Five years ago, the Commission launched Europes Beating Cancer Plan. Among its many achievements, the Cancer Plan has played a crucial role in placing the right to be forgotten high on the agenda. It brought cancer organisations, the medical community and the insurance sector together to engage in dialogue on a code of conduct on cancer patients fair access to financial services.
The new Consumer Credit Directive in 2023 marked the first integration of the right to be forgotten in EU legislation by prohibiting the use of a persons cancer history for insurance policies related to consumer credit agreements after a maximum period, calculated from the end of medical treatment. Member States will begin applying this provision from 20 November 2026.
We welcome the fact that cancer organisations and the insurance sector continue to engage on this important topic. From our side, 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.
We firmly believe that joining efforts is key in securing an effective right to be forgotten. 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.
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