Play, Not Therapy: the EU’s role in promoting health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). (2013)

This chapter will look at how the EU may promote health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). The development and evidence-based testing of the most appropriate interventions is a most important aspect of policy-making, with HEPA (including but not limited to sport) as a tool for improving not only physical but also mental health, including by counteracting even depressions (Leedy, 2009), the focus of this chapter will be on the EU’s potential to act as a driver of policy change: in other words, how can the EU promote the sort of policies which will allow HEPA to unfold its true potential? Given that the EU has no direct say over HEPA in particular, or sport policy in general, this is an area where action must be taken using both creativity and tact.