Brussels, 3 December 2024 - Today (3 December), the EU-27 Ministers of Health unanimously adopted the Council Conclusions on the Improvement of Cardiovascular Health in the EU [1], marking a strong political commitment towards improving cardiovascular health across Europe.
During the meeting of Health Ministers, the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Mr Olivér Várhelyi announced that the European Commission will develop a new European Cardiovascular Health Plan, stating that "this Commission will want to put front and centre cardiovascular health".
The ESC welcomes this announcement by the European Commission to take action on cardiovascular health, using Europe's Beating Cancer Plan as a framework example, to the benefit of the European population. At the EU level, momentum must be maintained to allocate appropriate EU funding for interventions, promote investments in research, development, and the expansion of registries to further improve cardiovascular care.
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) strongly supports the milestone recommendations outlined in the Council Conclusions, which invite Member States to adopt or update cardiovascular health measures within standalone or wider non-communicable diseases strategic agendas. National governments are called upon to strengthen health promotion, improve health literacy, address socioeconomic determinants, mitigate workplace hazards, promote cardiovascular health checks, and foster equal access to healthcare and rehabilitation services.
"This is a turning point for advancing the cardiovascular health of European citizens, and the ESC is ready to support the development of the EU Cardiovascular Plan as well as efforts to ensure the Council Conclusions will be successfully transformed from written commitments into concrete actions", Professor Thomas F. Lüscher, ESC President, says.
The ESC Atlas of Cardiology [2] referenced in the Council Conclusions, provides evidence on the state of cardiovascular health in the EU, clearly outlining that there is no time to lose in saving lives of patients at risk and moving forward with effective implementation measures.
Today's adoption of the Conclusions and the announcement of the EU plan marks the culmination of months of intensive work and collaboration with the EU institutions and cardiovascular community stakeholders, including the current Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The ESC welcomes the commitment of the Council and the European Commission to implement measures proportional to the burden of cardiovascular disease for the benefit of patients.
