Four Italian MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group have asked the European Commission to detail what specific, binding measures the EU cardiovascular health plan (Safe Hearts Plan), adopted in December 2025, contains to tackle obesity – especially childhood obesity – and to promote the traditional Mediterranean diet. The written question, submitted on 9 July 2026, also presses the Commission to confirm whether it agrees that obesity is the main cause of heart disease.
The MEPs – Carlo Ciccioli, Carlo Fidanza, Michele Picaro and Ruggero Razza – note that more than half of EU adults are overweight, and that around one in four children aged 7–9 are overweight, with one in ten obese. They argue that obesity drives cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer through hypertension, insulin resistance and systemic inflammation, and that childhood obesity compounds long-term cardiovascular risk.
first, for the Commission to list the specific educational and binding measures already in the Safe Hearts Plan and to outline future steps addressing root causes of cardiovascular diseases, particularly obesity and childhood obesity; second, for a clear position on whether obesity is the main cause of heart disease; third, for specific actions planned to promote the traditional Mediterranean diet as a tool against obesity.
The Safe Hearts Plan, launched in December 2025, is the EU's flagship initiative to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. The MEPs' question signals a desire for more tangible, enforceable commitments – especially binding measures – rather than general objectives. By focusing on the Mediterranean diet, the question also touches on cultural and agricultural dimensions, potentially pitting public health goals against food industry interests and national dietary traditions.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it shares the MEPs' assessment of obesity's causal role and whether it plans to introduce binding targets or educational programmes, particularly for children, and to actively promote the Mediterranean diet as a preventive strategy.