The third meeting of DG SANCO’s Obesity Round Table was held on 14 December 2004 under the chairmanship of Robert Madelin, Director General for Health and Consumer Protection.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the Commission’s draft paper “Nutrition and Health – a European Platform for Action”. This paper proposes to create a Platform which would look at Nutrition and Health issues and would include all interested stakeholders.
According to the Commission, the proposed Platform would strengthen the fight against obesity by introducing more formal and binding measures than those envisaged under the Obesity Round Table process.
There was a general support for the idea of the Platform among the Roundtable participants (a group of organisations including some EPHA members, industry, consumer groups and WHO.
It was suggested, however, that the title of the initiative should be extended to include physical activity – in line with WHO terminology, so it would read “Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health”.
Other important issues which require further reflection include:
– the content of commitments made within the framework of the Platform, and the way in which these will be monitored and verified,
– the possible extension of Platform membership,
– the division into working groups within the Platform.
The revised Platform document is to be submitted for opinion to a broader group of stakeholders in February 2005. EPHA will be amongst them.
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– Commission’s report to the 14 December 2004 meeting
Related articles on EPHA’s website:
– DG SANCO’s Roundtable meeting on obesity, which includes a linkn to the report to the first meeting of the Obesity Round Table, in July 2004.
– Commission Roundtable on Obesity looks at best practice, which focuses on the second meeting of the Obesity Round Table, held in October 2004.
