Brussels, 27/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - Within the framework of the “sport” plank of the programme Erasmus+, the European Commission has just granted its political and financial support to the think tank Sport and Citizenship for its project, “PASS - Physical Activity Serving Society”. The meeting to launch the project was held at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels on 25 and 26 February.
The project offers a framework for political and strategic action in order to promote physical activity in Europe, inspired by the campaign “Designed to Move”, launched in several other countries of the world (United States, Brazil and China) and the United Kingdom. This campaign indicates that if current levels of physical inactivity remain the same, the next generation of children will have a five-year shorter life expectancy than their parents. The concern is that the trend highlighted by “Designed to Move” will be confirmed in Europe.
To face this crucial social issue, Sport and Citizenship brought together six major partners to offer an alternative to the promotion of physical activity for 10,000 actors at the European level and for all sectors (sport, education, health, industry etc), with a cross-cutting and multi-disciplinary approach. The project will be staggered over three years and will be divided into three stages: documenting (the costs and consequences of physical activity), raising awareness (among decision-makers on the importance of making physical activity a priority) and mobilising (political authorities and the sporting world on the scale of the physical inactivity crisis). (Isabelle Lamberty)