Policy Update - Time to Accelerate: the next steps

Ambitious pan-European projects are up and running, with early outputs coming to fruition. New communities for multi-stakeholder action are formed with promises of long-term sustainability. At national level, own initiatives have been sparked by the energy of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, from efforts to eliminate HPV cancers, to the development of new comprehensive cancer centres, or even simply the production of national cancer plans mirroring the European version, where previously no such plan existed.

But none of this can be taken for granted. As we look to the next European Parliament election, the cancer community must restate its case: why the EU investment of the last 4 years is paying off; what further can be achieved by continuing the emphasis.

The Time to Accelerate manifesto is dedicated to this purpose.

With it broad range of recommendations over many policy areas, next areas of attention include:

• Ensuring those with power and influence to implement the recommendations, now and in the future, have awareness, familiarity and understanding of the asks.
• Enabling interested and supportive stakeholders across Europe to engage in a Time to Accelerate campaign, highlighting the public support for EU cancer policy, and the differences being achieved at national level as a result of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

To achieve these goals, the European Cancer Organisation is taking a partner-oriented approach. Keeping cancer policy on the EU agenda will require a full team effort. The manifesto’s breadth provides opportunity to support and back the efforts of many others in the cancer policy space. The recent allied publication ‘Time to Accelerate: Action on Men and Cancer’, in collaboration with Global Action on Men’s Health and the European Association of Urology, is a case study in this case.

Therefore, beyond your organisation’s endorsement, if your society or institution would be interested in partnership working in Time to Accelerate activities we would be most interested to hear from you as we finetune plans for 2024. Allied publications, national events, joint meetings. Collaboration and cooperation will be keys to unlocking success in the Time to Accelerate campaign ahead. Please contact manifesto@europeancancer.org if you see opportunities to team-up!