Every patient deserves to understand, MEP Victor Negrescu
On 14 October 2026, the European Parliament hosted the first Cancer Literacy Day. In a video message, host Victor Negrescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament, set out why understanding cancer must sit alongside treating it.
“Fighting cancer is not only about developing better treatments,” he said. “It is also about making sure that every person has the information, the support and the opportunity to benefit from medical progress.”
Each year around 2.7 million people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer and 1.27 million lose their lives, yet around 40% of cases are considered preventable. Negrescu warned that a person’s chances against cancer still depend too much on where they live, their income and their level of education. In 2023, cancer mortality among men in Croatia was almost twice that in Sweden. Mammography participation was 54% among women with lower levels of education, compared with 64% among those with higher levels.
“Cancer literacy is not about placing more responsibility on patients,” he stressed. “It is about making our health care systems more responsible towards them.” In his view, that means clear information, healthcare professionals with the time and training to explain, accessible screening, and public authorities that actively reach underserved communities, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Vice-President welcomed the work of the CURTAIN project, coordinated from Romania with partners from nine countries including Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine. He said its work on measuring cancer literacy, training healthcare professionals, involving patients and developing accessible information can help Europe “move from good intentions to practical solutions.”
He made a strong case for protecting health in the next EU budget. He argued against proposed cuts and set out his proposals: €90 billion for health across EU policies and a dedicated €10 billion European health programme in the next long-term budget, plus additional funding for EU4Health and Horizon Europe’s health cluster in 2027.
Negrescu closed with the hope that the first Cancer Literacy Day will mark the beginning of a lasting European commitment: “Every patient deserves to understand. Every patient deserves a fair chance. Every patient deserves a Europe that stands by them.”