Europe Marks Five Years of Bold Cancer Action
On 4 February 2026, Europe marked World Cancer Day and the fifth anniversary of the European Commission’s Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP). The Commission highlighted real progress, yet the disease continues to take a heavy toll. Since 2021, the EU has invested over €2.7 billion in prevention, early detection, treatment, and quality of life. The Commission now partners with nearly 630 organisations.
Still, Europe faces a steep challenge. In 2024, the EU recorded 2.7 million new cancer cases and 1.3 million deaths. The economic burden exceeds €100 billion annually.
Alongside the anniversary, the EU launched the fifth edition of the European Code Against Cancer (ECAC5). Developed over four years by more than 60 experts, it provides clear, evidence-based advice for individuals and policymakers. Experts estimate that 40 percent of cancers could be prevented by following the Code’s recommendations.
A Plan Born from Crisis
The EBCP began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns in 2020 disrupted screenings and treatments, revealing that Europe, with 10 percent of the world’s population, accounts for a quarter of global cancer cases. Without action, deaths could rise by 24 percent by 2035, making cancer the EU’s leading cause of mortality.
The plan launched on 3 February 2021 under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It became the EU’s most ambitious cancer strategy in decades. The plan aimed to add value where member states alone could not, through shared research, infrastructure, and reducing inequalities. Patient groups, clinicians, researchers, and industry experts all helped shape the plan.
Broad Approach and Flagship Initiatives
The EBCP has four pillars: prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life for patients and survivors. It includes ten flagship initiatives. These range from the EU Cancer Screening Scheme and efforts to eliminate HPV-related cervical cancer to the European Cancer Imaging Initiative, the Knowledge Centre on Cancer, and the Cancer Inequalities Registry.
The plan also works with the EU Cancer Mission under Horizon Europe, supporting research into cancer causes, risk factors, and personalised medicine.
Real Advances and Survivorship Rights
The fifth anniversary shows tangible results. The EU has expanded cancer screening, launched HPV and HBV vaccination drives, strengthened protections against carcinogens, and created networks of comprehensive cancer centres.
The updated ECAC5 provides practical advice: avoid smoking and second-hand smoke, maintain a healthy weight, limit alcohol and red or processed meat, stay active, breastfeed where possible, protect against sun and radon, follow workplace safety rules, get vaccinated, and join organised screening programmes. Policymakers are urged to support these actions through regulation, taxation, and public awareness campaigns.
The Commission also renewed focus on the “right to be forgotten” for cancer survivors. Commissioners Várhelyi and Albuquerque stated that survivors should access loans, mortgages, and insurance without discrimination. Some countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, already set time limits after which cancer history cannot be considered. At the EU level, guidance is non-binding but promotes dialogue toward a code of conduct.
Geographical Disparities Remain
Cancer affects Europe unevenly. Western and Northern countries generally report higher survival rates, more screening, and better access to treatments. Central, Eastern, and Baltic states face higher mortality, later diagnoses, and limited resources.
Eurostat data for 2023 shows EU hospitals discharged 4.9 million cancer in-patients. Colorectal cancer was most common, with 554,000 cases. Discharge rates were highest in Croatia, Latvia, and Austria, and lowest in Malta, Luxembourg, and Ireland. These differences reflect variations in screening programmes, healthcare systems, and public health policies.
Ovarian cancer shows Europe’s highest incidence and mortality rates in the world. Five-year survival remains around 40 percent. Late diagnosis is common, and some countries do not prioritise the disease in health planning. Experts warn that without more investment in awareness, biomarkers, and therapies, the human and societal costs will continue to rise.
Poorer outcomes in eastern regions shorten lives and increase the loss of medical professionals. The EBCP’s cross-border initiatives, including shared data, training, and specialised centres, aim to reduce these gaps. Success, however, depends on strong national implementation and sustained funding.
The Economic Case for Prevention
Cancer costs the EU more than €100 billion each year, including €49 billion in lost productivity. With aging populations, costs are expected to rise unless prevention and early detection improve.
The EBCP’s €4 billion budget, over €2.7 billion of which has already been spent, is a strategic investment. By targeting the 40 percent of preventable cases, it can save money in treatment costs and improve healthy life years. Effective prevention also benefits other diseases, like heart conditions. Stakeholders now call for a dedicated cancer fund in the next EU budget (2028–2034) to continue the plan’s work.
Looking Ahead: From Milestone to Momentum
Five years in, the EBCP is a rare example of ambitious, patient-focused EU policy. It has raised cancer’s profile in politics, fostered collaboration, and delivered practical tools like the updated Code Against Cancer. Progress in research, screening, and survivor support gives genuine hope.
Challenges remain. Some member states lag in implementation. Commercial determinants of health, like tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods, require stronger prevention efforts. Equitable access must continue despite budget pressures. Upcoming EU budget negotiations will test whether political commitment matches the scale of the challenge.
Cancer touches families across every region and social group. The EBCP shows that the science and tools exist to fight it effectively. But success demands collective action, from Brussels to local clinics, from policymakers to every citizen making healthier choices.
Europe has taken important steps. Now it must keep beating cancer with urgency, fairness, and sustained investment to turn the tide for good.