European Union: a commission dedicated to the fight against cancer
June 24, 2020
Par: communication@cnct.fr
Dernière mise à jour: June 24, 2020
Temps de lecture: 2 minutes
On Thursday, June 18, the European Parliament adopted the establishment of a special committee dedicated to the fight against cancer. This committee received overwhelming support from parliamentarians, who approved it with 651 votes in favor, 18 against, and 8 abstentions.[1].
More specifically, this new body will have the mission of evaluating opportunities for action for the European Union, identifying legislation to be adopted, as well as all measures that could help prevent and combat this scourge, and finally examining the best way to support research into this disease.
Each year, cancer, the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease, kills 1.3 million people in the European Union. In 2015, more than 273,000 deaths were due to lung cancer.[2].
Belgian MEP Petra De Sutter points to the need to ban certain carcinogenic substances, as well as the need for better regulation of the food and tobacco industries.
The European Commission will have to present its next plan to combat cancer before the end of 2020. Regulation at the European level is of particular importance for public health. In 2014, the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) notably made it possible to impose broad health warnings, allowed Member States to introduce plain packaging, and banned attractive flavors in cigarettes and rolling tobacco.
[1] RTBF, " European Parliament sets up special committee to fight cancer ", June 19, 2020
[2] All of Europe, " Tobacco: more than 273,000 deaths from lung cancer in the EU in 2015 ", June 7, 2018
