By Olivér Várhelyi*
Cardiovascular disease remains Europe’s biggest killer. Every year, it claims 1.7 million lives across the continent. That number alone is already alarming. But what is truly unacceptable is that to 80 percent of these deaths are preventable, in other words, could be avoided.
Most of us know someone affected: a parent, a colleague, a friend.
In many cases, the warning signs were there - high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar. These silent conditions can go undetected for years, progressing quietly until the first symptom is a heart attack or a stroke and at this stage it is already too late. Yet too often, people do not know exactly their own numbers.
That is why we need to change the course in the European union. With the new EU Safe Hearts Plan, we are shifting decisively from reacting to cardiovascular diseases to preventing it. For too long, our health systems have been structured around emergency response rather than early action. Safe Hearts puts prevention, routine checks, and early detection at the centre of our care. It is about making simple, effective health checks a normal part of adult life across Europe, so that people can understand their personal risks long before serious illness develops.
The urgency is more than clear. Today, 54 percent of adults in the EU are overweight. One in three young people is overweight or obese and 20% of them is either on the verge of or already has type-2-diabetes. Diabetes, overweight and obesity are key risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated these trends If we fail to act, we are locking the entire future generation into poorer health with a chronic disease and placing unbearable pressure on our health systems.
Safe Hearts puts prevention, routine checks, and early detection at the centre of our care.
A cornerstone of Safe Hearts is the routine measurement of blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. These tests are quick, inexpensive, and powerful. Yet millions of Europeans go years without ever having them checked. We will promote regular screenings and launch a Europe-wide campaign to encourage people to “know your numbers.” This is one of the most effective public health interventions available and one we have underused for far too long.
We will also strengthen awareness of hereditary risk factors, as part of the screening programmes, ensuring that family history is better understood and taken into account, supported by clearer guidance and improved coordination across health systems.
Digital tools and artificial intelligence will boost this shift.
Digital tools and artificial intelligence will boost this shift. By bringing together data from routine tests, imaging, and electronic health records, clinicians will be able to identify risks earlier and intervene more precisely. But this is also about making people aware and help them take the right decisions. People should understand the consequences of their choices. With the right tools, a patient can see how today’s lifestyle decisions shape tomorrow’s outcomes - and how changing course can buy them years of healthier life.
To support this shift, the EU will invest €20 million in deploying AI and data-driven tools that enable earlier detection and more targeted prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Prevention also means tackling the root causes. The link between ultra-processed foods, obesity, and type 2 diabetes is well established. Type 2 diabetes continues to rise, and at least half of those affected are obese. We must be honest with consumers. That is why we will introduce clearer information showing how processed a product is within its category, so people can make informed choices about what they eat. Addressing ultra-processed foods will be a defining public health challenge of the coming years.
Tobacco and nicotine products remain another major risk factor.
While smoking rates have declined, the use of new nicotine products among young people has increased sharply. We cannot allow a new generation to be misled. Next year, we will update EU rules, crack down on online marketing aimed at young people, and confront the myth that new nicotine products are harmless. Facts - not advertising - must shape young people’s choices.
Finally, Safe Hearts is about ensuring access to better diagnostic tools across the Union before the symptoms appear. From blood pressure monitors and AI-powered ECGs to basic imaging, these tools must reach patients faster and more evenly. The Biotech Act will accelerate research and clinical development, including innovative therapies such as bioengineered heart patches. At the same time, updated medical device rules will clear regulatory backlogs so essential technologies can reach patients without unnecessary delay.
Cardiovascular disease is not inevitable. With the Safe Hearts Plan, Europe is choosing early action over late intervention, prevention over regret, and healthier and longer lives over avoidable loss. If we do not act now, we are faced with the whole next generation of Europeans living with chronic diseases that never had to happen, with all its social and economic consequences for all Europeans. If we act now, we can give millions of Europeans a better chance to live longer and better lives.
Olivér Várhelyi is the Hungarian Commissioner responsible for health and animal welfare in the second von der Leyen Commission.