroepan Commission organised the first meeting of the Obesity Round Table, with the aim of providing a forum for open and informal discussions on approaches to tackle the obesity epidemic.
In his introductory statement, Robert Madelin, Director General and Chairman of the Round Table, underlined that obesity is to be considered as a core health issue and, as such, it will be a high priority for the next Commission.
The Round Table process, which the Commission services would like to continue after this initial meeting, should contribute to develop a comprehensive vision on this issue and involve all the concerned stakeholders.
The Round Table reflected a general agreement on the main causes leading to the obesity problem, i.e. the combination of increasing calorie intake and a more sedentary lifestyle, but also on the need for taking national, regional and local dietary differences into account.
Economic operators, consumer organisations, NGOs, and the World Health Organisation had the opportunity to express their views.
Robert Madelin drew the following conclusions from the debate:
– need for a multi-stakeholder approach and for action at all levels;
– positive attitude towards co-operation;
– involvement of the EU presidencies in the roundtable process;
importance of public-private partnerships
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