Next week, Bilbao will host the 19th European Public Health Conference. While the main conference runs from 11–13 November, discussions will begin a day earlier with a series of pre-conferences on 10 November, offering an opportunity to explore specific public health challenges and policy questions in greater depth.
JA PreventNCD will contribute to two of these pre-conferences, including Policies and practices to address the Commercial Determinants of Health: From EU to Local Action.
Organised by JA PreventNCD and the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Urban Public Health Section, with the collaboration of WHO, the pre-conference will explore how policies at European, national and local levels can address commercial influences on health. Particular attention will be given to how local experiences can help shape wider policies, and how European and national frameworks can support effective action in communities.
How commercial interests shape our everyday environments
The commercial determinants of health refer to the ways in which commercial activities, products and practices influence people's health and the environments in which they live. These influences extend well beyond the marketing and consumption of unhealthy products. They can affect how cities are designed, how food is produced and marketed, and how decisions that affect public health are made.
Addressing these influences is central to preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases, as well as reducing health inequalities. While individuals make choices about their health, those choices are heavily influenced by their surroundings, including the availability, affordability and promotion of products and services.
Following an introduction to the political and national dimensions of commercial determinants of health, the pre-conference will explore three interconnected areas.
Healthy urban environments will be the focus of the first thematic session, examining how commercial interests influence transport, urban planning and public spaces. Examples will include the role of automotive and fossil fuel industries, Barcelona's green corridor and initiatives to create car-free areas around schools in France.
Food environments will be explored in the second session, focusing on how commercial practices shape what people eat. Discussions will address national and European policy responses, local opportunities for intervention, restrictions on unhealthy food marketing on London's public transport network, and the importance of healthy food environments early in life.
Tobacco and alcohol will form the third thematic session, examining how commercial actors influence municipalities and what local authorities can do in response. Contributions will explore policymaking capacity, preventing tobacco industry influence and opportunities to address alcohol availability.
Across these discussions, speakers will share research, policy experiences and practical examples from different European countries.
Connecting local experience with European policy
A central objective of the pre-conference is to strengthen the relationship between local action and policymaking at national and European levels.
Municipalities are often where the consequences of commercial practices become most visible, but also where innovative approaches can be tested. Experiences from cities and communities can provide valuable evidence about what works, what barriers exist and how policies affect different population groups.
At the same time, local authorities need supportive national and European frameworks to address challenges that extend beyond municipal boundaries. This exchange between different levels of governance is particularly important when addressing powerful commercial interests and ensuring that policies help reduce, rather than reinforce, health inequalities.
Rosana Peiró Pérez, one of the pre-conference organisers and leader of JA PreventNCD's work on Healthy Living Environments, emphasised the importance of looking beyond individual choices:
"We cannot expect people to make healthier choices without looking at the environments that shape those choices."
Peiró, from FISABIO-Public Health Valencia Region and the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain, also highlighted the importance of connecting local experiences with broader policymaking.
"Local experiences can show us where commercial interests create barriers to better health, and how stronger cooperation between municipalities, national governments and European institutions can help overcome them."
The pre-conference will provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge, examine barriers to implementation and identify how policies and practical experiences can reinforce each other.
By connecting research, policymaking and local experience, JA PreventNCD and its partners aim to strengthen the place of commercial determinants of health on the European public health agenda and support more effective action to create healthier environments.
Join the discussion in Bilbao
The pre-conference takes place on 10 November 2026 from 13:30-18:00 at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao, Spain.
Registration for pre-conferences remains open, including for participants not attending the main European Public Health Conference.
