EU-Beating Cancer Plan

EU-Beating Cancer Plan
Name	EU-Beating Cancer Plan
Date	2021
Jurisdiction	European Union
Commissioner	Ursula von der Leyen
Type	Strategy

EU-Beating Cancer Plan is a comprehensive European Commission initiative launched in 2021 under the European Green Deal and the Von der Leyen Commission agenda to reduce cancer incidence and improve outcomes across the EU. The plan aligns with policy instruments such as the EU4Health Programme, the European Semester, and the Digital Single Market strategy to coordinate measures across member states including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland. It interfaces with pan-European bodies like the European Medicines Agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the World Health Organization regional office for Europe.

Background and objectives

The plan emerged from prior frameworks including the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan preparatory processes, drawing on policy precedents set by the European Parliament resolutions, the Council of the European Union conclusions, and recommendations from advisory bodies such as the European Cancer Organisation and the European Oncology Nursing Society. Its stated objectives mirror targets found in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 and echo commitments in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the Paris Agreement through links to prevention, early detection, and survivorship. The initiative seeks to reduce cancer cases and deaths across diverse populations in Romania, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, and Netherlands by promoting screening programs, vaccination campaigns like those for human papillomavirus aligned with GAVI priorities, and research investments similar to Horizon Europe funding models.

Key components and interventions

Core components include primary prevention measures influenced by the World Health Organization’s Best Buys, secondary prevention via screening pilots inspired by the European Cancer Screening Network, and tertiary care improvements reflecting standards from the European Society for Medical Oncology and the European Association of Urology. Interventions encompass tobacco control policies referencing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, alcohol harm reduction comparable to Global Alcohol Strategies, occupational exposure limits akin to International Labour Organization conventions, and environmental carcinogen reduction linked to the REACH Regulation and Industrial Emissions Directive. The plan promotes vaccination efforts that coordinate with European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control guidance and pharmacological innovations channeled through the European Medicines Agency and clinical trial frameworks like those used in Horizon 2020 projects. There are provisions for workforce development that echo training initiatives by the European Commission and professional organisations such as the European Society of Radiology and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer.

Governance, funding and implementation

Governance mechanisms coordinate the European Commission directorates-general, national ministries of health in Belgium, Austria, Portugal, and Czech Republic, and agencies like the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and European Medicines Agency. Funding streams leverage the EU4Health Programme, contributions from the European Investment Bank, and grants via Horizon Europe, while implementation relies on national action plans comparable to those under the European Semester process and joint procurement arrangements modeled on EU joint procurement for medical countermeasures. Cross-border healthcare provisions intersect with the Cross-border Healthcare Directive and reference networks akin to the European Reference Networks for rare diseases. Legal and ethical oversight draws upon the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and jurisprudence from the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Monitoring, evaluation and outcomes

Monitoring frameworks use indicators similar to those in the European Core Health Indicators and data infrastructures inspired by the European Health Data Space and the Joint Research Centre analytics. Evaluation employs methodologies from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development health reviews and outcome measures consistent with the International Agency for Research on Cancer statistics and registries like those coordinated by the European Network of Cancer Registries. Reported outcomes are compared across member states including Finland, Denmark, Ireland, and Slovakia using metrics for incidence, mortality, survival, and quality of life that reference studies from the Lancet Oncology and the European Journal of Cancer.

Stakeholder roles and partnerships

Stakeholders include intergovernmental bodies such as the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, civil society organisations like European Cancer Patient Coalition and Europa Donna, professional societies including the European Society for Medical Oncology and European Association of Urology, academic institutions such as University of Oxford, Karolinska Institutet, Sorbonne University, and research funders like the European Research Council. Partnerships extend to industry actors represented by European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations and non-governmental actors modeled on collaborations between Macmillan Cancer Support and national charities in United Kingdom contexts. Multi-stakeholder platforms mirror governance structures used in the European Health Forum Gastein and involve insurers and payers analogous to the European Health Insurance Card mechanisms.

Criticisms and controversies

Critiques have been raised in forums including the European Parliament debates, public consultations, and reports by organisations such as Health Action International and the European Public Health Alliance concerning resource allocation, governance centralisation, and pharmaceutical pricing tied to negotiations involving the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. Concerns echo controversies seen in debates over the EU Vaccines Strategy and tensions similar to those in the Digital Single Market rollout regarding data privacy with parallels to rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union. Equity issues referenced by patient groups compare disparities across member states like Bulgaria and Lithuania, and critics have pointed to gaps in addressing social determinants of health highlighted by the European Social Policy Network.

Category:Public health in the European Union