Respiratory community to host Healthy Lungs for Life events across Europe in first EU Screening Week

The European Commission is launching EU Screening Week from 28 September to 4 October 2026, uniting organisations behind a common goal to enable more people to know their health numbers and take a proactive approach to their health.

Coinciding with World Heart Day on 29 September, the new initiative aims to raise awareness of prevention, health screening and early detection, encouraging people to better understand their health and identify potential risks sooner.

A role for the respiratory community

Healthy Lungs for Life is a collaborative initiative of the European Lung Foundation and the European Respiratory Society. Working with patients, healthcare professionals and civil society organisations at national level and regional level, it combines scientific evidence, public engagement and advocacy to promote lung health and highlight the issues that contribute to it.

Through Healthy Lungs for Life, respiratory organisations can help ensure that lung health is represented in this Europe-wide initiative. Activities could range from lung function testing and breathing checks to awareness campaigns, education sessions and community outreach.

These activities can encourage people to take action for their health and highlight the role of lung health checks within routine care.

The European Lung Foundation (ELF) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) are encouraging respiratory organsations, healthcare providers, patient groups and community organisations to take part in EU Screening Week through the Healthy Lungs for Life (HLfL) campaign.

Why does this matter for lung health?

Healthy lungs and healthy hearts are closely connected. Many of the factors that affect cardiovascular health, including smoking, air pollution and physical inactivity, can also affect lung health.

Early detection can help identify health problems before they become more serious. However, lung health checks are not routinely included in many prevention and screening programmes.

EU Screening Week provides an opportunity for the respiratory community to raise awareness of lung health, promote prevention and early detection, and highlight the importance of including lung health checks alongside other routine health assessments.

By taking part, respiratory organisations can help build support for the inclusion of lung health checks within routine healthcare and reinforce the importance of considering lung health alongside cardiovascular health in future European prevention and screening initiatives.

Find out more

Organisations and individuals who would like to hold an event will need to register it with the European Commission website by 20 September 2026. They can then download a free HLfL event and branding toolkit. All organised activities will be recorded on the Commission’s website, which will display all screening activities taking place across Europe.

Register your event and download our Healthy Lungs for Life toolkit