Each pillar includes a range of flagship initiatives and supporting measures designed to deliver added value through coordinated action at EU level. In total, the Safe Hearts Plan introduces ten flagship initiatives, covering areas such as lifelong prevention, enhanced cardiovascular screening, the integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare, targeted efforts to reduce health inequalities, and the development of a new cardiovascular research and innovation roadmap.

The European Parliament is also playing an active role in shaping the future of cardiovascular health policy in Europe. On 24 June 2026, the Parliament’s Committee on Public Health (SANT) adopted its report in response to the European Commission’s Safe Hearts Plan, signaling broad political support for a more ambitious and coordinated EU approach to cardiovascular disease prevention and care.

Several of the priorities identified by the European Parliament, particularly those relating to prevention, early detection and equitable access to care, rely on the effective integration of medical imaging across the cardiovascular care pathway. These efforts are expected to be further strengthened by the forthcoming Council Recommendations on cardiovascular health checks and on personalised treatment and monitoring of cardiovascular diseases.

The ESR has welcomed the Safe Hearts Plan and highlighted the essential role of medical imaging in delivering its objectives. Radiology supports the entire cardiovascular care pathway, from prevention and risk stratification to early diagnosis, personalised treatment, follow-up and research, and will be particularly important in the implementation of the Plan’s ambitions on screening, digital innovation and AI-enabled healthcare.

In its policy briefing, the ESR, together with the ESCR, outlines a series of recommendations for integrating cardiovascular imaging into EU health check programmes, personalised care pathways, AI deployment and research initiatives. The full briefing can be accessed here.

To further support the implementation of the Safe Hearts Plan and building on the recommendations set out in the policy briefing, the ESR organised a high-level policy event at the European Parliament in Brussels on 2 July 2026, entitled “Imaging Saves Lives: The Role of Imaging in Improving Cardiovascular Health.” The event brought together policymakers, healthcare professionals and other key stakeholders to explore the contribution of medical imaging to improving cardiovascular health outcomes across Europe. Further information and key conclusions from the event are available in the event report.

The ESR will continue to work with European institutions, policymakers and healthcare stakeholders to ensure that medical imaging is fully integrated into the implementation of the Safe Hearts Plan and future cardiovascular health initiatives.

Together with the European Association for Nuclear Medicine, the ESR organised the event “Imaging saves lives. The role of imagining in improving cardiovascular health”, at the European Parliament in Brussels on July 2, 2026. Learn more here.

For more information, please visit the following links:

• Safe Hearts Plan
• Questions and answers on the EU Safe Hearts Plan
• Factsheet
• Draft Report on an EU cardiovascular diseases strategy (2025/2132(INI))
• ESR contribution to the Call for Evidence on the Council recommendation on cardiovascular health checks
• ESR Policy Briefing: Delivering the EU Safe Hearts Plan: The Essential Role of Radiology in Cardiovascular Health
• Imaging Saves Lives: Report from the European Parliament event on the role of imaging in improving cardiovascular health