From Commitment to Action: A New Strategy for NCD and Cardiovascular Health Prevention and Control in Europe

WHF Communications department November 7, 2026

Topics: Noncommunicable Diseases

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This constituency statement was delivered by the European Heart Network and the World Heart Federation under Agenda Item 11 – Toward a Strategy and Action Plan for Tackling Noncommunicable Diseases and Advancing Well-Being Through Health Promotion in the WHO European Region 2027-2037 – at the Seventy-Sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.

The European Heart Network, the World Heart Federation and European Stroke Organisation, fully support WHO’s proposed strategy and action plan on non-communicable diseases.
Cardiovascular disease remains Europe’s leading cause of death, killing around 10,000 people daily across the WHO European Region. Yet up to 80% of premature cardiovascular disease is preventable.

Our priority must be to create environments where people born healthy can remain healthy throughout their lives, regardless of birthplace or gender. Our ambition must be not only longer lives, but more years lived in good health.

Cardiovascular disease costs EU countries €280 billion annually. Prevention reduces this burden while complementing essential screening, treatment and rehabilitation. Strengthening hypertension management to achieve 50% control by 2030 and implementing the Stroke Action Plan for Europe are equally important.

WHO’s vision already featured in the 1986 Ottawa Charter. What remains missing is political
commitment, adequate budgets and effective regulation.
How can children grow up healthy when tobacco, vaping products, alcohol and unhealthy foods are aggressively promoted, particularly through social media? Air pollution further threatens cardiovascular health. Individuals and families cannot tackle these pressures alone.

We need strong public health measures regulating the production, promotion, sale and distribution of health-harming products. WHO’s Best Buys, Quick Buys and air pollution guidelines provide clear guidance, yet implementation remains inadequate. All these measures are essential and require proper funding and enforcement.

We must also challenge commercial interference in public health policymaking. Why should industries profiting from health-harming products influence policies designed to protect health? Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provides an important example of safeguarding policymaking from conflicts of interest.

We can do better. We must do better. We urge Member States, working with civil society, to commit the necessary resources and implement this strategy. Every child deserves to grow up in a healthy environment, and every person deserves the opportunity to remain healthy throughout life.