Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-05-Speech-4-018"
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"en.20030605.1.4-018"2
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".
Mr President, this is not the first time Mrs Jöns has brought as serious a matter as combating breast cancer into the limelight in a very specific and efficient manner and it is important and proves yet again that the commitment and systematic work of one person can set policies in motion. Thus, I should like personally to congratulate Mrs Jöns both on the quality of her report and on her continuous commitment to this very important issue.
As far as the proposal for a conference on the outcome of the ‘Europe Against Cancer’ programme is concerned, I think that it should be discussed with the next presidencies. I should like to express a slight hesitation as to the possibility of its being organised within the framework of the Italian Presidency, given that there is not much time, but of course we can try and find the best possible time.
Finally, allow me to inform you that the Commission intends to create a health information portal on the Internet. This portal will be a source of information on public health in the European Union; its content will cover a wealth of topics and it will be a single point of access for citizens, patients, doctors, experts, the competent authorities and the networks. We believe that this portal will be an important tool in everyone's hands for exchanging experiences and promoting policies.
Mr President, I should like to close by thanking Mrs Jöns on behalf of Mr Byrne, who was prevented from coming by very important commitments, for her particular contribution to the implementation of our common objective and to congratulate her warmly.
The fight against breast cancer is a public health priority. A number of figures were quoted. I think it is important to repeat them so that we understand the size of the problem. 220,000 new cases a year, 75,000 women who die from this disease. However, according to estimates and studies, the lives of 25,000 women a year could have been saved if proper screening practices were applied to all women in the European Union. Prevention, therefore, proper screening, saves lives and that is also the report's message.
In her report, Mrs Jöns examines both best practices in connection with cancer screening and best practices and effective experience in connection with treatment for and care of breast cancer. It is important to say that many of the elements and proposals formulated emanate from the various actions undertaken by the Commission between the years 1987 and 2002 within the framework of three successive ‘Europe Against Cancer’ programmes.
These programmes, together with the new programme in the field of public health illustrate the Commission's commitment to combating this major illness. One important element of policies at European level, therefore, is the inventory we have today and the knowledge we have about what is happening in the Member States, so that we can choose the best and most efficient practices and so that the Member States themselves can identify their own weaknesses.
The second important element of policies and choices is the proposal for a recommendation, which essentially also illustrates the Commission's commitment. The proposal for a recommendation on cancer screening issued on 5 May. The objective of this proposal is to formulate recommendations for the implementation of mass screening programmes on a proper scientific basis. This recommendation has already been submitted to the Council of Ministers for Health, which was held on Monday this week. What does it contain? Essentially it contains a proposal for measures which aim to correlate screening practices with the results obtained in the various Member States. This means that there must now be quantitative targets from the Member States concerning the rate of reduction in the death rate from cancer.
The Commission's proposal for a recommendation is a general framework which, of course, cannot have the binding force of legislation, given that we all know that these are issues that come under the jurisdiction of the Member States. However, this proposal for a recommendation makes provision for the submission of a report on the implementation of cancer screening programmes on the basis of the statistics provided by the Member States by the end of the third year after the date of their approval, and this report will constitute the basis for evaluating and analysing any further action.
In addition to the proposal for a recommendation which, as I said, was the second basic element of the European Union's policy after the inventory of the existing situation, the third important element is the action programmes. The Commission has undertaken a major action which relates to the public health programme for the years 2000-2008. These programmes make use of the results and achievements of previous programmes, including the programme against cancer, and the relevant networks. And here I should like to welcome to the gallery the representatives of the networks, the chairmen of the organisations fighting breast cancer, and say that, in our experience also, it is clear that the role of these organisations, the commitment of volunteers, the commitment of civil society, plays a very important role and we see that, in numerous countries, there have been essential improvements and changes to the situation in the field of breast cancer due to the operation of these networks. Of course, some of them are also pan-European in range.
In 2004, the Commission is due to submit a final report to the European Parliament and the Council on the success of this ‘Europe Against Cancer’ programme. This programme, the public health programme, includes exchanges of information and best practices between the Member States. Essentially, it is about reinforcing cooperation between states so that each can learn from the other. This is in keeping with paragraph 13 of Mrs Jöns' report and, of course, it recognises and supports the need for common strategies and actions in sectors such as research and technical equipment and technological development, which is also in keeping with paragraph 6 of the report.
The Commission is currently evaluating the numerous proposals for plans submitted for funding in 2003. In conjunction with the priorities of the programme of work for 2003, the services will take account in the final choice of the priorities set out in the report and, of course, we shall take serious account of all the recommendations formulated."@en1
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