POLICY NEWS – TIME TO ACCELERATE: THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN

In this context, and in consultation with its Member Societies, Patient Advisory Committee, and Survivorship & Quality of Life Network, ECO's statement today features three key calls to inform the content of the Code of Conduct.

1. As a principle, citizen rights should be protected and upheld through legal and regulatory means, rather than through voluntary codes of conduct,

2. Five years following the end of active treatment should be adopted as the European standard for the Right to be Forgotten ; and,

3. The final European Code of Conduct on fair Access of Cancer Survivors to Financial Services should be envisioned as the consensus basis for encouraging every EU Member State to implement a legal Right to be Forgotten.

Dr Francoise Meunier, founder of the European Initiative on Ending Discrimination against Cancer, commented on the publication of Time to Accelerate: the Right to be Forgotten.

“In developing a European Code of Conduct on fair Access of Cancer Survivors to Financial Services, it is important that fundamental principles are understood and upheld. The Code responds to the gross inequities faced by millions of cancer survivors in Europe who are being discriminated against when seeking to access financial services such as mortgages, insurance, and loans. Around the world, five- year survival is the widely understood metric of cancer survival. As a European cancer community we call clearly for the Code of Conduct to express five years following the end of active treatment to be the stated European standard for the Right to be Forgotten. But we see this code is an initial first step based on the existing success of a legal framework adopted in 8 EU countries which should pave the way for such legal framework for all EU cancer survivors “

Csaba Degi, President of the European Cancer Organisation, remarked:

“As we move towards European Parliament elections this year there is so much good news from Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to report. The enormous progress in implementing that Plan’s chapter on cancer survivorship is one of them. We look forward to the upcoming European Code of Conduct on fair Access of Cancer Survivors to Financial Services being among the positive stories. However, for that to be the case, the representations of Europe’s cancer community should be taken into full account. We hope today’s publication of Time to Accelerate: the Right to be Forgotten will assist in this process.

For further information about this topic, and to connect to ECO's work on Survivorship and Quality of Life, please contact Marion L’hote at marion.lhote@europeancancer.org