Françoise Meunier, Founder of the European Initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors, shared on LinkedIn:
“The report of our High-Level Conference “The Right to be Forgotten as a Human Right” is now available.
On 21 October in Brussels, nearly 30 speakers from 11 countries came together for an Associated Event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Survivors, clinicians, epidemiologists, lawyers and policymakers all reached the same conclusion:
When a patient is cured, the rules must follow.
What I take away from that day:
- Real progress. 11 Member States, plus Monaco and Andorra, now protect survivors by law. In Ireland, mortgage protection premiums dropped by about 85% on the law’s very first day.
- Voluntary codes are not rights. Only legislation gives survivors certainty.
- Medicine keeps moving. For many cancers, “time to cure” is now under three years. Waiting periods should reflect the evidence.
- Adopting a law is only the beginning. Monitoring, appeal mechanisms and awareness among patients and doctors matter just as much.
- Survivors still face a patchwork. Their protection depends on their country and on the financial product they need.
I am deeply grateful to the survivors who shared their stories with such courage. Being refused a loan, an insurance policy, a job or a professorship many years after being cured is simply unacceptable.
Our call stays the same: one binding European standard, five years after the end of treatment without relapse, and shorter where evidence allows.
Cancer survivors should not pay twice.
Many thanks to Minister Robert Troy, Prof. Mark Lawler, the Irish Cancer Society, Fonds Cancer (FOCA), RPP Group and all the speakers: Prof. Françoise Tulkens, Kinga Wójtowicz, Lutz Dommel, Jacqueline Daly, Magali Mertens de Wilmars, Stefan Schmidt, Miriam Vogt, Izabela Chełkowska-Klasa, Antonella Cardone, Hugo R. Soares
Emma H., Inken Hilgendorf, Gabriele Calaminus, Pavel Trcka, Caroline Berchet, Luigino Dal Maso, Grazia Scocca, Florence Caeymaex, Iris Pauporté, Maëlle DE VILLE DE GOYET, Irina Odnoletkova, Delia Nicoară, Corinne Gail De Gabriele, and Amanda Spiteri Grech”
About the High-Level Conference
The conference “The Right to Be Forgotten as a Human Right” took place on October 21, 2026, in Brussels and was organised by Françoise Meunier with Mark Lawler as an Associated Event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
It brought together policymakers, legal experts, healthcare professionals, researchers and patient representatives to advance protections against financial discrimination following cancer.
The initiative frames the Right to Be Forgotten not only as a financial issue, but also as one of equality, dignity, non-discrimination and fundamental human rights for people living beyond cancer.
Read more articles about Cancer Survivorship on OncoDaily.