As Europe observes Screening Week 2026, the EU-backed JACARDI project is pioneering new pilot schemes across 18 countries to identify and tackle heart disease and diabetes earlier, emphasising scalable and equitable screening approaches.
As Europe marks Screening Week 2026, a senior figure behind one of the EU’s biggest prevention projects is arguing that the most effective way to cut heart disease and diabetes is to find risk earlier and make sure people are not lost after a test. Benedetta Armocida, coordinator of the EU-backed Joint Action JACARDI, told HaDEA that the programme was designed to tackle cardiovascular disease and diabetes together, because the two conditions often share the same drivers and frequently appear in the same patients. The European Commission says cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the EU, and the new Safe Hearts Plan is intended to give the bloc its first broad framework for prevention, detection and treatment.
JACARDI brings together 18 EU countries, plus Norway, Iceland and Ukraine, with support of €53 million from the EU4Health programme. The Commission says it has invested more than €160 million through EU4Health to help member states and stakeholders address the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the project, the work is built around a life-course approach: helping people understand risk, improving the quality of health information, and strengthening the ability of services to identify those who may need follow-up before illness takes hold.
The project’s most visible work is happening through 143 pilot schemes across Europe, including 19 focused on screening in 11 countries. Those pilots are being tested in both clinical and community settings, and they cover everyone from children to older adults. Some use opportunistic checks, others follow age- or risk-based models, while others rely on surveys or public awareness campaigns. Among the examples highlighted by the project are school-based prevention work in Spain, adolescent health-literacy schemes in Czechia and Spain, mobile units in Hungary, community nursing outreach in Romania, online risk assessment linked to lifestyle support in Belgium, and a migrant-focused project in Portugal.
Armocida said JACARDI is looking not only at whether an intervention works, but also whether it can be absorbed into routine services and sustained once grant funding ends. That emphasis on scalability matters, because the project is trying to avoid creating one-off success stories that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The team also says equity is being built into the design from the outset, with particular attention to groups that are often missed by standard health services, including migrants, rural residents and people with lower health literacy.
The evidence emerging from the pilots is already shaping policy thinking. The Commission says JACARDI has fed practical insight into its proposal for a Council recommendation on cardiovascular health checks, including work on how checks might be tailored for lower-income communities, rural populations and people less likely to seek care. A screening guide produced by the joint action has also informed the discussion. Armocida said preliminary findings from Italy’s CUORE survey, which forms part of the project, showed that many people with raised blood pressure were unaware of it, with even lower awareness among younger men. That gap, she said, underlines why “know your numbers” campaigns matter: a measurement is only useful if it leads to assessment, referral and care.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
