Cancer concerns us all in one way or another. In 2020, 2.7 million people in the European Union were diagnosed with the disease, and another 1.3 million people lost their lives to it1. Cancer is an individual diagnosis that has important impacts on patients, but it also severely affects the lives of their families and friends. Today, Europe accounts for a tenth of the world’s population, but a quarter of the world’s cancer cases. Unless we take decisive action, lives lost to cancer in the EU are set to increase by more than 24% by 20352, making it the leading cause of death in the EU. The overall economic impact of cancer in Europe is estimated to exceed €100 billion annually. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted cancer care, disrupting prevention and treatment, delaying diagnosis and vaccination, and affecting access to medicines. Since the pandemic began, the number of cancer diagnoses has decreased, foreshadowing a future increase in cases.

P.9 Prevention is more effective than any cure. About 40% of cancer cases in the EU are preventable. Prevention is also the most cost-efficient long-term cancer control strategy. Benefitting from of a wholeof-government approach, the Cancer Plan aims to raise awareness of and address key risk factors, such as cancers caused by smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, obesity and lack of physical activity, exposure to pollution, carcinogenic substances and radiation, as well as cancers triggered by infectious agents. The Cancer Plan also takes into account health determinants, including education, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and employment. 

3.2. Achieving a tobacco-free Europe Tobacco consumption continues to be the leading cause of preventable cancer, with 27% of all cancers attributed to tobacco use21. By eliminating tobacco use, nine out every ten cases of lung cancer could be avoided. Through rigorous enforcement of the EU tobacco control framework and its adaptation to new developments and market trends, including stricter rules on novel products22, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan will put forward actions from 2021 to help create a ‘Tobacco-Free Generation’ where less than 5% of the population uses tobacco by 2040, compared to around 25% today. The interim goal is to reach the WHO target of a 30% relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025 as compared to 2010, corresponding to a smoking prevalence of around 20% in the EU. The Commission will continue to prioritise protecting young people from the harmful effects of tobacco and related products...

P.10 3.3. Reducing harmful alcohol consumption Alcohol-related harm is a major public health concern in the EU. In 2016, cancer was the leading cause of alcoholattributable deaths with a share of 29%, followed by liver cirrhosis (20%), cardiovascular diseases (19%) and injuries (18%)28. The Commission will increase support for Member States and stakeholders to implement best practices and capacity-building activities to reduce harmful alcohol consumption in line with the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This includes a target to achieve a relative reduction of at least 10% in the harmful use of alcohol by 202529. In addition, the Commission will review EU legislation on the taxation of alcohol and on cross-border purchases of alcohol by private individuals30, ensuring that it remains fit for purpose to balance the objectives of public revenue and health protection. To reduce the exposure of young people to alcohol marketing, the Commission will closely monitor the implementation of the Audiovisual Media Service Directive provisions on commercial communications for alcoholic beverages, including on online video-sharing platforms. This will involve work with Member States and the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) and stakeholders to encourage self and co-regulatory initiatives. Furthermore, the Commission will review its promotion policy on alcoholic beverages and in addition propose a mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration on alcoholic beverage labels before the end of 2022 and of health warnings on labels before the end 2023. Support will also be provided to Member States to implement evidence-based brief interventions31 on alcohol in primary healthcare, the workplace and social services.