On 9 September 2025, the second meeting of the Policy Decision Makers Forum was held in Brussels as part of the Joint Action PreventNCD project. The event was organised by the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia (NIJZ), the leader of activities in the field of sustainable development (Work Package No. 4).
The aim of the Forum was to discuss the activities of JA PreventNCD to date and to gather the opinions of decision-makers on the possibilities of implementing the developed solutions at national and EU level. Particular emphasis was placed on the sustainability of the project's results and their integration with existing health policies.
The meeting was attended by experts from:
- Dyrekcji Generalnych Komisji Europejskiej (DG SANTE, DG AGRI, DG TAXUD, DG CONNECT, DG RESEARCH, DG REFORM)
- WHO Europe
- OECD
- Wspólnego Centrum Badawczego (JRC)
- Inicjatywy JACARDI
- Konsorcjum JA PreventNCD
The Medical University of Silesia in Katowice was represented by Dr Katarzyna Brukało, who actively participated in discussions on the future of health policies in Europe.
The Forum presented an overview of JA PreventNCD activities from the first 18 months of the project and selected case studies of health policies, including:
- Restricting harmful food marketing to children in the digital environment
- Health promotion at the local level
- Health tax policy
- Sustainable public procurement of food
In addition, activities related to future EU presidencies, cooperation with the JACARDI initiative and the Forum members' reflections on the further development of the project were discussed.
The meeting was an important step towards implementing sustainable solutions for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Europe. Thanks to the involvement of experts and decision-makers from various sectors, JA PreventNCD has a real chance to influence health policies in Europe.