On World Cancer Day

B100142/2026

European Parliament resolution on World Cancer Day

(2026/2586(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to World Cancer Day, marked annually on 4 February,

– having regard to Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to its resolution of 16 February 2022 entitled ‘Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer – towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy’,

– having regard to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan,

– having regard to relevant Council conclusions and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on cancer prevention and control,

– having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 3 on good health and well-being,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 10 June 2008 on reducing the burden of cancer,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Article 35 thereof, on healthcare,

– having regard to the Council Recommendation of 9 December 2022 on strengthening prevention through early detection: a new EU approach on cancer screening replacing Council Recommendation 2003/878/EC,

– having regard to the report published by the WHO in 2020 entitled ‘Alcohol and cancer in the WHO European Region: An appeal for better prevention’,

– having regard to Rule 167(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas every year in the EU, 2.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer, and cancer kills another 1.3 million people;

B. whereas cancer-related health spending in the EU has doubled since 1995 (from EUR 54 billion to EUR 120 billion in 2023), accounting for 6.9 % of total health expenditure in 2023; whereas by 2050, an increase in the number of cancer cases, linked to population ageing, is expected to lead to per-capita spending on cancer being 59 % higher in real terms in the EU27 countries;

C. whereas according to the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), at least 40 % of all cancer cases could be prevented with effective primary prevention measures; whereas the main risk factors for cancer include all use of all tobacco products, alcohol consumption, an unhealthy diet, obesity, a lack of physical activity, environmental exposures, including to PFAS and endocrine disruptors, occupational exposures, air pollutant concentrations, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and infections (e.g. hepatitis B and C viruses and some types of human papillomavirus);

D. whereas alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive and dependence-producing substance, classified decades ago by the IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen; whereas 4.1 % of all new cancer cases worldwide in 2020 were attributable to alcohol consumption; whereas a study cited by the WHO concludes that no level of alcohol consumption is safe with regard to cancer prevention and underscores the need to reflect this evidence in the design and implementation of cancer prevention policies;

E. whereas tobacco use is by far the largest preventable cause of cancer in the EU, being responsible for almost 20 % of all cancer-related deaths in 2021;

F. whereas according to the WHO and the IARC, increased consumption of plant-based foods supports cancer prevention, while the overconsumption of meat, ultra-processed foods and products high in sugars, salt and fats, as well as exposure to harmful food contaminants, should be addressed;

G. whereas environmental pollution and exposure to carcinogens disproportionately affect marginalised and lowincome communities;

H. whereas the IARC highlights socioeconomic inequalities as a major determinant of cancer outcomes, both between and within countries, with lower socioeconomic status being associated with higher cancer mortality for many types of cancer, and current efforts to address these disparities remaining insufficient; whereas despite progress, significant inequalities persist between and within Member States in terms of prevention, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and palliative care;

I. whereas according to the report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission entitled ‘Delivering High-Value Cancer Care’, cancer diagnoses among younger people (aged 15-49) have increased, particularly among women; whereas this trend means that a growing number of people – in particular younger women – are living with a cancer diagnosis that requires long-term treatment and monitoring, thereby placing sustained pressure on health and social care systems;

J. whereas cancer is one of the leading causes of premature mortality among women globally, with 2.3 million women dying prematurely from cancer each year; whereas 1.5 million of those deaths could be prevented through primary prevention or early detection, and a further 800,000 deaths could be averted if all women had access to optimal cancer care; whereas systemic gender inequalities persist in cancer care, research and policymaking, influencing priorities, funding and the focus of studies, thereby perpetuating gender disparities in health outcomes;

K. whereas rare cancers account for more than one in five cancer diagnoses in the EU and are associated with delayed detection, limited treatment options, scarce clinical expertise and major crossborder inequalities; whereas addressing rare cancers requires strong EUlevel coordination, dedicated funding and reinforced European Reference Networks;

L. whereas Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan provides a strong framework, but its implementation requires renewed political commitment, funding and coordination;

M. whereas Parliament adopted a resolution on 16 February 2022 on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer;

1. Marks World Cancer Day on 4 February, expressing its solidarity with all patients, survivors, families, healthcare professionals and researchers across Europe who are affected by and working to prevent, treat and combat cancer;

2. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to renew their political commitment to the full implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, through the full period of the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF), ensuring consistency, adequate funding and concrete national action, with annual reporting mechanisms and improved transparency on implementation gaps; calls on the Commission to take due account of Member States’ best practice and experience as part of its efforts to achieve the targets set out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan;

3. Regrets the fact that the 2028-2034 MFF does not have dedicated funding for health; calls for a specific EU health programme, with a dedicated envelope, to protect public health and support patient and civil society participation in policymaking; stresses that dedicated funding is necessary to deliver flagship EU health initiatives that require multiannual continuity and implementation capacity, such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which needs predictable investment to translate commitments into delivery in practice;

4. Calls on the Commission and the Council to recognise health and cancer care as social investment objectives that can be achieved through investment in national recovery and resilience plans, including support for long-term oncology infrastructure such as vaccination and screening programmes, workforce development and robust oncology data systems;

5. Stresses the importance of fully integrating gender-related differences into cancer research, prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment; encourages the development and implementation of targeted and evidence-based strategies to ensure effective and equitable access to early detection, timely diagnosis and high-quality cancer care;

6. Stresses that paediatric cancer, while rare, is a high-burden disease and is marked by significant survival and access inequalities across Europe; calls on the Commission and the Member States to enhance EU-level cooperation on and funding for paediatric oncology research, data sharing and clinical trials, to boost drug development and access to innovation for children and adolescents with cancer, to strengthen paediatric and adolescent cancer networks and infrastructure, and to ensure timely cross-border referral to specialised centres through European Reference Networks; further calls for equitable access to innovative and age-appropriate treatments and diagnostics to be guaranteed, and for comprehensive long-term follow-up care to be provided, including psychosocial, educational and social support for children, adolescents, young adult survivors and their families;

7. Calls for the promotion of geriatric oncology as a branch of healthcare that deserves special consideration and funding, and that needs to be strengthened by scientific research to ascertain the best treatment and diagnostic methods for older patients;

8. Stresses the fact that patients still face many difficulties in accessing high-quality public healthcare services; calls, therefore, for the creation of high-quality infrastructure for the delivery of treatment, based on European guidelines and in line with the latest scientific evidence;

9. Calls for stronger mechanisms to facilitate cross-border access to specialised cancer care and clinical trials, particularly for rare and complex cancers, in full alignment with the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive;

10. Reiterates the need to ensure fair, timely and affordable access to oncological medicines and innovative therapies across the EU; notes, with concern, the persistent disparities in patient access to such medicines and therapies among Member States, despite EU market authorisation, with disparities affecting smaller markets in particular; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, to facilitate voluntary joint procurement where appropriate, to promote price transparency in line with national competences, to support earlier market entry and to address unjustified delays between authorisation by the European Medicines Agency and patient access, particularly for life-saving cancer treatments;

11. Calls on the Commission to support the Member States in implementing the Council Recommendation on cancer screening and the Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers, with a view to supporting countries in strengthening cancer prevention and early detection efforts;

12. Calls on the Commission to ensure strong alignment and complementarity between Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and any future European action on diseases, including the ‘Safe Hearts Plan’ and action on rare diseases;

13. Stresses that achieving targets on cancer prevention, including by implementing measures to reduce exposure to risk factors, such as all use of tobacco, alcohol consumption, an unhealthy diet and food-related risks, environmental contaminants, air pollutants and exposure to harmful materials and substances, such as carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, including PFAS and endocrine disruptors, as well as advancing the ‘One Health’ approach and an exposome agenda, are complementary to efforts to prevent other non-communicable diseases; recalls its strong support for the goal of achieving a ‘tobaccofree generation’, as set out in the plan put forward by its Special Committee on Beating Cancer, which aims to reduce tobacco use to below 5 % of the population by 2040;

14. Stresses the importance of tackling health-related disinformation and misinformation, particularly regarding cancer prevention, screening, vaccination and treatment; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen evidence-based public communication, support health literacy and promote cooperation with healthcare professionals, researchers, patient organisations and digital platforms so as to ensure that citizens have access to reliable and scientifically sound information, while fully respecting freedom of expression;

15. Calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to protect cancer survivors across the EU from financial discrimination, including through the effective promotion of the right to be forgotten, and urges the Member States to adopt binding legislation to enshrine this right nationally; insists that the Commission build on the 2023 Consumer Credit Directive to continue strengthening the right of cancer survivors to be forgotten; calls for a harmonised framework that guarantees access for cancer survivors to financial services, including mortgages, loans and insurance; insists that the forthcoming 2026 guidance for financial undertakings be swiftly followed by legislative measures to close remaining gaps, ensuring that no cancer survivor faces discrimination on account of their medical history;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the relevant international organisations and the relevant stakeholders.