VAS-European Independent Foundation in Angiology/Vascular Medicine
VAS
No-profit scientific European foundation with stable large international collaborations on vascular disease (angiology/vascular medicine)with a social view.
ID: 818165941069-15
Lobbying Activity
Response to EU cardiovascular health plan
13 Sept 2025
VAS welcomes the Commissions EU Cardiovascular Health Plan initiative and its objectives but highlights the urgent need to also prioritise actions specifically aimed at improving action on the burden of Vascular Diseases. These include conditions of arteries, veins, lymphatics, microcirculation and vascular anomalies. They entail high risks of premature death, amputations and severe complications, yet remain under-recognised, despite being easily diagnosable and generally well responsive to therapy. Their progression generates heavy human, social and economic costs. Unfortunately, the Call for Evidence does not explicitly mention Vascular Diseases as a priority area capable of making a solid contribution to the expected results, with clearly defined metrics. By focusing almost exclusively on the cardio dimension (i.e., heart attacks), where the vast majority of resources are already concentrated, the Plan risks overlooking critical needs. This is particularly relevant given that the Plan will serve as a European reference for the coming years in terms of: (a) priorities, development, and support at EU level; (b) influence on the development of national plans; and (c) empowering individuals to contribute to the management of their own and community health. While VAS recognises the critical importance of reducing the burden of heart disease, Vascular Diseases deserve a similar level of attention. This is even more urgent in an ageing European society marked by rising inequities. Prevention strategies are broadly similar across NCDs, but vascular diseases and diverse demographic groups require tailored approaches. Early diagnosis is crucial, as most patients are asymptomatic yet at risk of premature death and heavy outcomes. Accessibility to fundamental therapy as structured physical exercise is quite low. The inequalities between regions, population groups, and genders that must be overcome to ensure broad and equitable access to appropriate prevention, detection, and care are also well documented in vascular diseases. Added to these are the inequities faced by vascular patients, who often have inequities in their data collection and disease consideration, access to early diagnosis, therapies and referral to medical specialists, unlike other pathologies. This Plan could mark a significant step forward in respecting patients rights and progressively reducing the negative gap affecting vascular diseases, including through research support and digital solutions. Research and innovation gap is even greater for Vascular Diseases; often only implied under the term cardiovascular, leading to a situation where they do not benefit from investments to enrich the evidence base, foster technological innovation (data-powered digital health solutions, Artificial Intelligence, etc.), or efforts to scale up existing best practices Support for awareness and health literacy programmes is also disproportionately low. If properly acknowledged and coordinated, the roll-out of routine Vascular Disease health checks could generate substantial cost savings for EU health systems and stimulate innovation. To further combat inequities and achieve SDG target 3.4, such practices could also be adopted by countries in the WHO European Region and globally. VAS coordinates an international network of over 20 organisations in angiology/vascular medicine, different health professionals, risk-factor groups (smoking, diabetes, obesity) and womens health advocates on PAD. More than 30 countries cooperate on Buergers disease; collaboration is expanding on venous ulcers. Stable, close partnerships also exist on lymphedema and vascular anomalies. Their combined expertise can support EU policymakers and innovation stakeholders in designing and implementing actions to reduce Vascular Disease incidence, avoid hospitalisations, and enhance quality of life. www.vas-int.net
Read full responseMeeting with Margaritis Schinas (Vice-President) and
28 Jan 2021 · Angiology and vascular medicine