HL4EU final conference: Advancing Cross-Sector Collaboration for a Healthier Europe

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Date: Monday, 4 May 2026, 13.30-17.15

Location: Info Hub, European Parliament (Esplanade Solidarność 1980 B-1050 Brussels)

The final conference of the Healthy Lifestyles for Europe (HL4EU) project will bring together European stakeholders committed to promoting healthier, more active lifestyles through cross-sector collaboration. The conference will take place in collaboration with EUPHA, as part of European Public Health Week, Europe’s largest annual campaign to raise awareness about public health.

Over the past 30 months, HL4EU has connected leading organisations from the physical activity, health, and active mobility sectors to strengthen cooperation and drive joint action at European level. The project responds to a key public health challenge of reducing NCDs and health inequalities in a policy landscape that remains fragmented and siloed.

Because physical activity does not fall under a single policy competence, coordination across sectors and between EU and national levels is often difficult. HL4EU addresses this reality by fostering alignment, sharing good practices, and reinforcing the need for structural cross-sector collaboration in this field.

This final event will:

• Present the project’s key achievements and outcome

• Launch the HL4EU policy recommendations

• Showcase inspiring cross-sector good practices

• Connect collaborators from diverse fields

The conference will convene project partners, policymakers, researchers, representatives of featured good practices, and wider European actors committed to advancing healthy lifestyles for all.

The HL4EU project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport Programme of the European Union, and started in January 2024. Find out more about our activities, and explore the Good Practice Platform here.

Agenda

13:30 Arrivals & Registration

13:50 Welcoming Remarks by DG COMM, European Parliament

14:00 Welcome Remarks

Kai Troll (CEO, EuropeActive)

Charlotte Marchandise (Executive Director, European Public Health Association (EUPHA))

14:10 What HL4EU Taught Us: Key Learnings and Outcomes

Alina Chebes, (Health Policy Manager, EuropeActive)

14:20 Cross-sectoral Integration in European Healthy Lifestyles Promotion: A Descriptive Analysis of the HL4EU Database

Luz Divina De La Cruz (Science Manager, European Initiative for Exercise in Medicine (EIEIM))

14:30 Enablers and Barriers to Cross-sectoral Collaboration: Findings from Virtual Focus Groups

Margo de Lange (Secretary General, It’s Great Out There (IGOTCo))

14:40 Translating Research into Policy: HL4EU Policy Recommendations

Luís Monteiro (Project Manager, European Network of Outdoor Sports (ENOS))

14:50 Keynote 1: Bridging Healthcare Systems and Physical Activity Opportunities in Portugal: How and Why It Matters?

Gil B. Rosa, PhD., Research at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon

15:10 Panel Discussion 1: Integrating Physical Activity into Healthcare Systems

Moderator: Margo de Lange (Secretary General, It’s Great Out There (IGOTCo))

• Sarah Lynch (Deputy Head of Sport Unit, DG EAC, European Commission

• Sabine Vuik (Health Policy Analyst, OECD)

• Prof. Niall Moyna, Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology, Dublin City University

15:45 Coffee Break

Message of Support: MEP Nina Carberry (EPP, Ireland)

16:10 Keynote 2: Getting Finland Moving: What Happens When Government Works as One

Minttu Korsberg, Secretary General, Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland

16:30 Panel Discussion 2: Embedding Physical Activity Across Policies

Moderator: Kai Troll (CEO, EuropeActive)

• Minttu Korsberg, Secretary General, Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland

• Caroline Costongs (Director, EuroHealthNet)

• Dr. Julian Roessler (Head of Stakeholder Engagement, adidas Foundation)

17:05 Closing remarks

Kai Troll (CEO, EuropeActive)

Charlotte Marchandise (Executive Director, European Public Health Association (EUPHA))