16 April 2026
The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) held its Spring Quarterly Meeting on 31 March, bringing together national coalition partners from across the network for updates, discussion, and planning.
Exploring the EU Safe Hearts Plan and opportunities for respiratory health
The session welcomed Sophie Millar from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), who presented the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan — known as the Safe Hearts Plan — launched in December 2025.
The presentation covered how the ESC, working in partnerships with the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health, helped bring the plan from advocacy to policy reality — a journey that saw cardiovascular health become an EU Presidency priority for the first time in the EU’s 30-year history, culminating in unanimous adoption by all Ministers of Health in December 2024. The plan focuses on prevention of major risk factors, supporting member states to develop national cardiovascular health plans by 2027, and modernising EU tobacco control legislation.
A key theme of the discussion was the opportunity the Safe Hearts Plan presents for respiratory health. Partners explored how the cardiovascular agenda could serve as inspiration, and a potential entry point, for advancing respiratory priorities, particularly in policy areas that cut across disease boundaries, such as prevention, early detection, and the management of comorbidities.
National coalition update: improving early interventions in COPD
Ophir Freund from the Israeli Respiratory Coalition shared an ongoing pilot project bringing together cardiologists and pulmonologists to improve care for people hospitalised with COPD. The starting point was a clear gap: people with COPD are at much higher risk of heart problems, but these are often missed or left untreated during a hospital stay.
The team reviewed patient records and found that most COPD patients hadn’t had basic heart checks, and that even when heart conditions were identified, they rarely made it into the discharge letter. A small pilot with 10 patients found four previously undiagnosed conditions and led to five changes in treatment — enough to justify a full trial.
That resulting trial, called the CATCH study (Cardiovascular Assessment and Treatment During COPD Hospitalization), aims to test what happens when a cardiologist joins the usual respiratory team during a COPD admission. Recruitment of 150 patients is now complete, with results expected by the end of 2026 and plans for wider rollout from January 2027.
Introducing the IRC Advocacy Checklist
The IRC team was pleased to introduce the IRC Advocacy Checklist during the meeting – a new practical tool to help national coalitions plan and progress their advocacy work in a structured way.
The checklist aims to guide coalitions through assessing the policy landscape in their country, identifying where opportunities exist, and deciding where to focus their efforts, spanning prevention and diagnosis through to workforce and data. It also includes guidance on identifying political champions and how to engage them effectively.
A first version is already available, with a more interactive version in development. Coalition partners are encouraged to review the checklist and share feedback with the IRC team to help shape future versions.
Upcoming meetings
We look forward to connecting with IRC national coalitions at forthcoming events:
- IRC National Coalitions Annual Workshop: Turning Commitments into Action | 5–6 May in Brussels, Belgium
- World Asthma Day: National Respiratory Strategies in Action – a joint event of the IRC and the Belgian national coalition | 5 May in Brussels, Belgium
- IRC Quarterly Meetings | Online:
- Summer: 23 June
- Autumn: 27 October