Here’s a quick round up of items cycling around in the ECF health arena. The EU seeks your input on how to make cities healthier places to live with more walking and cycling, how much of the EU budget should be spent on health, and your views on the Childhood Obesity Study. In the “News you can use” section, you’ll find funding for health-enhancing physical activity; new HEAT user guides in English, French and German; How to Become a cycle-friendly employer in Germany & Bike to Work across the EU. Finally the latest research on health and physical activity.

EU Health Policy: Help us shape Europe for more walking & cycling every day

1. Consultation on the EU Multiannual Financing Framework - deadline 8 March.

Here’s an opportunity to help decide the future of health-related EU funding by participating in the public consultation on the EU Multiannual Financing Framework (MFF) by 8 March.

The MFF sets the budget of the EU for no less than 5 years. It also sets how much budget will be assigned for different areas of activity, including health.

Please note that this will be the only consultation on future health-related EU funding.​

2. Partnership for Urban Mobility – consultation  - deadline 16 March

The Partnership for Urban Mobility of the EU Urban Agenda has prepared a draft Action Plan now open for public input. This is an opportunity to better highlight the importance of city design in enabling walking and cycling and promote their health benefits to citizens. To learn more about the Urban Mobility Partnership please consult https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/urban-mobility/introduction-draft-action-plan-urban-mobility-partnership The informal Public Feedback will close on Friday 16 March 2018. You can make your contribution here.

Note on these consultations:

If you would like ECF to include your suggestions or message in our submission  – or you would like to use ECF arguments and proposals in your submission, contact Dr Randy Rzewnicki, ECF Health Policy Randy@ecf.com

News you can use

1. You may be interested in applying to the new Erasmus+ call for projects (€ 6,6 Million for health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) projects; deadline is 5 April 2018): For more information follow this link
The programme guide for 2018 can be found following this link

2. HEAT 4.0 user guides now available in French and German and English
Title: Health economic assessment tool (HEAT) for walking and for cycling. Methods and user guide on physical activity, air pollution, injuries and carbon impact assessments (2017) By Sonja Kahlmeier, Thomas Götschi, Nick Cavill, Alberto Castro Fernandez, Christian Brand, David Rojas Rueda, James Woodcock, Paul Kelly, Christoph Lieb, Pekka Oja, Charlie Foster, Harry Rutter and Francesca Racioppi   This publication is only available online (download here.)

The promotion of cycling and walking for everyday physical activity not only promotes health but can also have positive effects on the environment. This publication summarizes the tools and guidance developed to facilitate this shift: the methodology for the economic assessment of transport infrastructure and policies in relation to the health effects of walking and cycling; systematic reviews of the economic and health literature; and guidance on applying the health economic assessment tools and the principles underlying it More information can be found here.

3. What has the ECF been doing behind the scenes with DG Health at the EU?

Here are the presentations of the EU Platform for action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (30 Nov 17): 

For the bike-minded reader, the most interesting will be the ones from ADFC & ECF

• Becoming a cycle-friendly employer in Germany: how it works Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club
• Bike2Work: Paving the way to a healthier work force' & 'Cycle-friendly employer certification scheme' European Cyclists' Federation
• Tartu Call for a Healthy Lifestyle European Commission - DG EAC
   

​For all the presentations of the Joint meeting of the High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (30 Nov 17): Click here

​If you're only interested in Physical Activity, these two items are suggested: 

• Joint Action on Nutrition and Physical Activity

    from the JAMPA coordinator in France

• What is New

This presentation by the EU Joint Research Centre includes recent key articles in scientific (peer-reviewed) journals that focus on physical activity.