Today marks world cancer day. In Malta, 2,000 new cases of cancer touch our families every year. Cancer survivorship has greatly increased and the success stories of those who managed to beat it are encouraging, and yet, the disease still leaves deep scars on those touched and their families.
A new case of cancer is diagnosed in the EU every nine seconds. What if European Union membership can help us ease the pain of cancer on our loved ones? Research facilities spread across the 27 member states have made variable progress on the diagnoses, prevention and cure of different types of cancer.
What if we could have access to Europe’s best research to cure our loved ones? That is the Europe I dream of, delivering results where we need it most.
The European People’s Party campaigned strongly in favour of a European master plan to fight cancer. Manfred Weber made this his most passionate appeal in his speech in Malta in the European election campaign. The Nationalist Party, through former MEP Francis Zammit Dimech, presented a policy document with proposals based on feedback from stakeholders and further committed to push this plan forward at European level through its manifesto for the European elections.
The EU has listened to this appeal. In fact, in its mission letter, president of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen has entrusted the Cypriot Commissioner responsible for Health Stella Kyriakides to put forward Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The aim of this plan is mainly to support member states to improve cancer prevention and care through smarter collaboration.
The Commission is now expected to propose actions to strengthen our approach at every key stage of the disease: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, life as a cancer survivor and palliative care.
Today, stakeholders and authorities from all over Europe are meeting for the first step in that plan.
An event in the European Parliament is bringing together political leaders, representatives from international organisations, health ministries, leading academics, scientists and health professionals, the private sector and NGOs as well as cancer patients and survivors, who will share their personal experiences.
The EU already accounts for a number of steps forward in the fight against cancer.
A 2004 directive on carcinogens and mutagens ensures that substances causing cancer are strictly controlled within established limit values at the workplace. Most of the European products legislation adopted over the last 15 years from toys to cosmetics, veggies and prepared foods, contain a screening and early alert mechanism to prevent carcinogenic substances entering the food chain.
The above is not to be underestimated. Consumers in other parts of the globe do not have such safeguards. And yet, we must do much more in the fight against cancer. It is estimated that 40 per cent of cancer cases are preventable. We must do whatever it takes to reduce that percentage to zero.
One evident area of progress is the use of European funding to boost cancer research.
A new case of cancer is diagnosed in the EU every nine seconds
Malta has already tapped into EU funding when we built the state-of-the-art Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre thanks to a €55 million EU-funded project.
We cannot stop there, we need further investment in research through the future Horizon Europe Programme.
We can also make good use of new funding for the digital transition in the medical field.
R&D & digital investment can indeed present important opportunities for Malta in the next EU budget. We may have reached the EU average when it comes to economic development overall but we remain third from last in terms of investment in research as a percentage of the GDP.
It is high time to confront the idea that we are too small to contribute on a European and global level in terms of research. Maltese-bred researchers are behind important research breakthroughs in medicine and other areas in Malta and abroad. One example is the development of precision breast and intestinal cancer screening methods at the University of Malta. European membership needs to be a vector through which such a Maltese discovery is amplified while our patients get to benefit from discoveries in other European centres in return.
Let us be prepared to make a Maltese success of Europe’s beating cancer plan. We owe it to those touched by the disease and their families. We owe it to those who dedicated so much to soothe the pain of those touched.
I am thinking of organisations like Hospice and Puttinu Cares and others made up of volunteers who have made it their life mission to be the ray of light in a moment of darkness.
Malta boasts of over 16 organisations, members of the national cancer platform that seek to help cancer patients and their families, including young children.
Their work is an act of solidarity which is to inspire political decisions and to show at least the same boldness in making sure that no obstacle is left for cancer research to travel across Europe.
Peter Agius is a PN MEP candidat and a former head of the EP office in Malta.