“Check against delivery”
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Thank you very much for the invitation to be here with you today, possibly one of my final events after five years as European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
Five years that allowed myself to be in the privileged position to serve the health of EU citizens.
The stars were aligned with President von der Leyen having cancer as a top political priority entrusting me with presenting the first Cancer Plan for Europe.
This was a mandate that left nothing unchanged, that saw a global pandemic change the world, change societies, economies, cost lives, throw us into a world of uncertainty.
But the focus on the need to prioritise Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan was unwavering. And it was this Plan that created the momentum that led to unprecedented cooperation between countries, stakeholders, and institutions.
By joining forces, to a large extent thanks to you present here today even through those darkest days of the pandemic, we aimed high and we are reaching far.
What better occasion than the European Cancer Summit, to share with you and to see how we can continue moving forward and address the challenges of cancer with the greatest resolve that characterises us all.
We face many health challenges, now and in the future.
Member States and citizens need to be strong and well-prepared for these challenges.
This is why, in the aftermath of the pandemic, we have built a strong European Health Union.
The past years have made abundantly clear that EU solidarity and collaboration are key to safeguarding public health and thus we have laid the foundations for better resilience and stronger public health infrastructure.
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is a central part of the European Health Union.
Cancer remains one of our most pressing public health challenges claiming 1.3 million lives in the EU each year.
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan aims to change the realities for cancer patients and their families, for the cancer community, for European citizens.
We launched a record number of projects, 46 to be precise, in areas ranging from prevention, early detection and cancer care to quality of life.
Several standout such as the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 Project, which is about improving quality of life for patients through teamwork and care through it’s training healthcare teams in 100 cancer centres across Europe.
Using technology we are developing SmartCare, which is about developing a mobile app to support the health and well-being of people with a history of cancer while the PROTECT-EUROPE looks at boosting human papillomavirus vaccination rates in EU citizens to eliminate cervical cancers and other related cancers.
All these projects are coordinated by the European Cancer Organisation and show that collaborating with the oncology community is essential to make the Cancer Plan a success.
We have set the stage for further advances in prevention, early detection and care as well as quality of life.
When it comes to quality of life when we started this mandate and before the Plan, only five countries in the EU had laws or voluntary initiatives on the right to be forgotten. Today there are twelve and more Member States are discussing possible actions to enshrine this right.
Discrimination in access to financial services for those with lived cancer experience is simply unacceptable. We have reached an important step, firstly by raising awareness about this and secondly by now having 12 Member States that have actions but there is still a long way to go.
I would like to see that these discussions continue being taken forward during the next mandate as well.
Member States and stakeholders are now also working together to improve and extend cancer screening programmes across the EU with the new updated recommendations on cancer screening and funding under the EU4Health Programme, but we still have huge inequalities in access to screening across the EU.
Member States are also preparing to launch the first and groundbreaking EU Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres to improve access to cancer diagnosis and treatment across the EU. And the Cancer Plan is about equity and reducing inequalities.
We are determined to continue down this path because we know that the alarming reality is that cancer cases are predicted to rise significantly by 2040.
This could of course affects patients, healthcare systems and society and we cannot sit back.
Dear friends,
This is the first time a region has united on this scale to tackle cancer together.
This has created a model for how to work on health. And I hope it will inspire other countries and regions to adopt similar strategies. We have been working with other countries, you need to work globally to address cancer.
I hope that this will provides a blueprint for managing other non-communicable diseases.
We can all be proud of all the work that we have set in motion together to ensure more equitable access to screening, diagnosis, treatment and care.
But pride is only a fleeting feeling of the moment. We should allow ourselves that but only for that fleeting moment, because the reality is that we have much to do much more to fully implement the plans goals, to ensure equity, and equality of access across the EU for all, cancer patients.
We have to keep up the momentum. Not just now, but well into the future. And by this I lso mean the political momentum.
This requires the commitment of the cancer community, from researchers and healthcare providers to civil society organisations, the commitment of each and every one of us.
Because together, we have the power to reduce the burden of cancer.
Friends,
The theme chosen for this year’s conference could not be more fitting: United Against Cancer: Forging New Frontiers.
Unity is our strength. New Frontiers are what we need to reach.
By gathering like this — sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, and learning from one another — we move forward together.
This is possibly one of my final speeches as Commissioner.
And I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the strong partnership in working towards implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer plan.
We still have much to do. To reach new frontiers!
Thank you.
Source – EU Commission