Inside EU Health: Growing obesity strains healthcare systems; DARWIN EU; HPV awareness

EU health chief warns obesity is a growing threat to Europe’s healthcare systems

Marking World Obesity Day, European Commissioner for Health Olivér Várhelyi warned that rising obesity rates pose a growing threat to Europe’s healthcare systems, economies and societies.

“Obesity is not only a health issue – it is a major challenge for Europe’s health systems, societies and economies,” he said.

According to the European Commission, more than half of adults in the EU are overweight, while around 30% of young people are overweight or obese. Várhelyi warned that obesity is “a major driver of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases”, the leading cause of death in Europe.

However, public health groups including the European Public Health Alliance have criticised the Commissions lack of ambition when it comes to taxation on ultra-processed foods.

EU health chief warns obesity is a growing threat to Europe’s healthcare systems

Rising obesity rates pose growing challenge to sustainability of Europe’s healthcare system

Vital SignsCatherine Feore

DARWIN EU ready to move to next stage

DARWIN EU, the European network for generating real-world evidence on medicines, is marking its fourth anniversary with growing recognition at both regulatory and policy level.

The Draghi Report gave DARWIN EU a special mention in its potential to boost Europe’s productivity and innovation, in the pharma sector, calling on policymakers to “maximise the impact of the EU Health Data Space… leveraging the DARWIN EU network and scaling up genome sequencing capacities.”

While clinical trials remain critical for demonstrating safety and efficacy, RWE shows how medicines perform in practice, by analysing electronic health records, hospital data, insurance claims and disease registries.

“Real-world evidence helps us gain a clearer picture of how medicines work in everyday medical practice,” said Peter Arlett, EMA Head of Data Analytics and Methods.

Since its launch, the network has initiated more than 110 studies and now includes 40 data partners across 18 countries, covering over 280 million patients.

In the first half of 2026, the European Medicines Agency will launch a competitive tender to extend DARWIN EU's work for the coming years.

HPV Awareness Day

In Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the Commission put forward the objective to fully vaccinate at least 90 % of the Union target population of girls against HPV and significantly increase the vaccination of boys against HPV by 2030. Despite progress, vaccination and screening rates remain below WHO targets.

The third edition of the European HPV Prevention Policy Atlas maps cervical cancer prevention across 48 European countries. Developed by the European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights with support from the Cancer Organisation, the 2025 Atlas updated its methodology, emphasising vaccination coverage.