Ladies and gentlemen,

We are celebrating the launch of the country factsheets on socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality.

Cancer remains a significant challenge.

In 2022, there were 2.74 million new cancer cases, which is 2.3% more than in 2020.

Every minute, five people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer.

Their chances of survival depend greatly on who they are and where they live.

Despite improvements in cancer care, there are still significant differences between countries in how cancer affects people and how it is treated.

More people die from cancer in lower-income countries – and new cancer cases can be up to twice as high in some EU countries compared to others.

We have seen improvements in the prevalence of risk factors like smoking and alcohol consumption.

However, there are still strong socioeconomic disparities, particularly in overweight and obesity rates.

In 2022, over half of women with low education reported being overweight, compared to a third among women with a high level of education.

There are also disparities in access to prevention and care.

For instance, cancer screening rates are significantly lower among socio-economically disadvantaged people.

If we want a European Health Union for everyone, we cannot accept these inequalities.

Patients should have access to equally high standards of cancer care, no matter where they live in the EU.

This is a key aim of Europes Beating Cancer Plan.

To understand and address inequalities, we need to measure them first.

The European Cancer Inequalities Registry helps us move towards this goal.

It is a flagship initiative of Europes Beating Cancer Plan.

It helps Member States identify trends, disparities, and inequalities in cancer, as well as areas that need improvement.

The country factsheets being launched today provide very important input to the Registry.

They were prepared by the International Agency for Research on Cancer for all 27 EU Member States, Iceland, and Norway.

They provide new insights on the impact of socioeconomic factors on inequalities in cancer mortality, focusing on disparities by educational level.

One insight is that on average in the EU, there is a 37 percent difference in cancer mortality between people with low education levels compared to high education levels.

This mortality gap varies hugely between countries – in some, it is as low as 18%, while in others, it is as high as 106%.

Ladies and gentlemen,

These findings will complement other elements of the European Cancer Inequalities Registrys work, like the data tool and the Country Cancer Profiles series.

Together, they provide a fuller picture of cancer disparities.

It is important to have sound and reliable data to guide investment and policymaking.

Knowledge is powerful.

By putting this knowledge to use at national and EU levels, we can better target our work on cancer.

And by doing so, we can ensure fairer cancer care for people across Europe.

Thank you.