ABSTRACT

According to World Health Organization (‘WHO’) data, non-communicable diseases (‘NCDs’) account for nearly 86 per cent of deaths and 77 per cent of the disease burden in Europe.1 These alarming rates have led the European Union (‘EU’) to progressively acknowledge the impact of NCDs on the EU’s economy and the well-being of its citizens. Thus, despite its limited competence in public health, the EU has expressed its commitment to ‘accelerate progress on combating unhealthy lifestyle behaviours’.2