mr president i am very pleased to see that parliament continues to be enthusiastic and supportive of the commission's work in the field of cancer prevention and control
i am grateful for the efforts that have been made in preparing this report in particular by the rapporteur mr peterle
strong action at european level can have an important knock-on effect at national regional and local level
this underlines the potential of the european partnership for action against cancer
the success of the partnership largely depends on the active participation of its numerous and diverse partners
so far member states health professionals cancer institutions ngos patient organisations and industry representatives have taken part in the preparation of concrete proposals for action to be carried out by the end of twenty thirteen
it remains to be seen however whether this new means of cooperation will result in more sustainable action to tackle cancer
i sincerely hope that it will
the broad aim is to achieve more long-term goals and to make better use of available resources
this depends on the commitment of all partners and of course on adequate financial input
parliament's support for the necessary resources to be secured in the future community budget for health will be crucial
the report refers to a range of actions for a comprehensive approach towards cancer prevention and control many of which have already been taken into account in the development of the partnership based on the commission's communication
the partnership has five main pillars health promotion and prevention including promotion of the european code against cancer screening and early diagnosis aiming at improved implementation of the council recommendation on cancer screening exchange of best practices in cancer care cooperation and coordination in cancer research and making available comparative information and data on cancer
a key task of the partnership will be to help member states improve the development and implementation of their cancer plans
by the end of the partnership the objective is for all member states to have integrated cancer plans
some actions will build on the result of the good work done so far
other actions will require additional help
the commission stands ready to provide all the necessary support
in addition the commission will continue its close collaboration with the international agency for research on cancer as regards its contribution to the partnership
i should also mention the overarching objective of seeking to ensure better integration of health concerns into all our policy initiatives which i shall take forward with relevant colleagues within the commission
of course we will continue our strong focus on prevention through our policies on health determinants as part of the fight against cancer
we will try to achieve the maximum possible with the limited resources available and i welcome vey much the strong support of the european parliament for these efforts
