Brussels, 07/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - In the framework of the EU Chronic Disease Summit, which was held in Brussels on 3 and 4 April, the network EuroHealthNet urged the European Union and its member states to put into practice the excellent resolutions it has taken on the prevention of chronic disease, which is accounting for an increasingly burdensome share of public health expenditure. “Despite widespread awareness of this, it's time to move from rhetoric to action. There is enormous potential to reduce levels of chronic diseases through greater investment in health promotion and disease prevention and through more effective action and innovation in this area”, stressed Director General of EuroHealthNet Caroline Costongs. After the summit, Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg acknowledged the importance of a decisive policy in this matter: “It is clear (…) that EU action should not focus exclusively on shaping new legislation, policies and practice. This is important, but it is not enough. We also need to critically review the instruments in place to determine what works and what is cost-effective”, he commented. (IL)