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The Obelisk Policy Programme

Here you will find details on how the Obelisk project is engaging with policymakers and decision-makers to inform future strategies relating to childhood obesity.  This page also includes useful links to policy-related directories and resources.  As the project develops additional resources and deliverables, such as policy guidelines, will be added to this page.

Policy Workshop

In collaboration with the European Childhood Obesity Group, the Obelisk project will run an annual policy workshop for the length of the project’s duration. The policy workshop will gather national and local health policy representatives and experts in the field of obesity to discuss opportunities and strategies to craft effective policy to combat childhood obesity. 

The first edition of these workshops took place during the 2024 ECOG Congress in Ghent, Belgium, and featured an impressive panel of expert speakers, including Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Frank Vandenbroucke and representatives from the city of Ghent, Flanders, the European Commission, and EU-funded project Pas Gras. For more information on the 2024 policy roundtable, click here. 
The second policy workshop is set to take place during the 2025 ECOG Congress in Uppsala, Sweden, from November 26-28.
If you are a policymaker interested in attending, you can find more information on the congress here

Specialist Policy Panel

The Obelisk project will establish a Specialist Policy Panel with the task of assessing the cost-effectiveness of Obelisk interventions and therapies, which will support the translation of the trial results into novel policies for the prevention of childhood obesity. The panel will include experts in a variety of relevant fields. More information on the panel will follow soon.

Policy Guidelines

The discussions held during the policy workshops and the work of the Specialist Policy Panel throughout the project will serve as the basis for the Obelisk Policy Guidelines, a final set of evidence-based policy recommendations. The guidelines will then be disseminated among relevant stakeholders and policymakers as the final stage of Obelisk’s policy outreach programme.

EU Policy Resources & Directory

Your one-stop directory for relevant policy stakeholders and policy monitoring. 

European Commission

Below are links to access the webpages of the relevant Commission Directorate-Generals and agencies. Here, you will find resources related to their work and initiatives, policy positions, news, and funding opportunities for research projects.

DG Sante - Public Health
Nutrition & Physical Activity
Non-communicable Diseases
DG Environment
European Health & Digital Executive Agency
DG Research & Innovation

European Parliament

Below are links to the most relevant committees within the EU Parliament working on health-related issues. You will find on these pages a description of their work, activity reports, news, and their meeting calendars. Also included is a general calendar outlining the Parliament's schedule for 2024.

Commitee on The Environment, Public Health and Food safety
Subcommittee on Public Health
European Parliament Calendar 2024

Council of The EU

Below are links to the pages of the two most relevant Council configurations for the Obelisk project: the Environment Council and the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Council. On these pages, you will find a description of their function, an agenda of their upcoming meetings, and resources relating to their work.

Environmental Council
Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council

Must-Read Resources

Eurostat: Overweight and Obesity – BMI Statistics
EU Strategy on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity-Related Health Issues
EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity 2014-2020
WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022
Knowledge4EU: Obesity Prevention