European Council Calls for More Robust Efforts to Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases

December 6, 2024—The Council of the European Union (EU) recently announced it is calling for more robust efforts to help prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading cause of death in the EU. The Council noted that CVDs account for approximately one-third of all deaths and are key contributors to morbidity and disability.

The Council advised that in conclusions approved December 3, it put forward a series of measures aimed at improving cardiovascular health in the EU, focusing specifically on prevention, early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation. These conclusions reflect the Council’s commitment to improving cardiovascular health throughout the EU, noted the press release.

The European Council document is available online here.

As summarized in the European Council’s press release, the conclusions include the following:

• 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 health care, incorporate screening into regular health checks, and strengthen training for health care workers.
• The Council invites the European Commission to take comprehensive action to help reduce the prevalence of CVDs in the EU, emphasizing not only health promotion and prevention but also screening, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and advancing research and innovation.

The press release noted that a priority of the Hungarian presidency is reducing the burden of noncommunicable disease, in particular CVDs. The latest conclusions build on discussions that took place during the informal meeting of EU health ministers in Budapest, Hungary, on July 24, 2024.

“CVDs 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,” commented Péter Takács, Hungarian Secretary of State for Health, in the European Council press release. “Screening and better access to treatment are essential elements to reduce the impact of CVDs. Today’s conclusions reflect our commitment to improving cardiovascular health throughout the EU.”