JA PreventNCD’s third Policy Decision Making Forum took place in Brussels on 14 October, with European Commission representatives and joint action partners exploring how evidence and practical tools can support policy implementation and deliver lasting improvements in health and equity.
The meeting focused on ensuring that JA PreventNCD’s work translates into action and remains useful beyond the project. Participants reviewed selected policy cases aimed at addressing the determinants of health and preventing chronic diseases, considered their relevance to European policy priorities and discussed opportunities for uptake at national and EU levels.
The meeting was organised by the team leading JA PreventNCD’s work on sustainability, from the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia (NIJZ) and Sciensano in Belgium. Hosted at Sciensano, it was moderated by Mojca Gabrijelčič, who leads this work.
Representatives from several European Commission Directorates-General participated in the meeting, including Health and Food Safety; Agriculture and Rural Development; Communications Networks, Content and Technology; Education, Youth, Sport and Culture; Research and Innovation; and Taxation and Customs Union, alongside the Reform and Investment Task Force. The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) was also represented.
Linda Granlund, JA PreventNCD Project Coordinator speaks at the Forum
Setting the direction for lasting impact
Opening the meeting, JA PreventNCD Coordinator Linda Granlund emphasised that the joint action’s ultimate purpose is to improve people’s lives, particularly among those facing the greatest barriers to good health.
“Our success will not be measured by number of reports we write, or number of meetings we hold – it will be measured if more people will be able to live healthier lives, and if we succeed in reaching the ones that need it most,” she said.
Her message placed implementation and uptake at the centre of the discussions. Evidence and tools must reach those who can use them to strengthen prevention and reduce inequalities.
Raluca Ardeleanu from DG Health and Food Safety outlined the European health policy context, including Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, Healthier Together, the comprehensive approach to mental health and the Safe Hearts Plan.
Mojca Gabrijelčič highlighted the importance of sustained collaboration with the Commission. Drawing on experience with the Policy Decision Making Forum in Best-ReMaP, a previous European joint action on improving nutrition, and now in JA PreventNCD, she emphasised its value in connecting joint action results with policymaking.
Reviewing policy cases and opportunities for uptake
The policy sessions covered healthier living environments, including municipalities’ role in prevention and baby-friendly communities and health services, followed by healthier markets through health taxation and public food procurement.
Discussions on funding, monitoring and governance addressed prevention in the next EU long-term budget, health equity within the European Semester, and JA PreventNCD’s Monitoring Assessment Tool. Further sessions explored personalised prevention in the digital era, health impact assessments and responses to NCD-related health inequalities.
Commission representatives offered feedback on feasibility and relevant policy developments, helping partners consider how proposed actions could meet policy needs and be implemented in practice.
Broader collaboration for lasting impact
JA PreventNCD is connecting its sustainability work with that of several other European joint actions including JACARDI, EUnetCCC, JA MENTOR, JA CIRCE, JA PRISM, JADE Health, as well as the forthcoming JA LifelongPrevention. These collaborations aim to strengthen knowledge sharing, build on experiences across projects and support the wider use of their results at institutional, national and EU levels.
As part of this work, JACARDI was invited to contribute to the forum through the Sustainability Coordination Body shared by the two joint actions. Benedetta Armocida, Scientific Coordinator of JACARDI, highlighted JACARDI’s contribution to the Safe Hearts Plan, particularly in screening and early detection. JACARDI’s implementation experience and practical resources helped inform the Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation on cardiovascular health checks, presented during the first EU Screening Week.
The two joint actions have a close and ongoing collaboration, reflected most recently in the successful strategic public health communication event jointly organised with WHO/Europe in Copenhagen on 6–7 October, just a week before the forum. The workshop addressed a challenge also central to the discussions in Brussels: how to communicate evidence effectively to policymakers, turn knowledge into action and help close the gap between evidence and implementation.
Moving from dialogue to implementation
In his concluding remarks, Knut-Inge Klepp, Scientific Coordinator of JA PreventNCD, highlighted the importance of this dialogue in aligning the joint action’s work with policy needs and supporting implementation.
The meeting was formally concluded by Anna Bulzacka-Bogucka, Project Advisor at the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), who is working closely with JA PreventNCD throughout the project. She praised the exceptional energy of the meeting and emphasised the value of such exchanges, not only for sharing expertise and experiences, but also for listening, asking questions and gaining a deeper understanding of others’ work. She encouraged participants to take this message with them and make the most of the precious collective knowledge.
As JA PreventNCD approaches its final year, an increasing number of results, tools and recommendations will become available. Ensuring that these outputs are taken up and put into practice will be central to the joint action’s success and its lasting impact.
Direct engagement with the European Commission provides valuable opportunities to align this work with policy priorities, refine outputs and identify pathways for implementation at European and national levels.
Ultimately, as Linda Granlund emphasised at the opening of the meeting, success will be measured not simply by what the joint action produces, but by how its work contributes to healthier lives and reduced health inequalities across Europe.