Joining the handful of countries that have a national plan on cardiovascular (CV) health, Poland adopted its innovative “National Program for Cardiovascular Diseases - National Cardiac Strategy for 2022-2032”

On 15 November 2022, leading Members of the European Parliament Brando Benifei (S&D, Italy) and Maria da Graça Carvalho (EPP,... View Article

On 22 June, the European Commission, unveiled the guiding document of the “Healthier together, EU Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) Initiative” during... View Article

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Pascal Arimont from Belgium and Brando Benifei from Italy have recently organised a public hearing on Structural Heart Disease (SHD). The key outcome of this hearing was increased awareness of SHD amongst policymakers and members of the European Commission. MEP Arimont highlighted that the European Parliament has a role to channel current EU budgets towards improving detection of SHD. “No citizen should be left behind and die because of a lack of a heart check” – MEP Pascal Arimont

Structural heart diseases (SHD) are set of cardiovascular diseases affecting the structure of the valves, atria, ventricles, and blood vessels in the heart. The majority of these conditions are degenerative, which means that they primarily affect the elderly. It is estimated that 14 million people in Europe were living with SHD in 2020, and that by 2050, this cipher will increase to 23 million.

The European Commission dedicated more than € 65 million on non-communicable diseases within the new EU4Health 2022 Work Programme, representing a major opportunity for the fight against cardiovascular and structural heart disease in the EU.

After only 9 months of existence, the Coalition positively looks back at 2021 and looks forward to contributing towards the creation of EU Joint Action for Structural Heart Disease at EU level and from Member States, now more relevant than ever.

French president Emmanuel Macron presented the priorities of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU Starting in January 2022, this Presidency offers various opportunities to reinforce a European approach for an active and healthy Europe.

Improving the early detection of cardiovascular and structural heart disease in Germany : 5 proposals from German experts roundtable

The report of the EU4Health stakeholder’ consultation has been published and outlines the conclusions of both the consultation and the webinar that followed. The report includes the importance of tackling CVDs, including SHDs, for the first time.