Beating cancer is a test for Europe

What if nearly half of all cancers in Europe could be prevented, and yet we weren’t doing enough to stop them?

This is not speculation. It’s fact. According to recent data, around 40% of cancers in Europe are preventable. That number should stop us cold. But year after year, people still fall through the cracks of systems that are too slow, too unequal, or too fragmented to deliver on that potential.

Every 4th of February, Europe marks World Cancer Day. More than a date on the calendar, it is a collective moment of truth, an opportunity to measure how far we have come, and how far we still must go. In 2026, as Europe faces demographic change and growing pressure on public health systems, the fight against cancer remains a defining test of our political responsibility.

Despite progress, major gaps remain across Member States. Inequalities persist in access to early detection, quality treatment, and long-term care. Breakthroughs in research take years to become standard practice. Survivors still face unnecessary barriers at work, in public life, and in healthcare systems that are not fully adapted to their needs.

The EPP Group understands these challenges, and we have acted. For us, the fight against cancer has never been a slogan. It has been a long-term political priority grounded in a simple belief: every European citizen, regardless of where they live or how much they earn, deserves access to prevention, early diagnosis, and high-quality care.

This conviction guided our work in the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer. That committee was not just a forum for debate but a laboratory for solutions. We listened to patients, caregivers, doctors, researchers, and national authorities. We confronted uncomfortable truths about disparities in care and gaps in prevention. We turned those insights into policy, and today, our commitment continues in the Parliament’s Public Health Committee.

One of our top priorities has been prevention. We have consistently pushed for stronger action on healthy nutrition, physical activity, and environmental risk factors. Prevention may not deliver instant results, but it saves lives over time.

Early detection is our second cornerstone. Screening saves lives, but only if it is accessible to all. We worked to expand and modernise EU screening recommendations, promote new technologies, and ensure these programmes reach vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. Too many cancers are still diagnosed too late, not because of medical failure, but because of systemic failure.

The EPP Group has also championed innovation and research. Europe has world-class scientists and clinicians, yet too often, breakthroughs remain out of reach for patients. We called for better coordination of cancer research, smarter use of health data, and faster access to innovative therapies, always keeping patient safety at the centre. Innovation must be a shared European asset, not a privilege for a few.

Fighting inequalities is central to our approach. A cancer diagnosis should not depend on your postcode. Our committee’s work showed that survival rates can differ dramatically between and within Member States. We have consistently argued for stronger European cooperation in health respecting national competences while recognising that solidarity saves lives. From cross-border healthcare to joint procurement and shared best practices, Europe is stronger when it acts together.

Just as importantly, we insisted on putting patients and survivors at the heart of policy. Cancer is not only a medical condition it is a life-changing experience. Quality of life, mental health, and rehabilitation are not secondary. They are essential. Surviving cancer must not mean living with permanent discrimination.

World Cancer Day 2026 should not be just a moment of awareness it must be a moment of accountability. The commitments we have made must go beyond headlines and commemoration.

We remain committed to a Europe that protects through prevention, through innovation, and through fairness. The fight against cancer is not one we can afford to pause. It is a shared European mission, one that demands courage and consistency.

So, what if nearly half of cancers could be prevented? The answer is clear. We act together.