The European Commission has unveiled the Safe Hearts Plan, a comprehensive strategic response to the European Union’s leading health challenge: cardiovascular disease (CVD). With CVD claiming 1.7 million lives annually and affecting 62 million people across the EU, the plan represents a transformative shift toward personalized prevention and integrated care, placing primary care at the heart of the solution
The Safe Hearts Plan is built on three central pillars prevention, early detection and screening, and treatment and care supported by cross-cutting themes of digital innovation, research, and the reduction of health inequalities.
Recognizing that nearly 80% of cardiovascular diseases are preventable through lifestyle changes, the plan introduces the flagship "EU Cares for Your Heart" programme. This initiative aims to empower primary care professionals with digital tools and personalized medicine approaches to address modifiable risk factors like diet, physical activity, and tobacco use.
The Commission has set ambitious targets for 2035 to guide national efforts:
To address the current fragmentation in diagnosis, the EU will propose a Council Recommendation on health checks in 2026. This EU protocol will provide a harmonized framework for Member States to implement screenings for CVD, diabetes, and obesity. Supported by the "Know Your Numbers" awareness campaign, these protocols are designed to help primary care providers identify at-risk individuals earlier and manage their health proactively.
For the millions of EU citizens living with chronic conditions, the plan emphasizes the need for integrated care models within primary care and community settings. The Commission highlights that continuity of care is often lacking, with patients struggling to navigate between primary care, hospitals, and rehabilitation services. The Safe Hearts Plan seeks to strengthen these pathways, particularly for patients with multimorbidity, such as those living with chronic kidney disease and diabetes alongside CVD.
The plan also launches a €20 million flagship incubator for AI and digital technologies. This initiative will accelerate the deployment of data-driven tools in primary care for early detection and personalized prevention. Digital solutions like telemedicine and connected devices will be prioritized to support patient self-management and improve access to care in rural or underserved regions.
The Safe Hearts Plan specifically targets the significant inequalities in cardiovascular care. It notes that women are frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated, often due to a lack of awareness regarding sex-specific symptoms among both patients and healthcare workers. The plan includes the development of an EU cardiovascular health inequalities dashboard to monitor and address these disparities across regions and population groups.
The Safe Hearts Plan represents a collective commitment to building a more resilient and healthier population. For primary care professionals, it provides a new set of tools, targets, and standards to lead the fight against the EU's biggest health burden.
