The European Parliament’s former subcommittee on public health has been elevated to a full committee. During its constitutive meeting, members of the newly established SANT Committee elected their leadership. MEP Adam Jarubas (EPP, Poland) will serve as chair, supported by Tilly Metz (Greens, Luxembourg), Stine Bosse (Renew, Denmark), Romana Jerkovic (S&D, Hungary), and Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR, Greece) as vice-chairs.
During the session, MEPs were presented with the Health at a Glance 2024 report, which identified physical inactivity and obesity as key risk factors affecting ageing populations and emphasised the need to promote healthy ageing. The findings underscored the importance of stronger prevention measures and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic’s impact extended beyond older generations, affecting young people as well—particularly due to measures such as the closure of sports clubs, which had significant consequences for both physical activity levels and mental health.