As we reach the midpoint of 2025, the European Union’s ambitions under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) are facing a critical test. Chief among these goals is ensuring that 90 % of the eligible population is offered screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers by the end of this year. But despite strong political commitments and substantial EU funding, implementation across Member States remains uneven and, in some cases, worryingly delayed.

At a recent mid-term review held ahead of European Week Against Cancer, the European Commission reaffirmed its investment of over €300 million through the EU4Health Programme to support national early detection efforts. However, findings from the 2025 OECD/European Commission Country Cancer Profiles show persistent disparities across Europe. While countries like Slovenia have fully operational, population-based screening programmes with high participation rates and centralised quality monitoring, other Member States still struggle to establish or scale up their efforts. Participation rates remain low in many regions, particularly among disadvantaged or rural populations. For colorectal cancer—the second most deadly cancer in Europe and one of the most preventable—these disparities are particularly alarming. The goal of “offering” screening is not enough if citizens are not adequately informed, reached, and supported to participate.

Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE) strongly supports a focus on real-world access, participation, and quality assurance in screening programmes. Moreover, we echo the growing calls to explore the inclusion of gastric cancer screening in regions where incidence is high and early detection is currently rare. Where evidence supports benefit, screening expansion must follow. From the perspective of patients, time lost is lives lost.

Meanwhile, the broader policy context around cancer prevention is being shaped by the European Parliament’s SANT Committee, which is finalising its report on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This report aims to steer EU policy on major cancer risk factors such as alcohol, tobacco, diet, and physical inactivity. Unfortunately, recent drafts have attracted serious concern from the public health community. Multiple medical and civil society organisations—including the European Cancer Organisation, United European Gastroenterology, and Eurocare—have criticised the language used around alcohol consumption. References to “moderate and responsible drinking” run counter to the established scientific consensus that no level of alcohol use is safe when it comes to cancer risk. These phrases echo industry narratives and risk undermining years of public awareness work.

Alcohol labelling is another area where progress is lagging. WHO/Europe has repeatedly called for mandatory cancer warnings on alcoholic beverages, citing data that shows only 15 % of Europeans associate alcohol with breast cancer, and only 39 % with colorectal cancer. Ireland is set to become the first EU country to introduce mandatory cancer warnings on alcohol labels starting in 2026. But at EU level, there is still no harmonised requirement—despite clear evidence and the commitments made under the Beating Cancer Plan.

As a patient-focused organisation, DiCE urges EU institutions and national governments to take these issues seriously. The 90 % screening offer target must be matched by an action that ensures access, equity, and participation. The SANT Committee must align its NCD report with scientific evidence and remove misleading language. And the EU must move forward with mandatory cancer warning labels on alcohol to give citizens the information they deserve.

With five years left to meet the EU’s 2030 goals, the time for incremental progress has passed. Cancer prevention policies must be bold, coherent, and centred on patients. Europe’s plans are ambitious—but whether they translate into saved lives will depend entirely on what happens next.

Author:

Ivan Ratkovic