SAFE is the coordinator of Preventia, a EU4Health-funded project that was granted in 2023 and started in January 2024.

Together with a consortium of members and partners from across Europe, including the Croatian Consumer Education and Information Center (Ceip), the Lithuanian Consumer Institute, the Union for Working Consumers of Greece, – EEKE, the Italian Consumers Defense Union (U.Di.Con), the Italian social promotion association Amici Obesi and Promote Ukraine, SAFE developed a three-year duration project called “NCDs prevention and health promotion through training, networking and awareness-raising across the EU – EUPr3ventNCDs“, or Preventia, with the overarching aims to:

• Reduce health inequalities across the EU;
• Decrease the spreading of NCDs across the EU,
• Foster cooperation and exchanges between the EU Member States.

Through a set of relevant Work Packages and tasks, the project will unfold according to three main dimensions:

• Capacity-building and training
• Networking and cooperation
• Campaigning and awareness-raising

The project’s specific objectives are to:

• Enhance the cooperation and peer-learning of civil society across the EU in the fight against NCDs, with a special emphasis on stakeholders from Ukraine
• Encourage the exchanges and best practices and mobility opportunities of health and nutrition workforce across the EU
• Improve health literacy of younger generations on NCDs prevention through training on healthy eating habits and childhood obesity
• Reduce health inequalities across the EU (and beyond) through inclusive activities for vulnerable groups
• Raise awareness of citizens at large through participatory and interactive campaigns
• Empower consumers to make better informed and more nutritious food choices through innovative digital tools
• Analyse and assess national policies related to NCDs prevention
• Advocate for new EU policy approaches based on the Member States’ needs
• Widely and effectively communicate about the project and give visibility to its activities
• Promote and disseminate the project deliverables among targeted audience across the EU.

The kick-off meeting in Brussels

On 15 February, Preventia held its kick-off meeting in Brussels, which saw the participation of the project partners, as well as Stefan Craenen from DG SANTE and Hülya Okuyan from HaDEA.