The European Commission has unveiled a major health policy package aimed at boosting innovation and resilience in the EU health sector, with indirect but relevant implications for the tobacco industry. The Commission launched a Safe Hearts Plan, the EU’s first comprehensive strategy to tackle cardiovascular diseases.

The Safe Hearts Plan explicitly identifies tobacco use as a major preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which causes 1.7 million deaths annually in the EU. The initiative prioritises prevention, early detection and treatment, and supports Member States in developing national cardiovascular health plans. It also promotes data-driven tools, AI solutions and monitoring systems to reduce health inequalities.

While the package does not introduce new tobacco-specific regulation, it reinforces the EU’s policy direction toward stronger prevention measures and reduced tobacco consumption, potentially increasing pressure for stricter national policies, public health campaigns and risk-based interventions linked to smoking.