ABSTRACT

The European Union (EU) does not form a fully-fledged state, and the prime responsibility for physical activity policy remains firmly with its Member States. Nonetheless, the Lisbon Treaty of 2009 inserted an article on sport, thus giving the EU a supporting competency in the area. While excluding harmonisation, this allows for the creation of soft monitoring mechanisms and funding opportunities. On 26 November 2013 the Council of the European Union adopted its first recommendation in the field of sport on Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA). Drawing on documentary sources and interviews with key policy-makers, the chapter uses agenda-setting theory as a conceptual framework to analyse the rise of HEPA on the EU agenda. The chapter concludes by teasing out what this case reveals about the supranational nature of developing physical activity policy and discussing practical implications of the EU’s entrance into the field of physical activity policy and practice.