Document ID: 31996D0646

DECISION No 646/96/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 29 March 1996 adopting an action plan to combat cancer within the framework for action in the field of public health (1996 to 2000)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 129 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (4) in the light of the joint text approved on 31 January 1996 by the Conciliation Committee,
(1) Whereas, at its meetings in Milan in June 1985 and in Luxembourg in December 1985, the European Council underlined the advantages of launching a European programme against cancer;
(2) Whereas the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council adopted on 7 July 1986 a Resolution on a programme of action of the European Communities against cancer (5) and on 17 May 1990 Decision 90/238/Euratom, ECSC, EEC adopting a 1990 to 1994 action plan in the context of the 'Europe against Cancer` programme (6);
(3) Whereas in its resolution of 19 November 1993 on public health policy after Maastricht (7) the European Parliament asked that activities against cancer be intensified;
(4) Whereas in its Resolution of 13 December 1993 (8) the Council invited the Commission to submit in due course a draft third action plan, taking into account the Council Resolution of 27 May 1993 on future action in the field of public health as well as the objectives and improvements set out in the Annex to that Resolution (9);
(5) Whereas the Council, in its Resolution of 2 June 1994 (10), in response to the Commission communication of 24 November 1993 on the framework for action in the field of public health, included cancer among the priority areas for action for which the Commission was invited to bring forward proposals for action;
(6) Whereas, by reason of its scale and effects, Community action in support of cancer prevention enables the desired objectives to be attained more effectively;
(7) Whereas policies and programmes formulated and implemented at Community level should be compatible with the targets and objectives of Community action on cancer prevention; whereas, in particular, implementation of actions under the Community's biomedical and health research programme should be closely coordinated with the implementation of Community actions on cancer prevention;
(8) Whereas cooperation with the competent international organizations and with non-member countries should be strengthened;
(9) Whereas cancer is a major disease associated with lifestyles; whereas the risk factors inherent in them need to be reduced, especially tobacco consumption, which will also have an effect on combating other diseases, in particular cardiovascular diseases;
(10) Whereas, by ensuring wider dissemination of knowledge of the causes of cancer and of its prevention, by ensuring improved comparability and dissemination of information on these subjects, and by developing complementary actions especially in health education, this plan will contribute to the achievement of the Community objectives set out in Article 129 of the Treaty;
(11) Whereas measures must be adopted to combat promotion in the media of habits which may lead to cancer, such as poor dietary habits and smoking;
(12) Whereas it is important that the Commission ensures implementation of this plan in close cooperation with the Member States; whereas, to that end, provision should be made for a procedure to ensure that Member States are fully involved in implementing the plan;
(13) Whereas a modus vivendi between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission concerning the implementing measures for acts adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty was concluded on 20 December 1994;
(14) Whereas moreover, in order to have available to it all the necessary scientific information, the Commission cooperates with a high-level committee of scientific experts appointed by the Member States;
(15) Whereas, from an operational point of view, the investment made under the preceding action plans in terms of both the European pilot networks and the mobilization of all those involved in combating cancer should be safeguarded and developed;
(16) Whereas this plan must take account of past and current measures implemented in the Member States either by the competent authorities or by other parties involved in health policy;
(17) Whereas, however, possible duplication of effort should be avoided by the promotion of exchanges of experience and by the joint development of basic information modules for the general public, for health education and for training members of the health-care professions, which may be targeted on specific groups, including children;
(18) Whereas a Community strategy to contribute to combating cancer includes all aspects of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, including exchange of experience on quality control in early detection of the disease and prevention of its development, and taking into account psycho-social aspects, with particular emphasis on the quality of life;
(19) Whereas, in order to increase the value and impact of this plan, a continuous assessment of the measures undertaken should be carried out, with particular regard to their effectiveness and the achievement of objectives at both national and Community level and, where appropriate, the necessary adjustments should be made;
(20) Whereas the objectives of this plan and the actions undertaken to implement it form part of the health protection requirements referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 129 (1) of the Treaty and as such form a constituent part of the Community's other policies, such as those on the environment, the protection of workers, consumer protection, nutrition, agriculture and the internal market;
(21) Whereas this Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the action plan, a financial framework constituting the principal point of reference, within the meaning of point 1 of the Declaration by the European Parliament, the Council and Commission of 6 March 1995, for the budgetary authority during the annual budgetary procedure;
(22) Whereas this plan should run for five years in order to allow sufficient time for actions to be implemented to achieve the objectives set,
HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
Establishment of the plan
1. A Community plan of action against cancer entitled 'Europe against Cancer`, hereinafter referred to as 'this plan`, shall be adopted for the period 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2000 within the framework for action in the field of public health.
2. The objective of this plan shall be to contribute towards ensuring a high level of health protection and shall comprise actions aimed at:
- preventing premature deaths due to cancer,
- reducing mortality and morbidity due to cancer,
- promoting the quality of life by improving the general health situation,
- promoting the general well-being of the population, particularly by minimizing the economic and social consequences of cancer.
3. The actions to be implemented under this plan and their specific objectives are set out in the Annex under the following headings:
A. Data collection and research
B. Information and health education
C. Early detection and screening
D. Training and quality control and guarantees.
4. The actions to be undertaken shall include in particular:
- the establishment of common objectives,
- the standardization and collection of comparable and compatible data on health, including the development and strengthening of the European network of cancer registers,
- programmes for exchange of experience and of health professionals and for the dissemination of the most effective practices,
- the creation of information networks,
- European-scale studies and dissemination of the results, including support for epidemiological studies focused on prevention,
- implementation of pilot programmes and pilot projects,
- compilation of reports, especially to monitor the measures taken,
- early detection and screening,
- exchanges of experience on quality control of the early detection of the disease and the prevention of its development, including palliative methods, and contributions for selecting priorities in cancer research and transfer of results of basic research into clinical trials.
Article 2
Implementation
1. The Commission shall ensure the implementation, in close cooperation with the Member States, of the actions set out in the Annex, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 5.
2. The Commission shall cooperate with the institutions and organizations which are active in combating cancer.
Article 3
Budget
1. The financial framework for implementation of this plan for the period referred to in Article 1 shall be set at ECU 64 million.
2. The annual appropriations shall be authorized by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective.
Article 4
Consistency and complementarity
The Commission shall ensure that there is consistency and complementarity between actions to be implemented under this plan and the other relevant Community programmes and initiatives, including the biomedical and health research programme under the Community's framework programme for research and the programmes introducing an integrated information network (information technology in areas of general interest).
Article 5
Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee consisting of two members designated by each Member State and chaired by a representative of the Commission.
2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken concerning:
(a) the Committee's rules of procedure;
(b) an annual work programme indicating the priorities for action;
(c) the simplification and improvement of this plan's basic administrative procedures, which shall be duly published;
(d) the arrangements, criteria and procedures for selecting and financing projects under this plan, including those involving cooperation with international organizations competent in the field of public health and participation of the countries referred to in Article 6 (2);
(e) the evaluation procedure;
(f) the arrangements for dissemination and transfer of results;
(g) the arrangements for cooperating with the institutions and organizations referred to in Article 2 (2).
The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft measures referred to above within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The Chairman shall not vote.
The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, they shall forthwith be communicated by the Commission to the Council. In that event:
- the Commission shall defer application of the measures which it has decided upon for a period of two months from the date of such communication,
- the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision within the time limit laid down in the previous subparagraph.
3. In addition, the Commission may consult the Committee on any other matter concerning the implementation of this plan.
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking a vote.
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask to have its opinion recorded in the minutes.
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account.
4. The representative of the Commission shall keep the Committee regularly informed about:
- financial assistance granted under this plan (amounts, duration, breakdown, beneficiaries),
- Commission proposals or Community initiatives and the implementation of programmes in other areas which are of direct relevance to achievement of the objectives of this plan, with a view to ensuring the consistency and complementarity referred to in Article 4.
Article 6
International cooperation
1. In the course of implementing this plan, cooperation with non-member countries and with international organizations competent in the field of public health, in particular the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, will be encouraged and implemented in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 5.
2. This plan shall be open to participation by the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Accee), in accordance with the conditions laid down in Additional Protocols to the Association Agreements relating to participation in Community programmes, to be concluded with those countries. This plan shall be open to participation by Cyprus and Malta on the basis of additional appropriations in accordance with the same rules as those applied to the EFTA countries, in accordance with procedures to be agreed with those countries.
Article 7
Monitoring and evaluation
1. The Commission, taking into account the reports drawn up by the Member States and with the participation, where necessary, of independent experts, shall ensure that an evaluation is made of the actions undertaken.
2. The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council an interim report halfway through the programme and a final report on completion thereof. The reports shall highlight, in particular, the complementarity between this plan and the other actions mentioned in Article 4. The Commission shall incorporate into these reports the results of the evaluations. It shall also send the reports to the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
Done at Brussels, 29 March 1996.

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