Cancer is currently the second leading cause of mortality in the EU, after cardiovascular diseases. In 2024, around 2.7 million people were diagnosed with cancer in the EU and around 1.27 million died. World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February. The three-year “United by unique” campaign (2025-2027) aims to raise awareness of the importance of people-centred care.

Though public health is the primary responsibility of the Member States, the EU has a strong role in supporting, coordinating and complementing Member States’ efforts. On 4 February 2020 – World Cancer Day – the European Commission started its outreach on Europe’s Cancer Plan at an event in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Established in the 2021 Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, EU action focuses on prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life for cancer patients, survivors and care, through 10 flagship initiatives.

The Plan aims to reduce the cancer burden for patients and families, and health care systems. The Plan is ambitious in addressing cancer-related inequalities between and in the Member States. The European Parliament, as law-maker and policy-maker, plays an active role in shaping the new Cancer Plan and related legislative proposals and policy initiatives.

Fight against cancer

The EU4Health programme is a comprehensive response to the political demand to reflect the lessons learned from both the coronavirus crisis and previous health programmes.

On 28 May 2020, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on the establishment of a programmefor the Union's action in the field of health for the 2021-2027 period (EU4Health programme). It was announced as part of the Next Generation EU recovery instrument, aimed at countering the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

EU4Health is intended to boost the EU's preparedness for major cross-border health threats and improve health systems' resilience. This should enable the EU to face not only future epidemics, but also long-term challenges such as an ageing population and inequalities in health.

EU4Health

Vaccines are a key part of a long-term strategy to bring SARS-CoV-2 under control. It is essential to roll out vaccination rapidly to protect as many people as possible and to lower the opportunities for the virus to evolve further. Any vaccine must be authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The European Commission has secured up to 4.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far - and negotiations are underway for additional doses. However, countries are facing different challenges around the disinformation or vaccine acceptance. The European Parliament is trying to keep an eye on the purchase and safety of these vaccines. During June plenary the EP adopted a resolution calling for COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver. Parliament proposed negotiations start for a temporary waiver of the WTO TRIPS Agreement on patents to improve global access to affordable COVID-19-related medical products and to address global production constraints and supply shortages. The EP approved also the Digital Green Certificate to facilitate the safe free movement of citizens within the EU during the pandemic.

EU Vaccine Strategy

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has put European health systems under enormous strain, revealing gaps in the way public health emergencies are addressed. The European Parliament has consistently promoted a coherent EU public health policy.

The pandemic shows the importance of coordination among European countries to protect people’s health, both during a crisis and in normal times when we can tackle underlying health conditions, invest in strong health systems and train healthcare workers.

The European Commission's proposal for a new EU Health programme, EU4Health, aims to fill these gaps. EU4Health's three main priorities are: tackling cross-border health threats; making medicines available and affordable; and strengthening health systems.

With EU4Health, the EU will invest €5.3 billion in current prices in actions with an EU added value.

EU4Health will pave the way to a European Health Union by investing in urgent health priorities: the response to the COVID-19 crisis and reinforcing the EU’s resilience to cross-border health threats, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, and the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe.

The European Health Union will improve EU-level protection, prevention, preparedness and response to human health hazards.

Coronavirus outbreak: impact on health

EP Plenary session - EU Global Health Strategy

Pharmacy store - Surge of respiratory infections and the shortage of medication in Europe

EP Plenary session Joint debate - Impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the aviation

EP Plenary session - State of play of the implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate regulations

EP Plenary session - Joint debate EU Digital COVID Certificate 44-45

EU Digital Covid Certificate - Freedom of movement, safely.

Press conference - EU COVID-19 certificate

BECA Special Committee - Exchange of views  ' The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer prevention, health services and cancer patients and research : Lessons from a public health crisis '

Tomislav SOKOL (EPP, HR) and Annalisa TARDINO (ID, IT), co-rapporteurs, hold a press conference on establishing a European Health Data Space. The draft position, prepared by the Environment and Civil Liberties committees, aims to give citizens the means to control their personal healthcare data and facilitate secure sharing for research and public health purposes. This transcription is a result of an authomatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Tomislav SOKOL (EPP, HR) and Annalisa TARDINO (ID, IT), co-rapporteurs, on establishing a European Health Data Space

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that cooperation, resource-sharing and efficient decision-making are crucial in fighting cross-border health threats. The EU is building a strong European health union to equip EU countries to better prevent and combat future health threats together and to better protect the health of EU citizens. The European health union is designed to improve the resilience of healthcare systems in the EU and create robust EU-level structures enabling us to better cooperate on data pooling and information sharing.

EPRS - The European health union: Safeguarding EU citizens’ health

This Infoclip illustrates the fight against Covid-19 crisis : research on vaccines, production of vaccines, vaccination all around Europe, EU Digital Covid Certificate. This infoclip also highlights work of nurses, doctors and technicians searching for cancer treatments and taking care of their patients.

Infoclip: Health crisis

Members of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) have an exchange of views with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the European Union Health Union package and the WHO’s global response to the pandemic. MEPs exchange of views

The European Union Health Union package and the WHO’s global response to the pandemic: exchange of views with the World Health Organization (recorded): MEPs exchange of views

Members of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) have an exchange of views with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the European Union Health Union package and the WHO’s global response to the pandemic. Presentation by Jaouad MAHJOUR, Assistant Director-General, Emergency Preparedness and International Health Regulations at World Health Organization and statements by Sylvie BRIAND, Director of the Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness (GIH), WHO Emergency Preparedness (WPE) and by Nedret EMIROGLU, Director, Country Readiness Strengthening. The transcription of the speeches is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

The European Union Health Union package and the WHO’s global response to the pandemic: opening, presentation and exchange of views with the World Health Organization (recorded)

David SASSOLI, EP President, and Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Secretary of State for European Affairs, on behalf of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council, participate in a Lex signing ceremony, in the European Parliament in Brussels. The signature concerns: control of the acquisition and possession of weapons (codification); Programme for the Union's action in the field of health –for the period 2021-2027; InvestEU Programme Regulation; equivalence of forest reproductive material produced in the United Kingdom to such material produced in the Union; and Equivalence of UK Practices for the Maintenance of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species Decision'.

Lex Signing ceremony: extracts from the signature of Five COD LEX with David SASSOLI, EP President and Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs

During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels (08-11 March 2021), MEPs debate on the programme for the Union's action in the field of health for the period 2021-2027 (“EU4Health Programme”): MEPs debate 3/3

Programme for the Union's action in the field of health for the period 2021-2027 (“EU4Health Programme”): MEPs debate 3/3

During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels (08-11 March 2021), MEPs debate on the programme for the Union's action in the field of health for the period 2021-2027 (“EU4Health Programme”): MEPs debate 2/3

EU4Health Programme 2021-2027 (T)

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