Preventia

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 Consumer Organisation ADOC 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 and 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.

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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.

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Discover BiteWatch, Preventia’s new food literacy app

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School trainings

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Around my Kitchen Table

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Twinning programme

A three‑day twinning programme was carried out to strengthen cooperation between medical centres across Belgium, Croatia, Lithuania and Italy, with a focus on non‑communicable disease (NCD) prevention and nutrition.

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Workshop toolkits

Workshops are being rolled out in Croatia, Greece, Lithuania and Italy to build the capacities of NGOs and Ukrainian professionals in addressing health promotion and prevention of diabetes in their work.

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Policy and Advocacy

As part of the Preventia project, national policies related to the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been analysed and assessed. The advocacy activities support the development of improved and innovative EU-level policy approaches that respond to the needs of Member States.

Assessment of National Policies on NCD Prevention

Within this policy work, a dedicated report was produced examining health promotion and NCD prevention policies and initiatives in four participating countries of the project: Croatia, Greece, Italy and Lithuania. The report particularly focuses on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and other contributors to the NCD burden. It identifies strengths, gaps, best practices and opportunities for improvement.

Read the policy assessment:

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On the occasion of World Diabetes Day 2025, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) of the European Commission presents EU4Health projects working on the prevention of type 2 diabetes across different population groups, including Preventia.

Read the news here.

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