The European Commission has launched the 'Safe Hearts Plan' to improve heart health by focusing on prevention, addressing risks like unhealthy diets and tobacco use, and promoting vaccination.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of death and disability in the EU. Each year, they cause about 1.7 million deaths and affect 62 million people, according to the OECD.
Cardiovascular disease includes conditions like heart attack, stroke, and heart failure that affect the heart and blood vessels. Between 2025 and 2050, cases are expected to rise by 90 percent and deaths by 73 percent.
“This is a long overdue commitment of the European Union, because still cardiovascular health is the most important challenge in front of us when it comes to public health,” European Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi told reporters.
The new plan, announced on Tuesday, aims to change this trend by helping member states address the main causes and by setting clear reduction targets for 2035.
In the next ten years, the EU plans to reduce early deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25 percent and offer yearly checks for blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar to most adults over 25.
Várhelyi warned that without action, more lives could be lost and future generations may not enjoy full, healthy lives because of these diseases.
Special focus on prevention
The Commission points out that almost 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by making changes to lifestyle.
Cardiovascular diseases have many causes, including factors people can change, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and air pollution, as well as factors they cannot change.
The EU plan emphasizes lifestyle risks and aims to make prevention a regular part of national healthcare.
A key goal is to reduce tobacco use. The plan aims for fewer than 5 percent of adults to use tobacco by 2040, in line with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
To reach this goal, the Commission plans to update EU tobacco laws in 2026 to include new products like e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and vapes. The Tobacco Taxation Directive will also be revised to align taxes on both traditional and newer products.
Unhealthy diets are another issue. The Commission says that about 75 percent of deaths related to obesity are due to cardiovascular diseases.
The EU plan highlights that many people do not eat as healthily as recommended. Only about 60 percent of adults eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day, and 42 percent of teenagers do not eat any fruit or vegetables daily.
The plan suggests supporting changes in food recipes, setting healthy food standards for public institutions, and providing clearer information about ultra-processed foods.
Commissioner Várhelyi had earlier said he was open to taxing products high in sugar, salt, and ultra-processed ingredients. However, these taxes were not included in Although stakeholders welcome these measures, consumer groups have criticized the plan for not including clear timelines or measurable goals.timelines and measurable commitments.
"The new Cardiovascular health plan lacks teeth to better protect consumers from unhealthy foods, high in fat, sugar and salt”, said Samuele Tonello, senior food policy officer, at the European Consumer Organisation BEUC.
He also said that solving the problem will need more steps to make healthy and sustainable choices easier for consumers and to limit unhealthy options.
Foodwatch International, a consumer rights group, said the Commission missed a chance to propose laws banning the marketing of unhealthy food to children and stopping the sale of energy drinks to minors, among other measures.
The plan also aims to increase vaccination against respiratory infections that can make heart conditions worse, such as flu, COVID-19, RSV, pneumococcal disease, and shingles, especially in older people and those at high risk.
The Commission sees higher vaccination rates in these groups as another key way to prevent heart attacks and strokes caused by infections.