Guide Choice through (dis)incentives^a

Fiscal measures

• Some EU Member States reported using fiscal (dis)incentives for active transport including increased parking fees in city centres, reduced parking fees in suburban settings, increased vehicle purchase taxes, remuneration of the employees if they cycle or walk and reduced bicycle costs for employees.

• France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy have introduced tax breaks for cycling to work. In Belgium and France there is kilometric reimbursement scheme. In Luxembourg tax payers will be able to deduct 300 euros from their personal income tax for the purchase of a new bike or pedal electric cycles.

Enable or guide choice by changing default^a

Environmental policy (urbanistic and transport)

• Many cities worldwide have invested in infrastructure and urban renewal projects to promote walking, cycling and active transportation. Such projects include:
  • Main city roads partly closed off to motor traffic.
  • Permission to transfer bicycles on means of public transport.
  • Establishment of a continuous and barrier free pedestrian and cycle track network
  • Pedestrian and bicycle networks well integrated with public transportation

School policies

• Physical Education lessons are mandatory in all MS school programmes. In most Member States 2 hours per week are dedicated to PE. In Hungary, daily PE is compulsory in primary and secondary education system. In Denmark, students have 5 lessons per week of 45 minutes each, including physical education taught time and physical activity developed in other school disciplines.

• Many cities in Europe support active transport to school by organising teams of volunteers at a municipality level to accompany children who are too young to walk to school independently. Examples of such initiatives is the PIEDIBUS scheme that takes place in some municipalities in Italy, as well as the Traffic snake game that is organised by some schools, municipalities and non-governmental organizations in Estonia

• In Denmark, 'the Learning through Motion (Læring i bevægelse) scheme is a nationwide programme that aims to integrate motion-based behaviour such as physical activity into learning situations for students, including in lessons and during school breaks. This is targeted towards both primary and secondary education'.

• In Croatia, a program of daily 10-minute program of preparatory exercises has been implemented for primary school children from the 1^st to the 4^th grades (6-10 years old). The exercises are carried out in the classroom, and the main goal is to create healthy habits and encourage children to exercise on a regular basis.

• CATCH (88)promotes healthy school environments, e.g. by helping teachers to incorporate PA into their lessons. After 2 years children's engagement in MVPA increased from 38.2% to 67% of instruction time.

Workplace policies

• Incentives for active travel to work exist in some Member States. It can either be a requirement to employers for developing mobility plans, or a financial incentive subsidising employees who use active forms of commuting (e.g. walking, cycling)
• Some Member States promote PA in the workplace by implementing structured offers, such as sport programmes or walking classes during lunch time, provision of infrastructure (gym, showers, walking  tracks  etc.), systematic consideration of the topic in all work processes (stand-up  desks, walking meetings etc.), or subsidies for employees who use specific offers

• Many EU Member States have implemented policies to support workplace promotion of physical activity. For example, in Germany statutory health insurance funds are required by law to support workplace health promotion in various ways. In Sweden, workplace incentives (funded by employees) such as tax relief or reimbursement are used in order to encourage employees to engage in predefined physical activities (e.g. gym memberships). The Estonian Federation for Company Sport organizes various competitions and other Sports for All events for companies and their employees. They also provide an electronic system for companies to register the visits of their employees to sports clubs and fitness centres

• Cycle to work scheme, is a tax exemption initiative to promote healthier journeys to work and reduce environmental pollution. It allows employers to lend cycles and cyclists' safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit.

Specific population groups

• Many Member States have community schemes promoting PA in older adults to increase their access to leisure-time infrastructure.
• Member States support access to exercise facilities for socially disadvantaged groups.
• 24 EU MS have adopted national 'Sports for All' measures encouraging sports activities that can be practiced by people of all ages, both sexes and different social and economic conditions, e.g. pregnant women targeted in 8 MS.

Provide information^a

Public health campaign

• The European Week of Sport is a European Commission initiative to promote sport and physical activity across Europe and make everyone aware of the importance of physical activity. Many national, regional and local sports events are held across Europe to promote physical activity, such as the European School Sport Day and the #Be Active awareness campaign.

• The JACKPOT programme in Austria, introduced health oriented exercise programmes in many communities, mainly for adults who are not yet physically fit. Social security covers the cost of the first 12 exercise sessions.  

• Since 2002, the European Mobility Week campaign has sought to improve public health and quality of life through promoting clean mobility and sustainable urban transport. Actions held during this week include the Car-free Day, where participating town and cities set aside one or several areas solely for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, bike sharing, bike tours

• The Social Biking challenge has been launched by the European Commission and aims to encourage cycling as a social habit and the creation of a network of cyclists. It promotes physical activity and cycling as a transport mode.

Health policies^a

• Some universities have voluntarily introduced training on physical activity for health professionals such as nurses, doctors, physiotherapists. Moreover, there are cases where the national Institute of Public Health is working together with the Ministry of Health to improve the education of general practitioners with respect to HEPA.

Monitor^a

• The activities for monitoring the implementation of the European Union Recommendation on Health Enhancing Physical Activity included:
  • Continuing and deepening the focal point network.
  • Circulating a questionnaire to focal points to assess the current status of implementation of the EU physical activity guidelines.