Successful Kick-off Meeting Marks the Start of FILTERED Project

Eurocare hosted in its officed the kick-off meeting for the FILTERED Project on Wednesday 21 February, at its Brussels office. The event brought together key stakeholders (DG SANTE, HaDEA & EuroHealthNet) and our consortium partners (European Heart Network, Smoke Free Partnership, Youth Health Network, Woman Health and Family Planning & Life Advocacy Centre).

Together, we aim to create a space for public health civil society organisations to explore the scope for a more integrated approach when addressing risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mainly tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods and drinks, and their commercial determinants. Until now, advocacy efforts by civil society have been made separately rather than with a unified voice, diminishing their effectiveness. Our approach remains consistent: To regulate both the supply and demand (product, price, place, promotion).

We were honoured to have Artur Furtado, Head of the Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Unit at DG SANTE (European Commission), in attendance online. He praised the FILTERED project for aligning with the principles of collaborative advocacy. Mr. Furtado emphasised the project's potential to effectively reach policymakers and stakeholders, particularly in diverse sectors such as taxation, agriculture, and trade. He explained that there is often difficulty of breaking through silos. He underscored a critical statistic: 80% of the health burden stems from NCDs, with 70% of that burden being preventable. However, he noted that a mere 3% of health budgets are allocated to prevention efforts. Mr. Furtado called for more ambitious policymaking in these key areas.

Afterwards, the Eurocare team presented key aspects such as the project workplan, communication strategy, committees composition, updates on the European Alcohol Policy Conference as well as coordination efforts with other projects such as JAPreventNCD. Corinne Salinas from HaDEA provided valuable insights into the necessary procedures and guidelines for successful project implementation. 

The FILTERED Project kick-off meeting showcased a strong commitment to collaboration, effective communication, and shared goals among consortium partners. We hope to contribute to its success in addressing critical health advocacy challenges during the next two years.