Closing the Gaps in Stroke Care: A Call to Action for Europe

Sep 23, 2025

Stroke is Europe’s second biggest killer and the leading cause of acquired disability. Yet across the EU, stroke services remain fragmented and under-resourced, resulting in preventable deaths, lifelong disabilities, and a widespread lack of long-term support for survivors and their families. 

On 14 October 2025, SAFE and the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) will host an event at the European Parliament in Brussels to highlight these systemic gaps and introduce the forthcoming Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E). This upcoming plan will outline evidence-based, cost-effective solutions designed to improve stroke care across Europe. 

The event, Closing the Gaps in Stroke Care: A Call to Action for Europe, will bring together: 

• EU and national policymakers 
• Stroke survivors and caregivers 
• Healthcare professionals and researchers 
• Civil society and public health partners 

The speakers at the event will outline ways to provide comprehensive stroke care across the entire care pathway, from prevention and emergency response to rehabilitation and long-term support, with a focus on better aligning EU-level initiatives and national implementation, including through the upcoming EU Cardiovascular Health Plan (CVH Plan). 

By uniting lived experience, clinical expertise and policy leadership, the event aims to ensure stroke receives the attention it urgently requires within Europe’s health priorities and that updated SAP-E becomes a practical roadmap for meaningful, measurable change.

SAFE and ESO responds to the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU CVH plan

Sep 22, 2025

SAFE and the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) have jointly responded to the European Commission’s public consultation on the forthcoming EU Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan. With stroke being one of Europe’s leading causes of death and disability, we believe that it must be central to the EU’s strategy. Building on the Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E), we outline clear priorities to ensure that stroke is fully addressed within the EU CVH health plan to ensure that the people in the EU are supported at every stage, from prevention and acute care to recovery, research and life beyond. 

Read the full consultation submission below: 

The Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) and the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) welcome the European Commission’s work on the EU Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan. We call on the Commission to place stroke, one of the most prevalent cardiovascular conditions, at the heart of the plan to ensure the EU achieves its objective of reducing its burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD).  

As with all CVD, reduction in stroke are possible through preventive lifestyle interventions by legislative changes and fiscal policies (eg pollution and tobacco) and action on risk factors (eg hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes and high cholesterol). Addressing these will reduce the impact and cost of stroke and all CVD. CVD prevention lowers stroke risk and quality stroke care reduces CVD recurrence. Stroke outcomes are improved when treated as an emergency and access is provided to specialised acute care, rehabilitation and long-term support.  

Stroke is Europe’s 2nd biggest killer and the greatest cause of acquired long-term disability, responsible annually for 440,000 deaths and €60 billion in total costs. Yet prevention, acute care, rehabilitation, long-term support and research for stroke remain fragmented and under-resourced, leading to preventable deaths and disability. This perpetuates a sense of abandonment among survivors who face insufficient rehabilitation and community-based support. Investment in lifesaving interventions and research is essential and must go hand in hand with post-discharge services and support to ensure the lives saved are worth living.  

Our Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E) highlights 7 priorities to fully embed stroke in the EU CVH Plan:   

1. Shared risk factors and primary prevention. Support actions to tackle the primary drivers of preventable CVD, promote systematic screening for hypertension and atrial fibrillation, and facilitate the exchange of best practices on opportunistic screening in primary care.  
2. Organisation of acute services. Recommend Member States (MS) ensure timely access to dedicated accredited stroke units, including EU-wide guidelines and benchmarks on stroke unit access and provided care, supported by coordinated emergency services and validated pre-hospital identification tools.   
3. Management of acute incidents. Promote faster access to life-saving interventions such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy by encouraging MS to set targets for maximum time between hospital arrival and treatment, connect smaller hospitals with specialist centres, and use EU funding to strengthen imaging and treatment capacity across regions.  
4. Secondary prevention and follow-up. Recommend MS create outpatient services targeting secondary prevention of stroke which are integrated into broader cardiovascular prevention policies and provide structured follow-up and rapid access to preventative drugs, surgical/device interventions and non-pharmacological secondary prevention/ lifestyle advice.   
5. Rehabilitation. Help restore independence and quality of life, by promoting minimum standards for early and intensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitation across MS, facilitate knowledge-sharing on effective pathways, and mobilise EU4Health funding to expand community and outpatient rehabilitation services.  
6. Life after stroke. Recommend MS integrate long-term support (including mental health, return-to-work, and social reintegration) into national frameworks, incorporating the role of patient organisations in support and advocacy.  
7. Evaluation, quality improvement and research. Propose EU-level stroke registries and performance indicators, foster systematic outcome monitoring across the stroke pathway, and embed stroke within CVD research agendas to advance prevention, acute treatment, rehabilitation and life after stroke.  

Integrating stroke as a central issue in the EU CVH Plan will save lives, prevent disability and reduce costs. SAFE and ESO support these ambitions, including through our SAP-E, to ensure no one is left behind. 

Have Your Say: EU Cardiovascular Health Plan Consultation – Deadline 15 September

Aug 14, 2025

The European Commission has launched its public consultation on the EU Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan, and the deadline to respond is 15 September 2025. 

This consultation is a critical opportunity to ensure that stroke, from prevention and acute care to rehabilitation and life after stroke, is fully integrated into the EU’s future cardiovascular strategy. 

Why this matters 

Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, remain the leading cause of death and disability in Europe. The CVH Plan aims to: 

1. Prevent disease by addressing unhealthy behaviours and reducing risk factors 
2. Improve early detection and screening through EU-wide protocols, digital tools, and personalised treatment 
3. Enhance management, care, and rehabilitation, including non-medical long-term support for survivors 

The plan will also explore the potential of emerging technologies, data-driven approaches, artificial intelligence and the European Health Data Space to create more predictive, personalised and equitable care. 

How you can help 

SAFE encourages its members, partners and the wider stroke community to respond to the consultation. Your input will help highlight the burden of stroke in your country and the urgent need for stronger EU action. 

When submitting your feedback, you may wish to: 

• Provide data and examples from your national context 
• Suggest concrete actions and identify who should implement them 
• Emphasise the importance of long-term, non-medical support for people affected by stroke 
• Attach any relevant research or policy papers 

Submit your feedback 

To take part, click the button below and select ‘Give Feedback’

🗓 Deadline: 15 September 2025 

Let’s make sure stroke is a central part of the EU’s vision for cardiovascular health.  

Your voice matters.