Rome, June 2026 - Public health leaders, policymakers, researchers and partners from across Europe will gather in Rome from 9 to 11 June for the JA PreventNCD General Assembly, hosted by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Italy’s National Institute of Health.
The meeting comes at an important moment for European health policy, as the EU strengthens its focus on cardiovascular health while continuing to work on cancer prevention and the wider prevention of non-communicable diseases. Antonio Parenti, Director for Public Health, Cancer and Health Security at DG SANTE, will open the meeting.
Joint Action PreventNCD is a major European public health collaboration involving 25 countries and more than 100 partners across Europe, including WHO/Europe. Co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme, the project receives €76 million in EU funding. The project supports countries in strengthening prevention policies, improving monitoring of non-communicable diseases and their common risk factors, reducing inequalities, and engaging key actors in prevention.
Italy is one of the partners in JA PreventNCD, with ISS contributing both as a key institution and through its work on social inequalities, monitoring, and various project activities. This is part of a broader Italian contribution to the Joint Action, with 14 Italian entities involved, including the Ministry of Health. Hosting the General Assembly in Rome reflects this strong engagement and provides an opportunity to connect JA PreventNCD’s work with wider European cooperation on prevention.
“Welcoming colleagues from across Europe to ISS in Rome is both a pleasure and a responsibility,” said Dr Giovanni Capelli, Istituto Superiore di Sanità. “Prevention depends on cooperation, shared evidence and the ability to learn from each other’s experiences. This General Assembly is an opportunity to bring that European collaboration to life and to show how Italy can contribute to stronger action on the determinants of chronic diseases.”
Non-communicable diseases remain the leading cause of death and disability in Europe, placing a major burden on people, health systems, economies and communities. Health promotion and disease prevention are the most cost-effective ways of addressing the significant burden of non-communicable diseases and their main risk factors.
Prevention works, and much of what needs to be done is already known. Reducing tobacco and alcohol harm, improving food environments, supporting physical activity and addressing inequalities can help prevent disease, strengthen health system resilience, and reduce long-term costs. The challenge now is implementation at scale, so that prevention becomes a stronger foundation for healthier communities, sustainable health systems and a more competitive Europe.
Building continuity across Europe’s prevention agenda
JA PreventNCD works in synergy with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the ‘Healthier Together’ EU non-communicable diseases initiative and the Safe Hearts Plan, which place strong emphasis on prevention, health determinants and reducing inequalities. This work now connects directly to Europe’s growing focus on cardiovascular health.
The joint action JACARDI, coordinated by ISS, focuses on cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and complements JA PreventNCD’s work on shared risk factors, prevention capacity and health determinants.
Together, the two Joint Actions provide practical experience and knowledge that can support the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan, the Safe Hearts Plan. Looking ahead, the upcoming Joint Action LifeLongPrevention is expected to help carry this work into the next phase of European cooperation on lifelong prevention, early detection and screening.
“PreventNCD and the Safe Hearts Plan are aligned in addressing the burden of cardiovascular diseases. Prevention is essential to reduce the long-term burden of cardiovascular disease,” said Marianne Takki, Head of Unit for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at DG SANTE. “By focusing on shared risk factors and health determinants, Joint Actions such as JA PreventNCD and JACARDI can help countries strengthen implementation, share knowledge and support the Safe Hearts Plan.”
The General Assembly programme includes sessions on the Safe Hearts Plan, NCD monitoring in evolving markets, Member State capacity for prevention, social inequalities, modernising tobacco control, healthier food environments, sustainability, and the investment case for NCD prevention.
“Prevention works, and we know many of the actions that can make a difference. The challenge is to implement them consistently and at scale,” said Linda Granlund, Project Coordinator of JA PreventNCD. “JA PreventNCD brings together 25 participating countries and more than 100 partners across Europe. By connecting knowledge, experience and implementation across countries, we can help make the whole greater than the sum of its parts and turn evidence into stronger prevention policies and healthier environments."
The meeting will help partners look ahead to the next phase of JA PreventNCD, including policy dialogue, capacity-building, communication and dissemination activities, and preparations for future European cooperation on chronic disease prevention.
For more information, visit the event page:
https://www.preventncd.eu/events/meeting/ja-preventncd-general-assembly/
About JA PreventNCD
JA PreventNCD is an EU co-funded Joint Action working to reduce the burden of cancer and other non-communicable diseases through action on health determinants, shared risk factors, prevention capacity and health equity. The project brings together 25 participating countries and more than 100 partners across Europe, including WHO/Europe.
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About Istituto Superiore di Sanità
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità is Italy’s National Institute of Health and a leading public health institution involved in research, surveillance, prevention, policy support and scientific coordination at national and European level.
