Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading global cause of mortality and disability, with significant disparities observed across countries. This is particularly true in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), where populations are primarily at high and very high CVD risk. Highlighting modifiable risk factors underscores the urgent need for effective prevention programs. This paper introduces the European Program for Prevention (EPP), an initiative by the International Lipid Expert Panel (ILEP), designed to address these challenges. The EPP aims to enhance awareness and knowledge of validated preventive healthcare solutions implemented in CEE countries, showcase the region's potential for innovative strategies, and evaluate the adaptability of successful programs for broader implementation. The EPP strongly supports the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan, as well as initiatives by the World Heart Federation (WHF) and World Health Organization (WHO), by promoting best practices, early detection, integrated prevention frameworks, training, cross-border cooperation, and policy development. It advocates shifting healthcare priorities towards pre-disease prevention, thus reducing reliance on resource-intensive treatments. The program proposes an optimal CVD prevention system that includes mandatory health education, screening programs for familial hypercholesterolemia and universal Lp(a) screening, and comprehensive check-ups, notably integrated, comprehensive care programs. By leveraging existing validated programs and fostering collaboration, the EPP seeks to reduce the burden of CVD, improve outcomes, and promote cardiovascular health across Europe and beyond.

2nd Department of Cardiology of the East Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Faculty of Medicine Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice Kosice Slovakia

3rd Department of Internal Medicine Center of Preventive Cardiology University General Hospital Charles University Prague Prague Czech Republic

Cardiology Clinic UMBAL Saint Anna Sofia Medical University Sofia Sofia Bulgaria

Centre for Preventive Cardiology Department of Vascular Medicine University Medical Centre Ljubljana Slovenia

Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA

Clinic of Cardiology University Clinical Centre of Kosovo Prishtina Kosovo

Clinic of Pediatrics Clinical Center Nis Serbia

Clinical Cardiology Centre National Institute of Medicine of the Ministry of Interior and Administration Warszawa Poland

Department of Cardiology National Medical Institute of the Ministry of Interior and Administration Warszawa Poland

Department of Diabetes Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest Romania

Department of Diabetology Faculty of Medicine Slovak Medical University Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Institute of Medical Sciences University of Opole Poland

Department of Internal Medicine Division of Metabolic Diseases University Hospital Center Zagreb Zagreb Croatia

Department of Internal Medicine School of Medicine University of Zagreb Zagreb Croatia

Department of Preventive Cardiology and Lipidology Medical University of Lodz Lodz Poland

Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine UmeåUniversity Umeå Sweden

Department of Rehabilitation Faculty of Nursing Medical Academy Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Lithuania

Division of Metabolism Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary

Dyslipidaemia Department Institute of Cardiology AMS of Ukraine Kiev Ukraine

Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences University of Latvia Riga Latvia

Faculty of Medicine John Paul 2 Catholic University of Lublin Lublin Poland

Faculty of Medicine University of Ljubljana Slovenia

Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Research Center IBCVTIM Timisoara Romania

Institute of Clinical Medicine Faculty of Medicine Vilnius University Vilnius Lithuania

Institute of Medical Physiology Richard Burian Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia

Institute of Nutrition Faculty of Nursing and Health Professional Studies and Coordination Centre for Familial Hyperlipoproteinemias Slovak Medical University in Bratislava Bratislava Slovakia

Latvian Centre of Cardiology Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital Riga Latvia

Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education Warsaw Poland

Medical Faculty University of Nis Nis Serbia

Medical Faculty University of Prishtina University Clinical Centre of Kosova Prishtina Kosovo

North Estonia Medical Centre Tallinn University of Technology Tallinn Estonia

University and Emergency Hospital Bucharest Romania

University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Bucharest Romania

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