On 3 February 2021, the European Commission presented Europe’s Beating Cancer plan, which sets out actions to support, coordinate or supplement Member States’ efforts at every stage of the disease: from prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, to an improved quality of life for cancer patients and survivors. Cross-cutting themes include research and innovation, digital and personalised medicine, and action to reduce cancer inequalities across the EU. The plan is a key European Union (EU) public health initiative and a cornerstone of the European health union process launched in November 2020.

The plan consists of 10 flagship initiatives and 32 supporting actions, to be rolled out over the coming years. Implementation will be monitored by means of a roadmap and progress indicators, and the Commission will establish an EU cancer plan implementation group. With a €4 billion budget, the plan will make use of all available funding instruments, including the new EU4Health programme, Horizon Europe, and the Digital Europe programme.

The EU-CAYAS-NET project will help deliver on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan commitment to put childhood cancer under the spotlight and improve the quality of life for survivors, with synergies across a number of Flagship initiatives and other activities in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, such as the Flagship initiatives “Knowledge Centre on Cancer” and “EU Network of National Comprehensive Cancer Centres”. EU- CAYAS-NET will also address many objectives of the EU4Health programme, including health promotion and reduced disease burden, reducing health inequalities and improving access to care, improving patient/survivor rights, and more.