On an EU cardiovascular diseases strategy

Committee on Public Health · Rapporteur: Romana Jerković

✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 17 Sept 2026

This is a draft report by the Committee on Public Health on an EU cardiovascular diseases strategy, setting out Parliament's position on the Commission's Safe Hearts Plan. It calls for prevention, early detection, treatment, reduced inequalities, digital health safeguards, research funding and national plans.¶¶¶ It asks for a Health in All Policies approach, mandatory health impact assessments, bans on misleading health claims, and revision of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to protect health.¶¶¶ It demands stronger tobacco and alcohol rules, binding EU measures on food labelling and reformulation, and action on environmental and socio-economic determinants of heart disease.¶¶¶ It calls for risk-based early detection in primary care, lipid screening for school children, cardiovascular-renal-metabolic checks before age 35, and better treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.¶¶¶ It urges Member States to adopt national cardiovascular health plans, ring-fenced EU funding, clear targets and monitoring, and a Parliament implementation study and Commission evaluation within two years.¶¶¶

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes that Parliament adopt a resolution setting out its position on the Commission's Safe Hearts Plan, covering prevention, early detection, treatment, inequalities, digital health, research and governance, and calling for national plans, EU funding and monitoring.¶¶¶

Key points

Calls for a Health in All Policies approach at EU and national level and mandatory health impact assessments for major EU legislative initiatives.¶
Says Europe's response must shift from acute care to prevention across the life course, with health literacy, health promotion and school health education.¶¶¶
Calls for strong EU action to prohibit false and misleading health claims on tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods, and for the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to protect health.¶¶
Demands flavour bans, nicotine limits and excise taxation on tobacco and nicotine products, and their full inclusion in the Tobacco Products Directive.¶¶
Calls on Member States to raise alcohol excise taxes and introduce mandatory standardised health warning labels on alcoholic beverages.¶¶
Calls for binding EU measures on front-of-pack nutrition labelling, reformulation targets for salt, sugar and saturated fats, and restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods.¶
Calls for investment in healthy urban environments and action on air, noise and chemical pollution and extreme temperatures as cardiovascular risk factors.¶¶¶
Calls for targeted risk-based early detection in primary care, lipid screening for all school children, and cardiovascular-renal-metabolic checks before age 35.¶¶¶
Calls for timely guideline-based care, cardiac and occupational rehabilitation, action on health workforce shortages, and access to palliative care.¶¶¶
Calls for action on multimorbidity, stronger primary care in underserved areas, and training for healthcare professionals in comprehensive risk assessment.¶¶¶
Calls for gender-specific cardiovascular research and training, and for cohesion funds to reduce social and regional inequalities in cardiovascular health.¶¶¶
Calls for safeguards on digital health and artificial intelligence, interoperable registries, more independent research funding, and national cardiovascular health plans with EU funding and monitoring.¶¶¶

Who is affected

Member States, asked to adopt national cardiovascular health plans, raise alcohol taxes, fund primary care and implement health education.¶¶¶
The Commission, asked to revise tobacco control legislation, evaluate the strategy within two years and act on misleading health claims.¶¶¶
The Council, asked to adopt recommendations on health education and cardiovascular health checks.¶¶
People with cardiovascular disease, who should get timely care, rehabilitation, palliative care and psychosocial support.¶¶¶
Women, who face underdiagnosis and under-representation in cardiovascular research and clinical trials.¶¶

Figures and deadlines

approximately 1.7 million deaths annually from cardiovascular diseases in the EU¶
estimated economic cost of EUR 282 billion annually¶
global target of a 25 % reduction in the prevalence of high blood pressure by 2025¶
in 2021 tobacco use responsible for more than 152 000 cardiovascular deaths and over 3.4 million disability-adjusted life years lost in the EU¶
cardiovascular-renal-metabolic health check before the age of 35 for individuals with at least one risk factor¶
Commission evaluation report within two years of adoption¶

Legal basis: Article 9 and 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union¶

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text and ¶ links to the paragraph it rests on. Check the text itself before relying on it.