European Public Health Alliance shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Every 9 seconds, someone in the EU is diagnosed with cancer.
The risk of developing or surviving cancer remains deeply unequal, dictated heavily by socio-economic status and geographic location.
For the editorial of our first newsletter issue of the year, Wolfgang Fecke, Executive Director at the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), challenges the traditional approach to cancer prevention and calls for immediate policy-driven structural change.
The launch of the updated European Code Against Cancer (ECAC) marks a paradigm shift in public health advocacy:
- Moving beyond personal choice: Over 40% of cancer cases are preventable. The updated 14 recommendations explicitly shift the burden of prevention away from individual actions alone and onto systemic policy frameworks.
- Environments over chance: True equity requires targeting the commercial and environmental determinants of health—from stronger tobacco and alcohol control to healthier food environments and cleaner air.
- An opportunity for EU legislation: Recent initiatives like the EU Safe Hearts Plan and the ongoing revision of the tobacco control framework are immediate opportunities to translate the Code into binding, impactful measures.
Ambition and resources must match the scale of the challenge. Every day without health-promoting policies is a day we miss the opportunity to save lives.
Explore the editorial article and the complete newsletter issue here.”
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