On World Cancer Day, Wednesday 4 February, Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health, and Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services, said that cooperation is key to “securing an effective right to be forgotten” for people who have had cancer (see EUROPE 13800/8).
“Leveraging the work on the code of conduct, we intend to present in 2026 guidance to financial undertakings on offering cancer patients’ fair access to financial services”, according to their statement (https://aeur.eu/f/kkm ).
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan refers to the ‘right to be forgotten’. Cancer organisations, the medical community and the insurance industry have worked on a code of conduct to ensure patients’ fair access to financial services.
The Consumer Credit Directive integrates the right to be forgotten into EU legislation by prohibiting the use of a person’s cancer history for insurance policies related to consumer credit agreements after a maximum period, calculated from the end of medical treatment (see EUROPE 13249/20). Member States will start applying these rules from 20 November 2026.
The Commissioners welcome the continued dialogue between cancer organisations and the insurance sector. “We will carefully consider the complexity of the issue and the legitimate concerns of both cancer patients and the insurance community, and examine options to advance the rights of cancer patients”, they say. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)