EU Parliament Approves Ambitious Cancer Action Plan with 10,05 Billion Euro Funding Commitment
The European Parliament’s Health Committee (SANT) has adopted a resolution outlining a comprehensive strategy to combat cancer across the EU, securing 27 votes in favor, 8 against, and 5 abstentions. The plan prioritizes prevention, early detection, and equitable treatment access, with a key demand for at least 10,05 billion euros in dedicated health funding over the next EU budget cycle, including 2,5 billion euros specifically for cancer-related initiatives.
Cancer Prevention: Targeting Tobacco, Alcohol, and Diet
The resolution emphasizes prevention as the most cost-effective long-term strategy against cancer. It calls for urgent updates to EU tobacco legislation to regulate emerging products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches. Measures include plain packaging requirements, flavor restrictions to curb youth appeal, mandatory ingredient disclosure, and a ban on online nicotine sales to minors.
Alcohol consumption also faces stricter scrutiny. The committee demands clear health warnings on all alcoholic beverages and advocates for a zero-alcohol strategy for minors, alongside EU-wide initiatives to limit alcohol advertising and marketing. A unified European nutrition label system, based on scientific evidence, is proposed to address diet-related cancer risks.
Early Detection and Treatment Equity
Members of the SANT committee highlighted persistent disparities in cancer care across EU member states, urging equal access to screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Priority cancers—breast, cervical, and prostate—will remain central to national screening programs. The resolution supports integrating AI-assisted diagnostic tools, which have shown promising results, into existing screening systems.
The plan also mandates that 90% of cancer patients access integrated oncology centers by 2030, with calls for voluntary joint procurement of anticancer drugs to ensure equitable pricing. A reliable invitation and follow-up system for patients with positive test results is prioritized.
Quality of Life and Patient-Centered Care
The resolution includes provisions to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors and patients. It advocates for workplace reintegration programs, psychological support, and full implementation of the “right to be forgotten” to protect patients’ privacy. Pediatric cancer patients are granted special attention, with demands for cross-border access to innovative treatments and clinical trials.
Vlad Voiculescu, the Romanian Renew group rapporteur, emphasized the plan’s potential to save half a million lives annually: “With this report, we demand stronger prevention, solid funding, and patient-centered care. The European Cancer Plan could save half a million lives each year,” he stated.
Context and Urgency
Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the EU, with one in two citizens expected to develop the disease in their lifetime. The resolution emphasizes the need for a coordinated response to reduce preventable deaths.
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