Respiratory diseases are one of Europe’s greatest health challenges. They are the third leading cause of death in the European Union and account for one in eight deaths each year. Yet, lung health has never been treated as a single policy priority.
Instead, it appears across many different areas. Air quality, tobacco control, healthcare, research, environmental policy and health inequalities all shape respiratory health. Each is important. But too often they are developed separately, without a shared strategy that connects them.
For people living with respiratory diseases, these are not separate issues. Prevention, early diagnosis, access to treatment, rehabilitation and healthy environments all influence their health every day. A more coordinated policy approach to lung health would better reflect that reality.
This is why the European Lung Health Group (ELHG) is calling for a European Lung Health Plan. The ELHG brings together patient organisations and healthcare professionals with a shared goal of making lung health a higher political priority in Europe.
The call comes at an important moment. In 2025, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted the first ever Resolution on Lung Health, recognising the need for stronger action on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term care. The Resolution provides a global commitment. Europe now has an opportunity to translate that commitment into coordinated action.
A European Lung Health Plan would provide the framework to do this. It would bring together action on prevention, clean air, tobacco and nicotine control, respiratory infections, earlier diagnosis, equitable access to treatment, pulmonary rehabilitation, research, innovation, investment and meaningful patient involvement. It would also encourage a Health in All Policies approach, recognising that decisions on housing, transport, workplaces and the environment all shape lung health.
This vision builds on the recommendations of the ELHG’s recent High-level Forum on Lung Health, which concluded that Europe already has many of the tools needed to improve respiratory health. What is still missing is a common framework that aligns these efforts behind shared priorities and long-term political commitment.
To help explain why this matters, the ELHG has developed a new infographic highlighting the case for a European Lung Health Plan, the opportunity created by the WHAResolution on Lung Health, and the priorities that could shape a more coordinated European approach.
Learn more in the Why Europe needs a European Lung Health Plan – infographic.