Cardiovascular Health Plan for Europe

Taking the pulse: Is the Europe ready and to take concrete steps towards urgently needed Cardiovascular Health Plan to save lives and work towards a Healthy union?

A brief look at what happened at the EU Parliament event

On 17 November 2022, the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH) held a first ever event in the European Parliament to discuss how the European Union (EU) can develop a plan for better cardiovascular health. The event was hosted by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Tomislav Sokol (Christian Democrats, Croatia), and endorsed by the MEP Heart Group, a key interest group bringing together Members of European Parliament that are invested in tackling the burden of cardiovascular disease.

The meeting intended to be a first key step to gain support from various Members of European Parliament to act on CV Health and to call upon the European Commission and Member States to support an EU CV Plan, showcasing that cardiovascular health has a place in all EU policies. The objective of EACH would be to translate such European Parliament support in a Motion for a Resolution in 2023. This is a key instrument that the European Parliament has at its disposal.

MEP Irène Tolleret calls on the EU Commission to develop an EU cardiovascular health plan to address regional disparities in cardiovascular health

FH Europe community representation

The event featured speeches and interventions of two cardiovascular disease patients, the European Heart Network President on behalf of EACH, six Members of European Parliament, representatives of the WHO Europe, the Spanish Ministry of Health, and experts in cardiovascular health policy.  See the Event Agenda

Among the patient voices, the participants heard Indy Bangma from the Netherlands, the youngest FH Europe Ambassador living with FH. The whole discussion was moderated by Nicola Bedlington, FH Europe’s Senior Policy Advisor. The community of people living with inherited life-threatening risk factors – under the umbrella of FH Europe was well represented by a number of Ambassadors in the room and those joining online.

Key take-aways

The discussion provided action points to be considered by EACH in the coming months.

• The need for better coordination on Cardiovascular Health at the European level, prioritising it in all areas through multidisciplinary cooperation, by making Cardiovascular Health a priority for the upcoming parliamentary term.
• An urgent need to develop a comprehensive EU Cardiovascular Health Plan that sets concrete legislative proposals, timelines, and funding, using the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan as an example to develop successful action on Cardiovascular Health
• Such as EU Cardiovascular Health Plan should be comprehensive, starting at prevention and tackling early detection, improved access, and rehabilitation as well as quality of life.

The conclusion is that the EU politicians are open and eager to support the efforts towards establishing a Cardiovascular Health Plan for Europe, yet there is still a long process which requires mobilization of all interested parties and a wider group of stakeholders, to make it happen in 2024.

Snapshot of social media posts and some photos

The official hashtag used for the event was #EUCVHealthPlan2024 #CVHealthMatters, and #BeatCVD.