Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the primary cause of death in the EU, accounting for 1.8 million deaths each year (2017 European Cardiovascular Diseases Statistics).
Over the past 25 years the number of new CVD cases has increased and the latest figures show that in the EU almost 49 million people live with such diseases. More women than men die from CVD; women also have higher incidence and prevalence rates.
At a population level, unhealthy diets are the biggest risk factor for CVD, although smoking remains an important risk factor for individuals. The growing trend of overweight and obesity in the EU, and the significant increase of diabetes are worrying trends, which risk slowing down the decrease in mortality rates observed so far.
There is a notable and persistent difference in the burden of CVD between countries in Europe. In the EU, rates of CVD mortality and morbidity, as well as the prevalence of several key risk factors, tend to be higher in central and eastern European countries than in their northern, western and southern European counterparts.
The economic burden is high: CVD costs the EU economy €210bn per year of which 53 per cent is due to health care costs. There are major differences in EU countries’ spend on CVD-related healthcare, both in amount per citizen, and proportion of healthcare budget.
Considering these facts, we believe the EU should step in and support its member states in addressing avoidable disease, death and costs from CVD. We suggest the Commission look into how interventions such as the joint actions on cancer could be deployed to alleviate the CVD burden.
We in the European Parliament acknowledge that we also have a responsibility. For example, we cannot simply say that obesity has to be reduced; we need to act. The debate on the audiovisual media services directive (AVMSD) is currently ongoing. It is well-established that advertising impacts consumption patterns, favouring the products advertised.
Children and young people are still subjected to pervasive marketing of alcohol and foods high in fat, sugar and salt. The proposed revision of the AVMSD is a key opportunity to reduce child exposure to marketing of these products, one that we European parliamentarians must grasp.
Also, reducing the intake of trans fatty acids (TFAs) has great potential to reduce deaths from CVD. With lower levels of TFAs in foods, set by legislation, people would automatically consume less and this is why four EU member states have implemented regulatory limits of.
In Denmark, the legal maximum limit of TFAs is two per cent per 100g of fat; but in eastern European countries, in some products, levels are much higher putting people living in these countries at increased risk of CVD.
EU member states relying on voluntary reductions cannot stop food products with high levels of TFAs from being placed on their markets. Hence we believe that to create a level playing field, we need an EU-wide regulation.
This is why the European Parliament, last year, asked the Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal within the next two years. We are hopeful that the call will be heard.