Cardiovascular diseases and cancer remain the most widespread and deadly non-communicable diseases across the European Union. Their leading risk factors include unhealthy lifestyles, obesity, and tobacco use, increasingly common among teenagers and young adults. EU health ministers agree that previous preventive efforts have been insufficient and are calling for new, coordinated strategies.
“Cardiovascular diseases and cancer account for over two-thirds of premature deaths in Europe. In Poland and other Central European countries, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. It’s a fact that 70% of these illnesses and deaths can be prevented by enabling people to make healthier choices,” said Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare.
“We observed a decline in these diseases before the COVID-19 crisis, but they remain the main cause of premature death. And unfortunately, post-pandemic data shows an increase. Life expectancy may have improved, but years lived in good health are shrinking.”
“We are facing an epidemic of lifestyle diseases. The EU has an aging population, and with age comes multimorbidity—people suffer from both cardiovascular and oncological diseases. These are personal tragedies for individuals and a massive financial burden on healthcare systems,” said Izabela Leszczyna, Poland’s Minister of Health.
According to Poland’s National Health Fund (NFZ), the main factors influencing health—and most relevant for preventing lifestyle diseases—are: lifestyle (50%), environmental and genetic factors (20% each), and only 10% is attributed to healthcare access. Lifestyle includes risks such as lack of physical activity, poor diet, and alcohol and tobacco use. These issues are especially critical in shaping the health of future generations.
“An entire new generation under the age of 30 is increasingly vulnerable to cardiovascular disease. Recent data shows that in the last 10 years, the number of young people with diabetes and obesity has doubled. Today, around 20% of young people suffer from one or both of these conditions. That means in 10–15 years we’ll face a whole generation with heart problems, because untreated obesity and diabetes often lead to cardiovascular disease,” Commissioner Várhelyi explained.
According to the World Obesity Federation’s 2025 Atlas, the number of obese adults worldwide is expected to grow from 524 million in 2010 to 1.13 billion by 2030. Every year, 1.6 million premature deaths are caused by overweight and obesity—more than those caused by road accidents. Alarmingly, two-thirds of countries worldwide either lack or have implemented only one of five key policies for combating obesity. Only 7% of countries have adequate healthcare systems in place to deal with the issue.
“It’s hard to accept that while our laws allow it, our citizens smoke cigarettes, consume heavily processed foods (which are cheaper than healthy alternatives), and abuse alcohol—only for all this to later burden our healthcare systems. We want these systems to be sustainable and efficient, with more focus on prevention and keeping people healthy,” Minister Leszczyna emphasized.
According to Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK), around 9 million adults in Poland were affected by obesity in 2022. Recent NFZ data from primary care facilities showed that 35% of patients are overweight, while 28% are obese. The breakdown by gender shows 30% of women and 41% of men are overweight, with 26% of women and 31% of men categorized as obese.
“We’ve started discussions with ministers and proposed a new EU cardiovascular health plan, asking what can be done differently. We have strong public health strategies in place, but they’ve failed to impact individual lifestyle choices—like healthier eating or quitting smoking,” said Várhelyi.
“We need to improve prevention, personalize medical strategies, and empower people with real choices. We agreed that data-driven technologies, AI, and genetic innovations will soon allow Europeans to make more informed health decisions.”
Currently, most EU countries lack comprehensive strategies for preventing, diagnosing, and treating cardiovascular diseases. Spain and Poland are among the few leaders, already implementing national cardiovascular health plans, while a handful of other member states are in the process of developing similar programs. The EU4Health 2021–2027 program aims to reduce premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases by 30% by 2030.
Health ministers agree that achieving this target will require stronger cooperation at both the EU and national levels, to strengthen healthcare systems and ensure better patient care.
