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EnglishWhat Are the European Heart Network's Mission, Vision, and Strategic Priorities?
Updated
The European Heart Network (EHN) is a Brussels-based alliance of national heart foundations and associations working to prevent and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) across Europe. Its vision is that every European has a right to a life free from avoidable cardiovascular disease. Its mission is pursued through five channels: advocacy, networking, capacity-building, representing patient interests, and research. Its current strategic direction is set out in the EHN Strategic Plan 2023–2030, framed as "Europe's Cardiovascular Health Opportunities: Leadership for Change."
Vision: a life free from avoidable CVD
The EHN's stated belief is that cardiovascular disease should not be an unavoidable part of life in Europe. The word "avoidable" is the operative one: the organisation frames much of the CVD burden as preventable through action on risk factors, which is why prevention sits at the centre of its work rather than treatment alone.
Mission: five ways of working
The EHN describes its role as leading the prevention and reduction of cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart disease and stroke. That mission is delivered through:
- Advocacy — engaging on EU policy files that affect cardiovascular patients and prevention.
- Networking — connecting members across Europe and facilitating exchange between them.
- Capacity-building — strengthening the work of national heart foundations and associations.
- Representing patient interests — ensuring patients' perspectives are heard in policy and research.
- Research — supporting research funding and patient involvement in cardiovascular research and innovation.
Who the members are
EHN members are national heart foundations and associations committed to preventing CVD in Europe, supporting patients, representing patient interests, and funding research. The network's reach and credibility rest on this membership base rather than on a single central organisation.
Strategic Plan 2023–2030: leadership for change
The current strategic plan is presented under the heading "Europe's Cardiovascular Health Opportunities: Leadership for Change." Its logic follows from the scale of the problem the EHN documents: a greater reduction in exposure to the main CVD risk factors would increase the number of years Europeans live in good health. The plan therefore positions the EHN as a leader convening European stakeholders around prevention and policy change.
The evidence base the EHN works from
The organisation publishes European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics, which underpin its advocacy. The headline figures it cites are:
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Deaths from CVD in Europe per year | 3.9 million |
| Share of all deaths in Europe from CVD | 45% |
| Annual cost of CVD to the EU economy | €210 billion |
| People living with CVD in Europe | 85 million |
These numbers are the reference point for the EHN's argument that prevention deserves higher priority in European health policy.
What the EHN actually does
Beyond strategy documents, the EHN's activity areas are concrete:
- CVD prevention — work on reducing exposure to the main cardiovascular risk factors.
- CVD patients — engagement with EU policy files affecting cardiovascular patients.
- CVD research — networking among research-funding members through the EHN Research Platform, and interaction with the EHN Patient Group.
- Projects — facilitating structured patient involvement so patients act as partners in person-centred cardiovascular research and innovation.
- Publications and campaigns — awareness-raising and advocacy, including activity around World Heart Day and the EU Screening Week.
Recent news illustrates the advocacy role in practice: the EHN welcomed the European Commission's proposal for a Council Recommendation on cardiovascular health checks, describing it as reflecting key recommendations from European heart health stakeholders.
Who this matters to
If you are looking for a European-level partner, reference source, or policy voice on cardiovascular prevention, the EHN is relevant in three ways: as a statistics source (its CVD statistics pages), as a network entry point (through its national member foundations), and as a policy actor (through its EU advocacy and campaigns). If you need clinical guidance or individual patient support, the national heart foundations within the network are the more direct route.