Speech by President von der Leyen at the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan conference - Hoofdinhoud

Mr President,

Honourable Members,

There are many different reasons why each one of us politicians addresses a topic. Sometimes it is about values. Sometimes it is about the interests of our constituents. But when we talk about cancer, there is also another motive.

For me, and for so many of you, this is personal. We all have our personal stories of struggle, pain and resilience. I first heard the word ‘cancer' when I was a teenager. I was 13 years old when my little sister died of a reticulo sarcoma. She was only 11 years old. And there was nothing my family nor the doctors could do to save her.

I remember the shock when we found out. I remember the tears. I remember the question that was on everyone's mind. Why her? Why us? And of course, we could not find an answer. Simply because there is no answer.

My little sister's death has changed my life. I guess it is also because of her death that I decided to study medicine and become a medical doctor. And it is because of her, and my mother, and one of my brothers, that I care so much about fighting cancer.

This is personal. It is personal for me. And it is even more personal for you, Stella, who went through this and survived. None of our stories are extraordinary. Everyone has a friend, a colleague or a relative who has gone through this. Everyone has experienced the same sense of sadness and helplessness.

But there is something we can do - individually and collectively. At Member State's level and through our European Union. In fact, there is much more we can do than we are currently doing. And neither myself, nor Stella, nor anyone else in this room, are ready to accept the idea that we are not doing our utmost.

Of course, we do not start from scratch. But the last European action plan against cancer dates back 30 years. The world has changed. Europe has changed. And the number of cases is sadly on the rise.

Today, on World Cancer Day, we begin a common path that will lead to Europe's Beating Cancer Action Plan. I would like to thank the Members of Parliament ‘Against Cancer Group' for this opportunity, and all of you who are here today. Because this will be a common path and we will need everyone's contribution.

Today we are launching a public consultation, to shape our future Action Plan. We do not have all the answers, but together we can understand where to focus our attention and how to make a bigger impact.

The first issue we need to discuss is prevention - because prevention is the best cure that we currently have. Science tells us that 40% of cancer cases are preventable. And yet only 3% of health budgets go into prevention. The range of potential actions is incredibly wide - and this is why this public consultation will be essential.

There are many answers to find: Could we consider setting targets for investment on prevention? What about the development of regional cancer-care-networks by quality assured health facilities? We know that lifestyle has a huge influence - so how can we change our own lifestyle and make it healthier? How can we promote sport - or improve labelling for healthy food? How can we teach our children the pleasure of fruit and vegetables? For instance, working with schools, or through the new Farm to Fork Strategy - that is part of the European Green Deal.

The second priority is to put the most modern technologies to the service of healthcare. And the European budget can play an important role in this field. Within our new Horizon Europe programme, there will be a ‘Mission on Cancer'.

This new investment has to be part of a broader strategy - and this is what we aim at with our Action Plan. Technology can be a lifesaver for thousands of people. We know, for instance, that the use of artificial intelligence can significantly improve the precision of early diagnosis. It can be a powerful tool to reduce false positives and negatives.

And we have to better share our data. Within the data we have, lies an incredible amount of missed opportunities, unknown improvements, potential correction of false hypothesis - but we must use and share these data. We are now setting up a Common Health Data Space, an infrastructure where scientists and medical clinicians will be able not only to store clinical and research data, but also to access other scientists' data.

We need a health data infrastructure, as well as artificial intelligence technologies, to facilitate the link between research, diagnosis and care. What has the best outcome? How about quality of life during treatment? Access to big data - available data - means much greater quality, more insights and less biased results. We are ready to put our resources for this - but we want to hear from the scientific community.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

An early diagnosis or a vaccination can save lives. Every year, 15,000 European women die because of cervical cancer. This does not have to be! This tumour could be defeated! It is a matter of regular screening! There is a vaccination against the human papillomavirus. I want to see every one of us to have access to screenings and vaccinations! We can cover 100% of the population. And I would like to discuss with you how we can reach this goal.

I do believe that we all have the same right to health. It should not matter where you are born, or where you live. But we all know that unfortunately, this is still not the case inside the European Union. Today, as many as 25 Member States have screening programmes for breast cancer. That is good! But only 20 do the same for colorectal cancer. A woman with cervical cancer, who lives in Romania, is 16 times more likely to die than a woman who lives in Italy.

This is not sustainable, and it is not right. We must discuss and work on equality within our Union. How to improve the quality of our health systems and the outreach of our prevention schemes. This is about the life of so many people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All of us who went through this know the grievance and disruption that cancer brings into a person's life and a family. The sleepless nights. The long hours on a chair in a hospital. The dark thoughts that you just cannot get out of your head. When it happened to my family, it was hard - but we had the economic means to face it in the best possible way. Other families do not have the same resources. The question is ‘How can we help?'

Today, we are all accustomed to the idea that parents should be able to spend time with their kids - the parental leave. But what about a son who needs to take care of his mother with cancer? And then of course the issue of life after cancer. For instance to avoid discrimination in the workplace.

No one understands this better than you, Stella. I am so proud that someone like you will lead our fight. We now want to listen to anyone who has a story to tell. The doctors and the patients. The researchers and the relatives. The nurses and the NGOs. Those who made it, and those who are still fighting.

We know that some battles we simply cannot win. But together we can make a difference.

With prevention and with research.

With equal access across Europe.

Standing at the side of those who need us.

This is Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.