DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 31 January 2024
Commission recommends new measures on vaccine-preventable cancers under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan
Today, the European Commission is putting forward a Recommendation to support Member States in their efforts to prevent cancer through vaccination. Notably, it focuses on boosting the uptake of two key vaccinations that can prevent viral infections that may lead to cancer: against Human papillomaviruses (HPV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV), as well as improving the monitoring of coverage rates.
The Recommendation is part of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, a key pillar of the European Health Union. It is estimated that about 40% of cancer cases in the EU are preventable. However, according to a new report published today, only around 5% of total health spending was dedicated to prevention in the EU Member States in 2021.
Vaccine-preventable cancers
To eliminate cervical cancer and other cancers caused by HPV, such as certain head and neck cancers and other anogenitial cancers, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan has set a target for Member States to reach HPV vaccination rates of 90% for girls and to significantly increase the vaccination of boys by 2030. The Cancer Plan also aims to ensure access and increased uptake of the HBV vaccination, notably to prevent liver cancer. These vaccines are vital for protecting public health and supporting resilient health systems.
However, there is still a long way to go in reaching these objectives. Many Member States are well below 50% HPV vaccination coverage for girls with limited data available for boys and young adults, and there is a significant lack of data on HBV vaccination rates.
Today's Recommendation includes a series of measures that Member States could take to improve the uptake of these life-saving vaccines. These include:
The Commission will also provide support to Member States in implementing the Recommendation. In particular, it will provide a model for communication campaigns, adaptable to national needs and taking into account national specificities, to help raise awareness of the importance of these vaccinations. The Commission will also assist in the work to improve monitoring across the EU, while the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) will develop a new dashboard of national vaccination rates for HPV and HBV by the end of 2024, to provide a better overview of the situation.
In parallel, the EU4Health programme continues to provide significant financial support to Member States in their efforts to boost vaccination and combat cancer. A Joint Action will be launched in 2024 to support Member States to increase HPV vaccination as well as to address communicable diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, funded with €20 million from the EU budget.
For More Information
Proposal for a Council recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers
Factsheet “Europe's Beating Cancer Plan: Making a difference”
Europe's Beating Cancer Plan
Factsheet on vaccination coverage
European Cancer Inequalities Registry
Data on cancer prevalence
Quote(s)
With Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan we have taken a strong political commitment to improve the lives of all our fellow citizens touched by this disease. With today’s proposal, the EU is delivering support to Member States to increase cancer prevention, with a particular focus on protecting children, young people and vulnerable populations. Prevention will always be the better way to fight cancer, and with 40% of cases being attributed to preventable causes, there is scope to make a difference.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life
Prevention is always better than cure. Every year in the EU, almost 14,000 lives are lost to cervical cancer and over 16,000 new Hepatitis B infections are reported. With safe and effective vaccines, we have a historic opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer and other cancers caused by these viruses. Today’s proposal is a key part of our work on prevention under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a core pillar of a strong European Health Union that protects the health of our citizens, particularly our youth. The Commissions stands ready to support Member States in every way possible to reduce the number of persons touched by cancer.
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
Commission proposes to allow EU farmers to derogate for one year from certain agricultural rules
Today, the European Commission proposes to allow EU farmers to avail of derogations for the year 2024 from Common Agricultural Policy rules obliging them to keep certain areas non-productive. The Commission's proposal, sent today to Member States who will vote on it in a committee meeting, provides a first concrete policy response to address farmers' income concerns. It also follows requests outlined by several Member States in Agriculture Council meetings.
To receive the CAP support they are entitled to, farmers must respect an enhanced set of nine standards beneficial to the environment and climate. This principle of conditionality applies to close to 90% of the utilised agricultural area in the EU and plays an important role in mainstreaming sustainable farming practices. This set of basic standards is referred to as GAECs, meaning “good agricultural and environmental conditions”.
The GAEC 8 standard requires, among other things, devoting a minimum share of arable land to non-productive areas or features. The latter typically refers to land lying fallow but also features such as hedges or trees. Farms with fewer than ten hectares of arable land are typically exempted from this obligation. Today, the Commission provides the possibility for all EU farmers to be exempted from this requirement and still be eligible for their CAP basic direct payment.
Instead of keeping the land fallow or unproductive on 4 % of their arable land, EU farmers growing nitrogen fixing crops (such as lentils, peas, or favas) and/or catch crops on 7% of their arable land will be considered as meeting the requirement. Catch crops are plants that grow between two main crops. These crops can serve as fodder for animals, or as green manure. The use of nitrogen-fixing crops and catch crops brings a range of environmental benefits for soil health, including for soil biodiversity and for limiting nutrient leaching. The crops are to be grown without plant protection products to maintain the environmental ambition of the CAP.
The Commission proposal is carefully calibrated to provide the right balance between offering appropriate relief to farmers facing numerous crises on the one hand, and protecting biodiversity and soil quality on the other hand.
The measure will be voted in the coming days by Member States gathered in committee meeting. After that, the Commission will proceed with formal adoption. The Regulation will apply retroactively from 1 January 2024. Member States who wish to apply the derogation at national level need to notify the Commission within 15 days so that farmers can be informed as soon as possible.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said:
“Farmers are the backbone of EU food security and the heart of our rural areas. The Commission's enduring commitment is delivered through our Common Agricultural Policy budget worth €386.7 billion which helps stabilize European farmer's income, while rewarding their efforts on climate and sustainability. Today's measure offers additional flexibility to farmers at a time when they are dealing with multiple challenges. We will continue to engage with our farmers to ensure the CAP strikes the right balance between responding to their needs while continuing to deliver public goods for our citizens. ”
Background
Farmers are facing an exceptional range of difficulties and uncertainties. In particular, the last year has been characterised by an important number of extreme meteorological events, including droughts, wildfires and floodings in various parts of the Union. These events affect output and revenue as well as the execution and calendar of normal agronomic practices, which entails a heavy pressure on farmers for adaptation.
The high energy and input prices resulting from Russia's aggression against Ukraine, costs of living/inflation, changed international trade flows and the need to support Ukraine have created further uncertainties and market pressure. The price of cereals also sharply declined compared to 2022, which led the EU27 value of cereals production to decrease from €80.6 billion in 2022 to €58.8 billion in 2023 - a reduction of nearly 30%. In such conditions, the obligation to set arable land aside may have a significant short-term negative impact on the revenue of certain farmers.
The Commission's support for the agricultural sector is a constant of the European Union. For the 2023-2027 period, €300 billion will be distributed to European farmers as part of the CAP Strategic Plans. Since 2014, the Commission has also approved €2.5 billion in exceptional measures to support the sector in the face of numerous crises.
Farmers are the backbone of EU food security and the heart of our rural areas. The Commission’s enduring commitment is delivered through our Common Agricultural Policy budget worth €386.7 billion which helps stabilize European farmer’s income, while rewarding their efforts on climate and sustainability. Today’s measure offers additional flexibility to farmers at a time when they are dealing with multiple challenges. We will continue to engage with our farmers to ensure the CAP strikes the right balance between responding to their needs while continuing to deliver public goods for our citizens.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
By taking this stabilising action, we can help alleviate the pressure that we know our farmers are feeling, in order to ensure that they can stay economically viable during these times of high uncertainty.
Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President for European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
In proposing this temporary derogation, the Commission demonstrates flexibility and solidarity with European farmers in the face of exceptional difficulties. By enabling the production of nitrogen fixing crops and catch crops, without the use of plant protection products, this derogation strikes a balance between the short-term necessity of supporting farmers and the long-term need to protect our climate, soil health, and biodiversity.
Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture
The European Commission pays tribute to Jacques Delors, architect of Europe
Today at 17h CET, President von der Leyen will host a European ceremony in honour of Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, who passed away on December 27.
"Beyond the legacy of Jacques Delors, I believe we must also keep the flame alive. The flame of will, ambition and pragmatism. After all, Europe's path is reinvented every day. Jacques Delors taught us how important it was to adapt to new needs. To act with ambition and realism to meet new challenges. And to hold firmly onto the European ideal," said President von der Leyen.
You will be able read the President's opening speech here, in French, English and German.
You can watch the entire ceremony on Europe by Satellite. In addition to Jacques Delors' family and former colleagues, the ceremony will be attended by a number of European leaders who will come to pay tribute to the former president. Expected attendees include: Klaus Werner Iohannis, President of Romania, Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia, Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece, Robert Abela, Prime Minister of Malta, Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia, Nikolai Denkov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland and former President of the European Council.
The ceremony will also include testimonials in memory of Jacques Delors and musical interludes.
Commission welcomes political agreement on clearer labelling and improved composition of honey, fruit juices, jams and milk
The European Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today by the European Parliament and Council to review and strengthen the existing marketing standards applicable to a honey, fruit juices, jams and milk. The so-called Breakfast Directives lay down common rules on the composition, sales names, labelling and presentation of these products to ensure their free movement within the internal market and help consumers make informed choices.
The revised Directives agreed upon by the co-legislators will introduce the following changes:
The co-legislators have also given a mandate to the Commission to assess, within the coming three years, the ways to inform consumers about the origin of the fruits used in the production of juices and jams.
The political agreement reached by the European Parliament, Council and Commission is now subject to formal approval by the co-legislators. From entry into force 20 days after publication of the final text, Member States will have 18 months to transpose the new provisions into national law and 6 more months before it applies throughout the Union.
EU marketing standards are designed to ensure that the quality of the product stays high, that consumers are protected and that standards are consistent within the EU market. They also facilitate trade with third countries as they are consistent with existing standards at international level since the 1950s. Over the last decade, agricultural markets have evolved significantly, driven by innovation but also changing societal concerns and consumers' demand.
To be placed on the EU markets and sold to consumers, most agri-food products must comply with EU marketing standards or standards established at international level. Marketing standards concern the external qualities of products and the non-visible qualities that result from particular production processes, like fruit content in jams. They apply equally to both EU products and imported products.
In April 2023, following a broad consultation process, the Commission presented proposals to ensure that marketing standards keep contributing to the promotion and uptake of sustainable products, while addressing new needs of consumers and operators, in line with the Farm to Fork strategy and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Proposal of a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending the so-called “Breakfast Directives” as regards honey, fruit juices, fruit jams and evaporated milk
Impact assessment report on the revision of EU marketing standards for agricultural products to ensure the uptake and supply of sustainable products
In updating our marketing standards and norms, we have not only strengthened our existing rules but also bolstered European production and consumer benefits. Our commitment to clearer origin labelling, reduced sugar content, and increased fruit content reflects our dedication to promoting informed choices. With the new rules we can limit fraudulent practices and have a more transparent food chain benefiting European producers.
The EU announces EUR 117 million in humanitarian aid for Chad and Sudan in 2024
The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, is currently visiting Chad to ascertain the humanitarian situation in the country and meet with the authorities. During this visit, the Commissioner will announce new funding of EUR 45 million in EU humanitarian aid for Chad.
This funding aims to address the most pressing humanitarian needs in Chad, notably those of refugees, returnees and host communities affected by the Sudanese conflict in the east of the country, those of internally displaced persons affected by the Lake Chad Basin conflict in western Chad, and the most vulnerable members of the population whose survival is threatened by starvation and malnutrition. This new EU humanitarian funding will address the most urgent protection and humanitarian aid needs, including providing emergency food, medical care, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, and children's education during a crisis.
The EU is also allocating an initial sum of EUR 72 million to Sudan in 2024 to help the country cope with the impact of the conflict and the resulting huge humanitarian needs for 24.8 million people, roughly half the Sudanese population. This funding will provide essential services and protection to people displaced by conflict or other disasters. This will include supporting education in emergencies, helping pupils affected by the conflict to continue their schooling, a particularly urgent need as 3 million children have been displaced, making Sudan the country with the largest number of displaced children in the world.
Visit to Chad
During his visit to Chad, the Commissioner will meet with President Mahamat Déby, Prime Minister Succès Masra, ministers and representatives of international humanitarian organisations, EU countries, the World Bank and UN agencies. Mr Lenarčič will also meet humanitarian partners involved in providing vital aid to Darfur in Sudan through cross-border operations from Chad. The EU's humanitarian partners travel to western Darfur daily to provide humanitarian assistance to a region where 60% of the population is facing acute food insecurity and a need for immediate protection assistance.
Chad's humanitarian needs are the result of recurrent food and nutrition crises in the country and the consequences of the violence in the Lake Chad Basin region. Since April 2023 these have been aggravated by the consequences of the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.
This conflict has led to a major displacement crisis, with 7.6 million people forcibly displaced, including 1.56 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Over 620 000 people, Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees, have found refuge in eastern Chad and the Chadian government estimates that this figure will reach 910 000 by the end of 2024.
Chad was already hosting one of the region's largest refugee populations before the current conflict in Sudan. It is now hosting almost 1.3 million forcibly displaced people on top of a total population of 17.4 million.
For 2023, the EU had already allocated more than EUR 56 million to address Chad's humanitarian needs, thus doubling the initial amount allocated. EUR 24.5 million of this funding targeted the response in the east, to help refugees and returnees, as well as people in the host areas who are themselves living in extreme poverty.
The additional EU support to address the impact of the Sudanese crisis included a humanitarian air bridge carrying over 450 tonnes of essential supplies to various EU humanitarian partners on the ground, the temporary deployment of a helicopter in eastern Chad, in partnership with the UN Humanitarian Air Service, to allow humanitarian workers access to hard-to-reach areas, and the creation of a logistics platform in Adré, in partnership with HI/Atlas Logistique, to allow organisations to store and ship humanitarian supplies.
Together with local authorities, the EU has also rehabilitated a runway in the town of Adré – one of the main entry points for people fleeing Sudan – to facilitate the arrival of planes carrying humanitarian personnel and cargo, as well as medical evacuations.
The humanitarian situation in Chad is complex, the needs are great, and more funding is needed to meet these needs. The initial number of people in need in 2023 was 6.9 million and the updated number is 7.6 million. EU humanitarian aid provides, among other things, multi-sectoral protection and assistance to forcibly displaced persons, life-saving treatments for undernourished children, food assistance, and aid to address environmental risks.
The humanitarian situation in Sudan is continuing to deteriorate after 9 months of conflict. More than half of the population – around 24.8 million people – need humanitarian assistance and protection. Sudan is the country facing the largest displacement crisis in the world. Food insecurity is on the rise. The situation in Darfur is particularly worrying, with the five Darfur states accounting for almost half of the places where humanitarian needs are most acute.
In 2023, the EU allocated EUR 128 million to address immediate humanitarian needs in Sudan. The EU has set up a humanitarian air bridge to help transport vital supplies to our humanitarian partners in Port Sudan.
For more information
Chad - European Commission (europa.eu)
Sudan - European Commission (europa.eu)
Humanitarian aid - European Commission (europa.eu)
The humanitarian needs in Chad and Sudan are staggering. For Chad, the Sudanese crisis has led to a considerable influx of displaced persons who the authorities and local populations have welcomed with remarkable solidarity. However, this crisis risks further destabilising a country that is already facing a protracted crisis and multiple challenges. The European Union has decided to mobilise new financial resources to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation, including through cross-border operations in Darfur. With this new funding, the EU reaffirms its support for Chad and stands by the most vulnerable to help them meet their basic needs. For Sudan, our aim is to provide vital aid to people displaced by or otherwise affected by the fighting and also to those affected by other disasters, climate shocks or epidemics.
Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management
EU approves over €19 million in humanitarian aid for Myanmar in 2024
As conflict continues in most parts of Myanmar, the Commission has allocated over €19 million in humanitarian aid to address the most urgent needs of the population. This funding will support the large number of internally displaced people, which reached 2.6 million last year, as well as others affected by the ongoing fighting.
The main EU aid priorities will be food assistance, emergency shelter and access to healthcare, water and sanitation, as well as protection activities such as mine risk education.
Out of the total allocation, €2 million is for education in emergencies. About a third of school-aged children in the country don't currently have access to education, with many schools closed or inaccessible due to the conflict.
All EU humanitarian funding is channelled via partner organisations such as international NGOs and UN agencies. In Myanmar, the EU's partners work with over a hundred of local civil society organisations to deliver aid across the country.
In Myanmar, humanitarian needs have risen dramatically since the military takeover three years ago. Severe violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law are being reported on a regular basis. Last Autumn saw an escalation in conflict, which brought high intensity fighting to much of the country.
Around 18.6 million people, a third of the population, are estimated to need humanitarian assistance. The UN has described Myanmar as a global hunger hotspot, with a quarter of the population facing food insecurity. Health needs are also on the rise, as the conflict has severely disrupted access to healthcare. The increasing number of displaced people often lack shelter as well as access to water and sanitation.
Myanmar is also one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, exposed to multiple hazards such as floods, cyclones and earthquakes. Last May, when the devastating Cyclone Mocha slammed into Myanmar's coastline, the EU quickly mobilised €2 million in immediate assistance to people affected by the disaster.
This €19.2 million initial humanitarian allocation for Myanmar in 2024 is the highest initial allocation for the country since the EU began providing humanitarian assistance. Last year's initial allocation was €17.3 million, with total financing at the end of the year reaching almost €33 million.
EU humanitarian aid in Myanmar
The crisis in Myanmar remains one of the worst in the world and the EU will continue to help the country’s population by providing humanitarian assistance. This €19 million will provide life-saving aid to the most vulnerable people, offering them access to food assistance, healthcare and education. Once again, we remind all parties of the need to respect humanitarian law and facilitate the delivery of aid across the country.
EU reaffirms trade support for Ukraine and Moldova
The Commission has today proposed to renew the suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year, while reinforcing protection for sensitive EU agricultural products.
This is done in line with EU commitments to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
These Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) have been in place since June 2022 and are a key pillar of the EU's unwavering support for Ukraine and its economy. The measures help alleviate the difficult situation faced by Ukrainian producers and exporters as a consequence of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression.
While the main objective of the ATMs is to support Ukraine, the measures are also mindful of EU farmers' and other stakeholders' sensitivities. To this end, and considering a significant increase in imports of some agricultural products from Ukraine to the EU in 2022 and 2023, the renewed ATMs contain a reinforced safeguard mechanism. This makes sure that quick remedial action can be taken in case of significant disruptions to the EU market, or to the markets of one or more Member States.
For the most sensitive products – poultry, eggs and sugar – an emergency brake is foreseen which would stabilise imports at the average import volumes in 2022 and 2023. This means that if imports of these products were exceeding those volumes, tariffs would be reimposed to ensure that import volumes do not significantly exceed those of previous years.
In parallel, the Commission proposes to renew by another year the suspension of all remaining duties on Moldovan imports in force since July 2022.
Next steps
The proposals will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The goal is to ensure a seamless transition from the current regime of ATMs to the new one, by the time the current regimes expires on 5 June 2024 for Ukraine and 24 July 2024 for Moldova.
In force since 4 June 2022, the ATMs for Ukraine have had a clear positive effect on Ukraine's trade to the EU. Together with the Solidarity Lanes, the ATMs have ensured that trade flows from Ukraine to the EU have remained remarkably stable in 2022 and 2023, despite the major disruptions caused by the war and against the general trend of a decrease in Ukraine's trade overall. Total EU imports from Ukraine amounted to €24.3 billion in the 12 months to October 2023 compared to pre-war levels in 2021 of €24 billion.
Unilateral and temporary in nature, the ATMs significantly broaden the scope of tariff liberalisation under the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) by suspending all outstanding duties, quotas and safeguard measures on Ukrainian imports in Ukraine's time of need. In parallel, the EU and Ukraine continue discussions about further permanent and reciprocal tariff liberalisation under Article 29 of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.
The ATMs for Moldova have been in force since 25 July 2022. Moldova's exports to the rest of the world have suffered from Russia's military aggression against Ukraine as they often relied on transit through Ukrainian territory and Ukrainian infrastructure. The ATMs have assisted Moldova's efforts to re-orient exports via the EU. Overall, exports from Moldova to the EU increased from €1.8 billion in 2021 to €2.6 billion in 2022.
The Commission now proposes to renew the suspension of all duties on imports from Moldova by another year. This means in practice that exports of seven agricultural products from Moldova which are subject to tariff-rate quotas will continue to be fully liberalised: tomatoes, garlic, table grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice.
Suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports to the EU
Suspension of all remaining duties on Moldovan imports
EU-Ukraine Trade Relations
EU-Moldova Trade Relations
The EU must continue to show solidarity with Ukraine and Moldova in the face of Russia’s continuing aggression. This proposal strikes the right balance: we are maintaining our economic support for both countries, while taking EU farmers’ interests and sensitivities fully into account. This will achieve the dual objective of helping to keep Ukraine's and Moldova’s economies going, while at the same time having stronger safeguards to prevent market disruptions in the EU.
Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade
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