This targeted public consultation was organised by the European Commission, and aimed to seek feedback from stakeholders on the priorities and strategic orientations and on the needs to be addressed through EU4Health annual work programmes. It focused in particular on input that could facilitate reflection for the 2022 EU4Health Work Programme and beyond.
The outcomes of the targeted consultation and the most elaborated contributions were presented and discussed during the webinar organized on 10 September 2021 where Prof. Paolo Magni spoke on behalf of the EU SHD coalition, which were ultimately published in the formal report from the European Commission
In this report, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been identified as an area where intervention is urgently needed, in particular:
- Disease prevention is the first objective for the EU4Health programme to reach in 2022 (page 3)
- In Disease prevention, cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors are the first area where interventions are needed(page 10)
- Digital tools can improve understanding and early detection of age-related (structural) heart diseases and reduce premature mortality and incidence (page 13)
- Proposed action on cardiovascular disease could notably be achieved by (page 10-11):
- Supporting a Joint Action that focuses on early detection of cardiovascular diseases
- Improving the understanding of CVDs and the role of early detection,
- Disseminating and sharing best practices on the prevention and early detection of cardiovascular diseases.
The report is encouraging proof that our action is producing real results. It also constitutes a good basis for the next steps in the framework of the EU4Health programme, but also to raise awareness on SHD issues at EU level in general.
The European Commission is expected to finalize and publish the 2022 EU4Health Programme and will consult Member States and the European Parliament in doing so.