From Failure to Future
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the European Union, claiming over 1.8 million lives each year. Heart failure, a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs — often because it has become too weak or stiff — affects more than 10 million people across the European Union. Each year, between 2 and 7 new cases per 1,000 people are diagnosed, and the numbers are expected to rise due to ageing populations, delayed diagnoses, and insufficient prevention efforts.
This growing burden calls for urgent, coordinated action at the EU level — from prevention and early detection to treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term care.
To mark Heart Failure Awareness Days (5–11 May 2025), the European Heart Network (EHN) is launching the campaign From Failure to Future, highlighting the urgent need for stronger cardiovascular health policies and meaningful patient involvement.
The campaign features a video series bringing together MEPs and patient advocates from across Europe who are also active through national heart foundations and patient organisations, such as Belgian Heart League (Belgium), Cardioalianza (Spain), Irish Heart Foundation (Ireland), German Heart Foundation (Germany), Harteraad (Netherlands), and Romanian Heart Foundation (Romania). Featured MEPs include Elena Nevado del Campo (Spain, EPP), Maria Walsh (Ireland, EPP), Peter Liese (Germany, EPP) and Manuela Ripa (Germany, EPP).
Together, they call for a comprehensive EU Cardiovascular Health Plan built with patients, not just for them, addressing critical issues like early diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, mental health support, and equitable access to care.
Watch the full campaign video below and hear from MEPs and patient advocates across Europe as they call for change:
Why It’s Important to Talk About People Living with CVD – Houbaïd El OufraisiBelgium, Belgian Heart League
It’s crucial to raise awareness of people living with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Often a hidden condition, CVD can make it difficult for patients to access support and feel seen. Giving visibility to these lived experiences is essential to drive change.
Featuring: Francisco Javier Guerra Navarro (Spain, Cardioalianza) and MEP Elena Nevado del Campo (Spain, EPP)
Drawing from his personal experience with heart failure, Francisco Javier highlights the urgent need for early diagnosis, access to treatment, and patient workshops for cardiac rehabilitation to achieve better cardiovascular outcomes.
MEP Elena Nevado del Campo (Spain, EPP) underscores the vital role that patient organisations and patient-led alliances play in shaping cardiovascular health policies and advancing a comprehensive European Cardiovascular Health Plan. The voices of those with lived experiences are essential in ensuring policies are patient-centred and effective.
Francisco Javier calls for a holistic approach to cardiovascular health that involves multidisciplinary teams, considers kidney-related correlations, and integrates nutrition and mental health. Cardiovascular disease can lead to both physical and psychological complications — and care must reflect that.
Featuring: Michael Madigan (Ireland, Irish Heart Foundation) and MEP Maria Walsh (Ireland, EPP)
Michael Madigan highlights the urgent need for a national cardiovascular health plan in Ireland. He calls for stronger prevention measures, improved management of cardiovascular risk factors, and expanded access to cardiac rehabilitation — which currently lacks sufficient capacity in the country.
MEP Maria Walsh emphasises the importance of addressing health inequities and ensuring truly patient-centred policies in cardiovascular health. To improve outcomes for all in Europe, policies must focus on equity and access, particularly for marginalised and minority groups who are often the most affected but least heard.
Michael Madigan stresses the need for stronger psychological and social support for individuals recovering from acute cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes, or cardiac arrest. Reintegrating into daily life can be extremely challenging, with significant gaps in available services. He highlights the crucial role of national heart foundations in addressing these gaps — strengthening community support networks, reducing hospital readmissions, and helping working-age adults reintegrate into society.
Featuring: Thomas Beer (Germany, German Heart Foundation) and MEP Peter Liese (Germany, EPP)
Thomas Beer shares his personal challenges as a cardiovascular disease patient navigating fragmented health systems. He emphasises the need to streamline electronic patient records across Europe, ensuring vital health information isn’t lost and that new providers can easily access patient history and pre-existing conditions.
MEP Peter Liese (Germany, EPP) highlights the vital importance of electronic patient records in improving cardiovascular health outcomes for patients across Europe. For these tools to be truly effective, electronic health records must be harmonised and interoperable, enabling better care, advancing research, and ultimately supporting all patients. Implementing the European Health Data Space (EHDS) is essential to allow more efficient data exchange between healthcare providers, support better care coordination, and accelerate innovation.
Featuring: Max Groenhart (Netherlands, Harteraad), MEP Manuela Ripa (Germany, EPP), and Caius Ovidiu Merșa (Romania, Romanian Heart Foundation)
Max Groenhart reflects on which policy changes could have improved his journey with cardiovascular disease. He points to the importance of clear nutrition labelling, as unhealthy food represents a major risk factor for CVD and places a growing burden on healthcare systems.
MEP Manuela Ripa highlights the importance of tackling cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as obesity and high cholesterol. She advocates for making healthy food more accessible, implementing a harmonised, mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme, and enforcing stricter regulations on unhealthy food, including marketing to children.
Caius Ovidiu Merșa discusses the power of social media platforms like TikTok in counteracting unhealthy food marketing, particularly targeting young people and children. He emphasises the importance of using these platforms to promote healthier lifestyles and encourage better food choices.
Heart failure and cardiovascular disease affect millions — but behind every number is a person, a story, a voice. As policymakers work to shape a comprehensive EU Cardiovascular Health Plan, patient voices are more vital than ever.
If you are living with heart failure or another cardiovascular condition, your experience can help drive meaningful change. By sharing your story, raising your voice, and connecting with others, you can help ensure that future policies reflect lived realities and improve outcomes across Europe.
Follow the EHN campaign on LinkedIn to hear from patients, MEPs, and advocates across Europe every day during Heart Failure Awareness Week.
Reach out to the European Heart Network — or connect with your national heart or patient organisation — to learn how you can take part in advocacy efforts and help shape the future of cardiovascular health.
Together, we can push for prevention, earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and stronger support for every patient, at every stage.
To get in touch with the European Heart Network directly, please contact:
Mehitabel HollerPatients and Research Managermholler@ehnheart.org+32 488 51 41 26