Brussels cites nicotine products and alcohol as specific risk factors. The European Union on 28th September 2026 recommended regular health checks for people aged 35 and over and at least one screening for heart disease for those under 35.

The EU wants most citizens to be screened earlier for heart disease and other overlapping conditions, using digital tools across their lifetimes, according to a new document obtained by Euractiv. 

Brussels launched a plan in late 2025 to curb the bloc’s biggest health burden, cardiovascular disease. 

The European Commission will soon urge countries to expand screening, with new targets for adults aged 25 and older to have their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels checked, according to new Council recommendations for 2026, seen by Euractiv.  

The EU wants its governments to cut premature cardiovascular deaths by 25% by 2035.

“Early detection and screening of cardiovascular diseases through health checks are key for prevention,” the document states.  

To reach its goals, Brussels has set new targets, outlined in the paper’s annex, for different age groups to receive regular checks by health professionals.

For individuals aged 35 and younger, people should have received “at least one cardiovascular health check, including different biological markers, body mass index, family and mental health history.”

Those aged between 35 and 64 should receive systematic checks every five years, and those 65 and over every three to five years, with additional electrocardiograms and other tests.

However, the recommendations suggest adapting the programmes to national and local needs and the different health risks facing citizens.

EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi will present the Council recommendations during a press conference on 28 September in Brussels. 

The document also notes specific risk factors, such as gender and socioeconomic status – but also alcohol use and novel nicotine products, including vapes and youth-friendly “smokeless” products like flavoured nicotine pouches – following demands from public health groups. 

It adds that, due to the ties between respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular problems – think Covid-19 – vaccines are also part of prevention. 

The plan also states that it will support the use of AI-based tools to identify people at most risk and improve the implementation of health checks, as well as the secondary use of data for research. 

While these remain recommendations, EU countries have been urged to report back to Brussels within three years of their adoption and to follow up every four years. Advertisement

Capitals will discuss the document in Ireland during a meeting between health ministers.  

The EU has not put any new financing on the table for the measures, but Várhelyi has previously said that shifting the costs from healthcare to prevention will generate significant savings.  

Greece is one country that has trialled a screening plan for 5.5 million people, though many countries are lagging. 

EFPIA and Vaccines Europe welcome the European Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation on cardiovascular health checks. 

To deliver on the EU Safe Hearts Plan, the final Recommendation should address both cardiovascular risk factors and the interconnected diseases that drive cardiovascular harm. 

Nathalie Moll, Director General, EFPIA, said:  

“As the Council negotiates this Recommendation, Member States have an opportunity to put in place policies which could save millions of lives, ensure health system resilience and support wider European economies and societies. The Recommendation put forward is bold and ambitious. If implemented in full it will prevent many future cardiometabolic conditions and reduce inequalities in and between Member States.  

Early detection and screening are critical for keeping European citizens healthier for longer. We would ask Member States to preserve and build on the proposal’s strongest elements. This includes health checks in primary care settings, offering opportunistic health checks and the provision of appropriate follow-up treatment and care for all patients.” 

Sibilia Quilici, Executive Director, Vaccines Europe, said: “Vaccines Europe welcomes the recognition of the value of vaccination. It is important that immunisation status also be reviewed at every systematic cardiovascular health check.” 

EFPIA and Vaccines Europe ask Member States to recognise obesity as a disease in its own right in the final Recommendation and ensure health checks lead to appropriate prevention, management and treatment. 

Member States should also: 

1. Put #KnowYourNumbersBy35 at the heart of the Recommendation: offer everyone a comprehensive baseline cardiometabolic assessment by age 35, followed by regular reassessment. 
2. Review immunisation status as part of systematic cardiovascular health checks 
3. Reach people at higher risk sooner: tailor the timing and frequency of checks to individual risk. 
4. Make checks accessible: combine organised screening with opportunistic checks, including in primary care. 
5. Connect checks to care: provide follow-up diagnosis and integrated care for cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes and obesity, with specialist referral where needed. 

EFPIA and Vaccines Europe look forward to working with Member States and partners in the cardiometabolic community to improve health for all Europeans. 

The EFPIA-Vaccines Europe position on health checks can be found here.

Notes to editors

Health checks: Dyslipidaemia – particularly elevated LDL-C – diabetes and obesity should be included.

Recognition of obesity as a disease: The European Commission Recommendation describes obesity as a risk factor for CVD but fail to acknowledge the definition used by the WHO and the European Society of Cardiology, which asserts that obesity is also a disease in itself, requiring prevention, management and treatment to prevent CVD. Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a largely inherited risk factor, can also increase cardiovascular risk and is often not identified through routine assessment.

The role of immunisation in CVD prevention has been explicitly recognised by the European Commission in the Safe Hearts Plan as well as by a growing body of scientific evidence, including a European Society of Cardiology consensus statement.