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The new Commission’s initiative to combat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the so-called “safe hearts plan”, includes measures to combat such EU-wide illnesses as heart attacks, strokes, heart failures, abnormal heart rhythms and congenital heart diseases. As soon as the CVDs are having massive negative consequences for public health, including numerous socio-economic sectors, the Commission and the member states are supposed to take active measures to prepare for a coming regulation’s draft.
Background
The CVDs are the leading cause of death and disability in European states: i.e. affecting around 62 million people and claiming 1.7 million lives every year. Risk factors are on the rise, with over half of adults being overweight; besides, one in 3 young people is overweight or obese. Around 25% of the EU’s population are affected by hypertension, and yet 15% of people over 65 have not recently had a blood pressure check.
Without urgent actions, the CVDs are projected to rise by 90% in just a couple of decades and the CVDs would “cost” about €282 billion per year for the EU’s economy. Although almost 80% of the CVDs can be prevented through lifestyle changes, prevention accounts presently for only under 6% of total healthcare spending in the EU.
The EU-wide “safe hearts plan” responds to address these problems: e.g. the Commission has responded to calls from the member states and the European Parliament for stronger actions (plus a draft of a regulations) to protect the health of EU present citizen and of future generations.
The Safe Hearts Plan’s content
The plan aims to reach the following targets by 2035:
= 25% decrease in premature cardiovascular related deaths;
= at least 75% of people aged 25 to 64, and at least 90% of people aged 65 and older, have their blood pressure measured once a year by a health professional;
= at least 65% of people aged 25 to 64, and at least 80% of people aged 65 and older, have their cholesterol measured once a year by a health professional;
= at least 65% of people aged 25 to 64, and at least 80% of people aged 65 and older, have their blood sugar measured once a year by health professionals;
Thus, the plan’s implementation will improve the EU-wide collaboration on prevention, early detection and screening, treatment and care among the EU states; besides, the plan gives particular emphasis to shifting from treatment to prevention. This “shift” will be achieved by tapping into digital solutions, including artificial intelligence and personalised technologies, boosting research and innovation, as well as tackling inequalities between countries, regions, population groups and genders.
The Plan will also support the member states efforts in developing and/or further implementing national cardiovascular health plans. Besides, the EU funds will also be made available to support the plan’s actions.
The Safe Hearts Plan aims to cut premature deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25% by 2035.
Thus, measures in the Plan to achieve this would include: a) creating an EU-wide Protocol on Health Checks for CVDs, recommending that the EU member states launch and manage common approaches on national health checks; and b) support for mobile screening programs to bring screening and health services directly to people.
More in: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/fs_25_3075
CVDs prevention
Health promotion and disease prevention are the most cost-effective ways to reduce and manage cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. The Safe Hearts Plan has a strong pillar on prevention focused on empowering citizens to have a lifelong and personalised approach to preventive health.
For example, some urgent measures would include:
= Support for the member states in developing national CVD plans, and supporting those which already have such plans in place, through a new EU-wide flagship action called “EU cares for your hear”.
= Stronger action against tobacco and smoking, with a forthcoming update of the EU tobacco legislation in 2026 and the goal of less than 5% of adults using tobacco by 2040.
= Addressing issues around “ultra-processed” foods, high in fat, sugar and salt and will examine which appropriate tools, including possible financial actions, could be deployed to support and fund public health actions in the field of primary prevention and stimulate food reformulation and healthier consumer choices.
= Particular early intervention in children and young people to establish lifelong healthy habits, such as protecting children from harmful advertising in the review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
= Working towards a new comprehensive food processing assessment system to give consumers transparent, science-based digital information on food processing, to encourage shifts towards healthier diets.
= Promotion of regular physical activity, with a revision of the Council Recommendation on promoting health-enhancing physical activity and annual EU-wide campaigns like #BeActive and the European Week of Sport.
= Vaccination as a preventive measure for cardiovascular disease, with a proposed Council Recommendation to promote immunisation of high-risk and vulnerable groups against influenza, COVID-19, respiratory diseases and other infections.
Increasing research, innovation and digitalisation in the CVDs
During last decades the EU has already invested €2.3 billion in cardiovascular and related research; but with a due support from other European research programs, the EU will step up investments to improve the CVDs treatment and addressing the existing knowledge gaps. At the same time, the promotion and acceleration of the digital technologies’ opportunities are expected, which would include:
= Cardiovascular Disease Research and Innovation Roadmap to improve risk prediction, detection and screening, especially for women and vulnerable groups.
= The EU-wide “Incubator” to speed up the roll out and use of artificial intelligence and data-driven tools in cardiovascular healthcare: the EU4Health program has €20 million as of 2026 available for this. This flagship initiative will establish common cardiovascular data parameters, to implement AI-driven solutions and digital tools.
= Activating research on cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases, under the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine.
= Conducting concentrating research on personalised prevention and care systems for CVDs and diabetes, including artificial intelligence and digital methods; thus, the new plan makes €64 million available for this type of research.
= Dedicated research on sustainable and healthy diets’ role in for cardiovascular disease prevention: e.g. for this line of studies there is already €12 million available under the Horizon Europe program.
More on the European Biotech Act in: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/fs_25_3076