For too many Europeans, breathlessness creeps in and becomes the “new normal” long before anyone calls it COPD. COPD is a chronic lung disease that gradually limits breathing, often linked to smoking, pollution or workplace exposure. It affects about 36 million people in the EU and is a leading cause of death worldwide1. EU-wide data suggest that 80% of COPD cases in Europe go undiagnosed—a delay that carries a human cost: more exacerbations, faster decline, and lost quality of life2.
“Finding patients earlier saves lives, strengthens care delivery, and reduces costs—this is a win-win for all healthcare systems.” says José Luis Castro, President of the Global COPD Coalition.
On average, misdiagnosed patients wait about five years for a correct diagnosis, and by then, 75% have moderate to severe COPD1. Delayed diagnosis worsens outcomes: late detection drives disease progression and more frequent exacerbations, increasing both patient suffering and healthcare system strain1,3.
Exacerbations drive major costs, accounting for approximately 13% of hospital admissions in Europe, with annual costs of €2,000–€11,000 per patient, depending on severity4. These avoidable admissions and costs highlight the urgent need for systematic screening and early diagnosis across Europe.
As the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and EU4Health programming take shape, early diagnosis should be treated as prevention in action5. The Union already has the levers—funding, indicators, joint actions and best practice exchange—to accelerate progress while respecting national competences and leveraging existing screening.
The goal is to identify the best way to screen the population at risk—people with persistent respiratory symptoms, significant smoking or occupational exposure, or repeated antibiotic use from 45 years old onwards.
The EU is now taking a decisive step forward with the Joint Action on chronic Respiratory Diseases (JARED). Launched in 2025 and involving 14 Member States, JARED is scaling up early detection and integrated care for chronic respiratory diseases, including COPD, by sharing best practices and leveraging EU4Health funding6.
Regional pilot programs in Germany, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, and France have demonstrated encouraging results—showing that targeted screening and integrated care can improve diagnosis rates and patient outcomes at the local level. However, to fully close the diagnosis gap and deliver these benefits to millions across Europe, a coordinated EU approach is essential.
What the EU can do—and why it pays off:
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Make COPD an EU Priority: Secure dedicated funding for prevention and early diagnosis in the next MFF, maintaining and strengthening EU4Health and cohesion funds to support Member States in scaling up screening, spirometry, and integrated care.
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Embed best practices in EU policy: Develop EU-level guidance to help Member States integrate risk-based COPD case-finding and cross-disease synergies into national health plans, ensuring effective use of resources.
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Measure and drive impact: Introduce EU-wide indicators to track time to diagnosis and coverage of risk-based checks, creating a European barometer of progress and accountability.
For Europe, it’s time to act by prioritizing dedicated EU resources for early COPD diagnosis, policymakers can save lives and protect health budgets—starting now.
References
1. World Health Organization (WHO) & European Respiratory Society. Chronic respiratory diseases: more than 80 million affected and many more undiagnosed. June 2025. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/12-06-2025-chronic-respiratory-diseases--more-than-80-million-affected-and-many-more-undiagnosed--warns-new-who-and-european-respiratory-society-report?
2. European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA). Burden of COPD – EFA COPD web report. 2025. Available at: https://copd.efanet.org/burden-of-copd/
3. Kostikas K et al. Clinical consequences of late Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) diagnosis compared to early diagnosis in UK primary care. European Respiratory Journal 2019; 54 (suppl 63): PA2497. Available at: https://publications.ersnet.org/content/erj/54/suppl63/PA2497
4. European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA). Cost of COPD – EFA COPD web report. 2025. Available at: https://copd.efanet.org/cost-of-copd/
5. European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA). COPD Early Diagnosis. 2025. Available at: https://copd.efanet.org/copd-early-diagnosis/
6. European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA). COPD Early Diagnosis - JARED initiative [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://copd.efanet.org/copd-early-diagnosis/
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