The European Council has adopted a motion to implement a series of measures aimed at improving cardiovascular health across the European Union (EU).
The EU’s 27 ministers of health unanimously adopted the Council’s Conclusions on the Improvement of Cardiovascular Health in the EU yesterday, marking a political commitment towards improving cardiovascular health across Europe, with a focus specifically on prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation.
During the meeting of health ministers, the EU’s commissioner for health and animal welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, announced that the Commission will develop a new European Cardiovascular Health Plan, stating that “this Commission will want to put front and centre cardiovascular health”.
“Cardiovascular diseases have a devastating impact on individuals and their families, yet in most cases they can be prevented by addressing underlying risk factors through healthier lifestyle choices,” Péter Takács, Hungarian Secretary of State for Health, said. “Screening and better access to treatment are essential elements to reduce the impact of cardiovascular diseases. Today’s conclusions reflect our commitment to improving cardiovascular health throughout the EU.”
In its conclusions, the Council pushes for particular attention to be given to preventive measures such as improving health literacy, raising awareness about cardiovascular health, and discouraging unhealthy lifestyle choices like tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption or an unhealthy diet.
The Council also calls on member states to ensure equal access to cardiovascular healthcare, incorporate screening into regular health checks, and strengthen training for healthcare workers.
Finally, the Council invites the Commission to take comprehensive action to help reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the EU, emphasising not only health promotion and prevention but also screening, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and advancing research and innovation.
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has welcomed the announcement, with ESC president Thomas F Lüscher (Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK), commenting: “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.”
