Commissioner Dalli pledges his commitment to diabetes

Unhealthy lifestyles and an ageing population are causing an increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes, making diabetes one of Europe’s biggest public health challenges.

In a meeting with MEPs Simon Busuttil and Sarah Ludford, co-chairs of the EU Diabetes Working Group, Commissioner Dalli acknowledged the importance of an EU strategy in fighting diabetes. However the most important thing, Dalli asserted, is concentrating on healthy determinants – namely exercise and good nutrition – in order to control the ever increasing prevalence of diabetes in the EU. During the meeting MEP Simon Busuttil thanked the Commissioner for his support.

Chris Delicata, President of IDF Europe (International Diabetes Federation European Region) spoke about the importance of a collective and stronger voice for Diabetes in Europe. “At this stage the support of the Health Commissioner is crucial for us to prioritise the problem of Diabetes Mellitus in the health agenda of the European Union”, Delicata said.

The Commissioner acknowledged the work of the EU Diabetes Working Group in bringing together EU policy makers and diabetes associations to coordinate their efforts in the fight against Diabetes. The EU Diabetes Working Group co-chaired by MEPs from the European Parliament serves as a platform for the diabetes community and seeks to drive the development and adoption of a targeted EU diabetes strategy.

Busuttil said: “Too often we forget about the negative health effects of our changing lifestyles. An increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is one of these unfortunate effects and it is on this basis that I am working on this cause at the EU level”.

In the EU 8.6% of the adult population has diabetes and by 2025 this figure is estimated to grow to over 10% by 2025. In Malta 9.8% of the population already suffer from diabetes.