The European Lung Foundation (ELF), European Respiratory Society (ERS) and health partners across Europe ran Healthy Lungs for Life events to take part in the first-ever EU Screening Week, a European Commission initiative that promotes prevention, early detection and health education.
The campaign, which ran from 28 September to 4 October 2026 and was launched by Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, encouraged people across Europe to protect their health by learning about the steps they can take to prevent non-communicable conditions and how they can monitor their health throughout their lifetime with regular health checks, such as spirometry (lung function) tests.
Healthy Lungs for Life partners hosted activities in Belgium, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain, with events ranging from free lung function testing to public information sessions offering expert advice on smoking cessation, air quality and vaccination.
On 28, 29 and 30 September in Brussels, working with the Belgian Lung Foundation, more than 300 people received a lung health check outside the European Commission headquarters, including members of the public and European Commissioners.
On 30 September in Poland, the Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients Associations ran Polish Spirometry Day, providing over 500 free lung health checks in Wrocław, Kraków and Katowice, alongside six additional cities.
In Greece, three days of lung health events were held in Vyronas (28 and 29 September) and Argyroupolis (30 September), with support from MEP Nikos Papandreou and the Mayor of Vyronas, where nearly 300 people received a lung health check.
In Romania, between 28 September and 2 October, more than 300 people received a free lung health check across five Ana Maria pharmacies in Bucharest, organised by the Romanian Society of Pneumology with support from the Romanian Society of Cardiology and COPAC.
On 2 October in Italy, more than 120 people were offered a lung health check in front of Palazzo Moroni in Padua.
In Spain, on 29 September, a lung health event took place at Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, where almost 60 people were tested.
These opportunities gave people the chance to understand more about their lung health and learn how to prevent lung conditions.
For more than a decade, Healthy Lungs for Life, a collaborative initiative of the European Lung Foundation ELF and the European Respiratory Society, has supported events and projects that help people learn more about their lungs and take action to protect their lung health.
EU Screening Week demonstrated how organisations across Europe worked together to make lung health checks accessible and to promote the importance of including lung health screening alongside other routine health assessments.
To learn more about Healthy Lungs for Life and find resources for running lung health activities, visit the campaign website.
