This newsletter was published in December 2025. If you want to receive the latest news from the project straight to your email inbox, you can register here. The monthly newsletter is also available on LinkedIn and you can sign up here to receive it.
December has brought major developments for NCD prevention at EU and global level. In this edition, we share a year-end greeting from our coordinators, our response to the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan (the Safe Hearts Plan), and a joint call with WHO and JACARDI to strengthen Europe’s NCD monitoring systems. You will also find our statement on the Global Declaration on NCDs and mental health, highlights from a special journal issue featuring JA PreventNCD work, and the latest Youth Advisory Group updates, including a reminder that applications for the 2026 cohort close on 23 December.
JA PreventNCD 2025 Year-End Greeting
End-year greeting from Linda Granlund, Project Coordinator and Knut-Inge Klepp, Scientific Coordinator of the JA PreventNCD.
EU Cardiovascular Health Plan: JA PreventNCD welcomes the Safe Hearts Plan
JA PreventNCD welcomes the European Commission’s EU Cardiovascular Health Plan (the Safe Hearts Plan) and its strong focus on shifting Europe’s response from treatment towards prevention across the life course. Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death and disability in the EU, and the need for more decisive, coordinated action is urgent.
We particularly welcome the Plan’s structured approach across the cardiovascular pathway, and its emphasis on life-course prevention, stronger action on modifiable risk factors, early detection and screening, and a clearer focus on reducing inequalities between countries, regions and population groups.
At the same time, we underline that the prevention ambition will only be realised if it is backed by sustained investment and if population-level approaches remain central alongside individual-level tools.
Read our press release for JA PreventNCD’s key takeaways and considerations for implementation.
Five decisive actions to transform Europe’s NCD monitoring systems
A new policy paper published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe calls for decisive action to strengthen how Europe monitors noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health. Developed jointly by JA PreventNCD, JACARDI and WHO/Europe, it highlights why stronger monitoring is essential for better decisions, accountability, and more effective prevention, because what gets measured gets prioritised.
The paper sets out five priority actions to help countries build monitoring systems that are stronger, fairer and more useful for policymaking:
- Collect inclusive, disaggregated data so inequalities are visible and can be addressed
- Strengthen governance, legal frameworks and sustained investment
- Embed monitoring in real-time policymaking to improve accountability and impact
- Ensure meaningful participation, including civil society and people with lived experience
- Boost multisector collaboration, knowledge exchange and capacity building
JA PreventNCD welcomes the Global Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health
JA PreventNCD welcomes the adoption of the new global political declaration on the prevention and control of NCDs and the promotion of mental health and well-being. The declaration reinforces the need to accelerate progress towards reducing premature mortality from NCDs by 2030, and it calls for integrated action across the life course that tackles major risk factors and the wider determinants of health.
Our statement highlights three key points:
- The declaration sends a clear message that prevention is essential, and sustained support is crucial now that JA PreventNCD is midway through its work.
- Progress depends on whole-of-government and whole-of-society action, addressing tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and air pollution, alongside social and economic determinants.
- Stronger data, surveillance, accountability and equity are needed to reduce inequalities and prioritise what works.
Special journal issue: the foundations of JA PreventNCD
A special issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health brings together papers that describe the scientific and strategic foundations of JA PreventNCD and how the Joint Action is designed to help scale up prevention across Europe.
To complement the issue, we also published an interview with Professor Knut-Inge Klepp, Scientific Coordinator of JA PreventNCD, reflecting on why prevention needs stronger political focus in Europe right now and how the Joint Action is building practical tools and structures to support long-term impact.
In the special issue and interview, you can explore:
- How JA PreventNCD is structured across countries and work streams
- How equity, youth engagement and commercial determinants of health are built into the overall approach
- How the project connects to broader EU and global prevention efforts, and what is needed to translate evidence into action
News from the Youth Advisory Group
Youth engagement is a core part of JA PreventNCD’s work and long-term sustainability. Here are two quick updates from the Youth Advisory Group (YAG).
Youth Advisory Group 2026 cohort: applications close 23 December
Are you 18–35 and based in Europe? We are inviting young people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to join the JA PreventNCD Youth Advisory Group (YAG) for 2026. If you want to help shape prevention work at EU level, we would love to hear from you. Apply by 23 December.
Youth Chapter proposal selected for an EU Health Policy Platform Thematic Network
We are pleased to share that the JA PreventNCD Youth Chapter proposal has been selected as a Thematic Network on the EU Health Policy Platform, supporting stronger youth participation in European health policy and prevention efforts.
Thank you for following JA PreventNCD in 2025! Thank you for following JA PreventNCD throughout 2025 and for your continued interest in strengthening NCD prevention and health equity across Europe. We look forward to continuing this work together in 2026 and to sharing further updates, resources and results from across the Joint Action.
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