Sophia Antipolis, 23 January 2015: The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has been elected to head the secretariat of the European Chronic Disease Alliance (ECDA) for the next two years.
The announcement comes as the ECDA holds its first meeting of 2015 in Brussels today.
Professor Johan De Sutter, cardiologist in Ghent, Belgium, will chair the ECDA in 2015 and 2016 on behalf of ESC. He said:
“Over the two year period our main goal will be to advocate for the establishment of a comprehensive European Union (EU) framework on chronic diseases by 2017. In parallel, we will continue to provide scientific evidence for policy makers on risk factors for chronic diseases including tobacco, poor diet and low physical activity to help them tackle these issues in legislation. Crucial topics in the EU pipeline include air quality and trans fatty acids. ”
Professor Frans Van de Werf, chair of the ESC European Affairs Committee, said:
“The ESC welcomes the chance to hold the secretariat of the ECDA and appreciates the confidence of the membership in electing us to the role. The ESC was a founding member of the ECDA in 2010 and will sustain current efforts to promote health as a key priority for decision makers across the EU.”
ENDS
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.