European Cancer Organisation

EU Legislative Interests

The European Cancer Organisation’s activities on cancer policy cause it to take interest in a wide range of EU initiatives, policies and legislative files relevant to cancer including: - Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and all connected initiative - The EU Cancer Mission - European Health Data Space - The EU Pharmaceutical Strategy - The EU4Health Programme - EU policy on health and safety at work - The Horizon Europe research programme - Professional Qualification Recognition legislation - Digital health, including artificial intelligence - Social rights, including tackling discrimination against cancer patients and survivors within and outside the workplace - Personalised medicine and precision oncology - Real world data use and outcome measurement - The European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer and other Joint Research Centre led activities relevant to cancer - Achieving earlier cancer diagnosis, including EU Cancer Screening policy - Quality Assurance in Cancer care - Cancer Prevention and the European Code Against Cancer - Legislation, regulation and other actions related to prevention of cancer including modifiable risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, diet, exercise, sunbed use, workplace carcinogens - Clinical trial regulation - Workforce planning, education, mobility and safety - Addressing healthcare inequalities - Air pollution - EU-WHO interactions - EU initiatives to support vaccination - Healthcare determinants and health literacy - Use of EU structural funds to improve infrastructures for cancer care and treatment - EU funding mechanisms such as HaDEA, Horizon, COST, Erasmus, Social Fund - Healthcare across borders, including the role of the European Reference Networks (ERNs) and improving access to clinical trials across borders - Patient Safety - Antimicrobial resistance - State of Health in the EU - Data Protection - Multiannual Funding Framework - Court of Justice decisions relevant to healthcare delivery - Health Workforce Planning - Joint Actions such as JANE, CRANE and PERCH - Better integration of primary care into cancer care - Survivorship - Quality of Life and Wellbeing - Disease control and prevention including the activities of the ECDC

Communication Activities

Principal policy activities of the European Cancer Organisation include: As part of its 2024-27 Strategy, we convene 10 Focused Topic Networks on: - Emergencies and Crises Network - Research Policy Network - Health Systems & Quality Cancer Care Network - HPV and Hep B Action Network - Prevention, Early Detection & Screening Network - Survivorship and Quality of Life Network - Digital Health Network - Inequalities Network - Workforce Network The European Cancer Summit The annual European Cancer Summit convenes over 500 leading representatives from across cancer policy communities (healthcare professions, patient organisations, governmental and regulatory audiences, commercial providers to the sectors) to debate and discuss pressing opportunities and threats for improving cancer care and outcomes. The meeting aims to signal consensus where possible via meeting resolutions, and elsewhere, allow controversies and difference of views to be aired and debated. Examples of passed resolutions at the European Cancer Summit include those relating to evaluation of quality cancer care, integration of primary and secondary care, tackling discrimination against cancer survivors and calling for policies to bring about the elimination of HPV caused cancers as a public health problem in Europe. More information here www.europeancancer.org. Policy campaign activities Throughout 2025, the European Cancer Organisation is leading a series of pan-European cancer policy campaigns include: - Time to Accelerate: Together Against Cancer https://www.europeancancer.org/timetoaccelerate - Time to Accelerate: For Cancer Screening https://www.europeancancer.org/screening - A Cancer Workforce in Crisis: https://www.europeancancer.org/workforce - HPV Protect and Detect https://www.europeancancer.org/resources/publications/reports/advocating-hpv-policy-change The Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care (ERQCCs) From 2017, we have been publishing a series of consensus papers articulating healthcare professional and patient visions of what high quality care should be composed of. They include checklists and explanations of organisation and actions that are necessary to give high-quality care to cancer patients. They are written by European experts representing all disciplines involved in cancer care. Typically covering such issues as membership of the core and extended multidisciplinary teams, the agreed roles of each profession, patient information needs and much else, ERQCCs have been developed for: colorectal cancer, sarcoma, melanoma, oesophageal-gastric cancer, prostate cancer and primary care. Patient Advisory Committee (PAC) Our Patient Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from 21 European and international level patient organisations, plays a central role in ensuring activities and policies of the organisation are strongly counselled from the patient perspective. With representation within our Board of Directors, many policy and activity proposals emanating from the PAC are taken forward with our 41 Member Societies. Examples in this respect have included the Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care: Primary Care, and the European Code of Cancer Practice. We also conduct collaborative policy activities through alliance initiatives such as: the European Public Health Alliance, the Biomedical Alliance, the European Chronic Disease Alliance, the Union for International Cancer Control, and the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM). Presently (March 2025) involved within EU funded collaborations: 4D PICTURE ALTHEA CCI4EU DESIPOC DigiCanTrain ECHoS EU NAVIGATE EUonQOL INTERACT-EUROPE 100 MELODIC PRAISE-U SANGUINE SOLACE STRONG-AYA TOGAS TRANSITION

Interests Represented

Promotes their own interests or the collective interests of their members

Member Of

• All.Can • Biomedical Alliance in Europe • European Chronic Disease Alliance • EPHA – European Public Health Alliance • FAIB - Federation of European and International Associations Established in Belgium • UICC - Union for International Cancer Control • FEAM - Federation of European Academies of Medicine

Organisation Members

Each of our 41 Member Societies provide specific expertise in their discipline or profession in cancer. The full list of members is available here: https://www.europeancancer.org/members.

Additional Information

The data on EU grants listed above covers the most recently closed financial year as 2024 and lists EU projects in 2025 under the section of the current financial year. The data will be updated when the 2025 accounts are officially closed following the Board approval of audited accounts in May 2026.