The 'Hearing Care for All' pilot project in Malta revealed that nearly 41% of participants had significant hearing impairment, how can these results serve as a wake-up call for the rest of Europe?
Alexis Agius Saliba: When 41% of participants in Malta were found to have considerable hearing impairment, it revealed a clear and urgent reality: hearing loss is far more widespread and far more hidden than we assume.
This was community-based screening programme in Safi, Dingli, Birżebbuġa and Mtarfa, not the hospital data. Many participants were unaware they were living with hearing loss disability. If nearly half of those screened in one Member State required intervention, similar unmet needs almost certainly exist across the European Union.
Today, 190 million people in the WHO European Region live with some degree of hearing loss, whereas 57 million have a disabling hearing loss (>35 dB).Two out of three receive no care or rehabilitation. By 2050, one in four people will experience some form of hearing loss. Without proactive screening, millions will remain undiagnosed and unsupported.
The lesson is straightforward: hearing loss cannot rely on passive detection. The EU must prioritise early detection and prevention through structured, community-based screening programmes. Malta has shown that identifying the hidden population is possible. EU must now respond decisively at scale.
Why is it vital that the European Commission adopts the HEAR-pillars proposed in the Policy Manifesto of the Health Hearing Forum EU (HHFEU), which you champion as a Chairman?
AS: As Chairman of the HHFEU, I believe the Commission must adopt the H.E.A.R. pillars because they provide a structured response to a challenge affecting 57 million Europeans.
Hearing Loss Awareness combats stigma and promotes inclusion. Hearing loss is often invisible, yet its impact on communication and participation is profound and too often overlooked in public health priorities.
Early Detection and Prevention are essential. The World Health Organization recommends affordable national adult screening programmes, particularly for those aged 50+. Maltese pilot project demonstrated that community-based screening can successfully identify a hidden population in need of intervention.
The EU must prioritise early detection and prevention through structured, community-based screening programmes
Access & Care must guarantee equitable access to hearing aids and cochlear implants. Less than 10% of those who could benefit from cochlear implants receive them. This gap requires coordinated EU action.
Research & Data are equally critical to support evidence-based policymaking and integrate hearing health into Healthy Ageing and Mental Health agendas.
The H.E.A.R. pillars move us from fragmented national approaches to a coherent European Hearing Health Strategy. Recognising hearing loss as a societal challenge requires adopting this framework without delay.
As untreated hearing loss costs the EU €213 billion every year, how are you using your platform in the Parliament to ensure hearing health is treated as a top economic and societal priority?
AS: The €213 billion annual cost of untreated hearing loss makes clear that this is not only a health issue, but a major economic and societal challenge. This includes medical expenses, lost productivity and social costs. Reduced productivity alone exceeds $21 billion annually.
In the European Parliament, I work to ensure hearing health is addressed within discussions on disability, employment, mental health and healthy ageing. Untreated hearing loss directly affects labour market participation. Currently, 47% of deaf people are unemployed or outside the labour force. After receiving a cochlear implant, users report an 11% increase in employment and a 31% increase in income. Access to treatment delivers measurable economic benefits.
Every $1 invested in hearing care can yield $30 over ten years. Investing in hearing health is therefore a strategic economic decision.
With two out of three adults living with hearing loss disability not receiving care or rehabilitation, the impact on participation, employment and social inclusion becomes a structural European concern. Therefore, hearing health must be treated as a European priority.
With two out of three adults living with hearing loss disability not receiving care or rehabilitation, the impact on participation, employment and social inclusion becomes a structural European concern
As Co-Chair of the Mental Health Intergroup, how can we ensure that hearing care, a top modifiable risk factor for dementia, is integrated into the EU's broader 'Healthy Ageing' and mental health agendas?
AS: Hearing loss is the number one modifiable risk factor for dementia. Treating it can reduce the risk of developing dementia by 8%. This makes hearing care central to any credible Healthy Ageing strategy.
Depression is more than twice as common among people with hearing loss, and older adults with hearing impairment are 2.2 times more likely to experience social loneliness. The psychological and social consequences are significant and measurable.
With 57 million Europeans already affected, and one in four people projected to experience hearing loss by 2050, hearing health must be integrated into the EU’s response to demographic change.
As Co-Chair of the Mental Health Intergroup, I advocate recognising hearing care as preventative intervention and embedding early detection and access to treatment within Healthy Ageing and Mental Health agendas. Protecting mental wellbeing requires addressing hearing loss. It is fundamental to dignity, inclusion and long-term sustainability.
What is your primary goal for the HHFEU as you work toward making hearing care affordable and accessible for all 57 million adults living with disabling hearing loss in the EU?
AS: My primary goal is to secure a structured European Hearing Health Strategy. Today, 57 million Europeans live with a disabling hearing loss, yet two out of three do not receive care or rehabilitation. This systemic gap affects participation, productivity and mental wellbeing across the Union.
Through the HHFEU Policy Manifesto, we call for a strategy built on the H.E.A.R. pillars: Awareness, Early Detection and Prevention, Access & Care, and Research & Data. This includes affordable adult screening programmes, equitable access to hearing technologies and stronger EU-wide data to guide policymaking.
Less than 10% of those who could benefit from cochlear implants receive them, while untreated hearing loss costs the EU €213 billion annually. The economic and social case for action is unequivocal.
Malta demonstrated that early detection works. The next step is coordinated EU implementation. Hearing health must be embedded in Healthy Ageing and Mental Health agendas and recognised as a societal challenge requiring sustained political commitment.
If European Union is serious about inclusion, resilience and demographic sustainability, hearing care must be affordable, accessible and prioritised at EU level.
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