On June 21-22, the EU Ministers for Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) met in Luxembourg to discuss, among others, the future of health in the EU. Member states highlighted that EU action aiming at promoting health is particularly useful when there is a cross-border dimension or when it facilitates improving national measures based on exchange of best practices.

The Council also adopted its conclusions on healthy nutrition for children and underlined the importance of promoting healthier diets for children as one of the best investments for a young European generation in good health. The full Council conclusions are available here.

The soft drinks sector supports initiatives aiming at taking action to reduce childhood obesity. In this context, the sector has taken a lead in responsible policies in schools and towards children: for over a decade UNESDA members have not advertised any of their products to children under 12 and soft drinks have been completely taken out of primary schools. In September 2017, the sector reinforced this commitment by pledging to remove all sugary drinks from secondary schools in Europe by the end of 2018. You can find more about our commitment following this link.