Summary Report on “Safe Hearts, Safe Kidneys” high-level event in the European Parliament

Hosted by MEP Michalis Hadjipantela at the European Parliament in Brussels, the Safe Kidneys, Safe Hearts event on 3 March 2026 brought together policymakers, clinicians and patient advocates to highlight the central role of cardio-renal-metabolic (CRM) health in Europe’s chronic disease agenda and to launch the drive for a European Parliament Resolution on Kidney Health.

Speakers stressed the strong links between kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension, underscoring the need to integrate kidney health into the EU’s emerging cardiovascular policy framework, including the EU’s Safe Hearts Plan. Discussions highlighted that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent yet largely underdiagnosed, with 80–90% of patients unaware they have the condition despite the availability of simple, low-cost screening tools such as albuminuria testing. Participants emphasised that earlier detection and coordinated prevention could significantly reduce cardiovascular complications, improve patient outcomes and generate substantial health system savings.

Download the report on “Safe Hearts, Safe Kidneys: Elevating Kidney Health on the EU Agenda” event

The event also exposed persistent structural gaps across European health systems, including fragmented care pathways, inconsistent screening and reimbursement practices, and gaping inequalities in access to quality care for kidney failure, reflecting limited policy prioritisation.

Participants called for stronger EU-wide action, including better integration of kidney health within the Safe Hearts Plan, joint screening programmes for cardiovascular, metabolic and kidney diseases, and follow-up to the 2024 European Council Conclusions on organ donation and transplantation. They also called for the meaningful inclusion of patient voices in policy design to ensure kidney health is addressed across the full continuum of care – from prevention and early detection to treatment and long-term management. Building on this momentum, participants encouraged the European Parliament’s adoption of a Resolution on Kidney Health.

Key Takeaways

1. Kidney Health is no longer a niche issue, but it is central to EU’s chronic disease agenda: the event made clear that kidney disease cannot remain on the margin of EU health policy. It sits at the heart of the cardio-renal-metabolic (CRM) triangle, deeply interconnected with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.
   With CKD projected to become the 5th leading cause of death globally, the political message must be strong: it is not a partisan issue, it is a patient issue.
2. Early detection is the biggest missed opportunity in EU health systems: Up to 80–90% of people with CKD are unaware they have it. Yet kidney disease is largely preventable and treatable when detected early. Simple and low-cost tools such as albuminuria testing exist and are available.
   The economic argument is equally important: €45 saved for every €1 invested, and billions in avoided cardiovascular hospitalisations.
   The problem is not the lack of tools, but the lack of systematic implementation, reimbursement consistency, and awareness.
3. Fragmented care is failing patients: From a patient perspective, kidney disease exposes one of the most urgent systemic weaknesses: siloed care. Patients move between cardiologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists, and primary care physicians often without coordination. Polypharmacy, duplicate prescriptions, and conflicting advice are common.
   Kidney and heart diseases worsen each other, so integrated cardio-renal-metabolic pathways are a clinical necessity.
   Shared electronic health records, joint clinics, medication reconciliation and structured patient education should become standard practice.
4. The momentum for kidney is building but implementation is the real test: Between the WHO Kidney Health Resolution, the Safe Hearts amendments, and growing political recognition, kidney health is gaining visibility. However, visibility must translate into concrete policy levers including:
   1. Stronger and explicit integration of kidney health within the Safe Hearts Plan
   2. A dedicated EU Parliament resolution on kidney health to formally recognise its burden
   3. Update of the 1^st EU action plan on organ donation and transplantation, including support for living donors
   4. Joint screening programs for CKD, CVD and diabetes across Member States
   5. National CKD strategies and harmonised standards to reduce inequalities in access and reimbursement
   6. Real inclusion of patient voices in policy design.