The Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union sent a draft compromise on the European Commission’s proposal (see EUROPE 13025/4) for a revision of the cancer detection guidelines to the national delegations on 4 October.
In it the Presidency introduces several reminders of the division of competences (Article 168 TFEU) and the prerogative of the Member States in the implementation of cancer screening programmes at national level. It repeatedly emphasises the flexibility that Member States will have in implementing screening programmes.
The Presidency proposes the use of “appropriate” data systems instead of “centralised” data systems to support screening.
It wishes to remove from the recitals, in the context of resolution 2020/2267(INI) adopted on 16 February by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12891/15), the statement that “the new EU-supported Cancer Screening Scheme aims to help Member States to ensure that 90% of the EU population who qualify for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings are offered screening by 2025”. This objective is one of the Commission’s “mottos” and is clearly stated in recital 50 of the Parliament’s Resolution. The Parliament even called on the Commission to extend screening to other types of cancers.
In addition, the Presidency would like it to be clarified that the collection of secondary data that could be used for analysis and evaluation of screening is fully in line with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of personal data.
The Presidency wished to include the notion of “over-diagnosis” (giving the example of cancers that are not likely to cause symptoms in patients during their lifetime) and refers to such risks on several occasions.
The draft compromise also introduces gender equality as one of the factors to be taken into account in decisions prior to the implementation of screening programmes.
Link to the project: https://aeur.eu/f/3lg (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)