Prof. Marc Gunter from Imperial College London on Colorectal Cancer

March is colorectal cancer awareness month. Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Europe with over 350 thousand new diagnosis estimated in 2022 and nearly 160 thousand deaths associated with the disease. While the majority of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer are above age 60, there are worrying trends of growing incidence in younger individuals.

Brussels, 15 February 2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on fostering the use of radiotheranostics across the Union and addressing the shortage of suitably qualified staff in the healthcare system.

The JRC Side event at the Nuclear Energy Summit "JRC activities for a safe and secure nuclear in Europe", and official closing event of the 60 Years JRC Nuclear Safety and Security, took place on 20 March 2024 in Brussels.

The agreement reached by the co-legislators establishes clear rules for the use of health data for better healthcare delivery, research, innovation, and policymaking. The new rules will harness the potential offered by the safe and secure exchange, use, and re-use of health data, while ensuring full compliance with the EU's high data protection standards.

Various initiatives were organised in Europe, including a walking challenge #ECCAM2024 by Digestive Cancers Europe with over half a billion Steps Completed Around the World, and their book release (‘You’re Young, But It Might Be Cancer: Stories from 16 young adults with Colorectal Cancer’) that sheds light on the alarming spread of early-onset colorectal cancer (eo-CRC) among individuals under the age of 50. The #GetScreenedEU campaign was launched by the European Commission. The Knowledge Centre on Cancer also contributed to colorectal cancer awareness activities. Check the link below to find out more.

Our colleagues were honoured to receive acknowledgement for their work from Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, underlining the value of European Cancer guidelines and Quality assurance activities to tackle cancer.

Commissioner Kyriakides referred to the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer.

The European Commission has launched a Direct Grant to Member State Authorities with a special focus on cancer registration, to support quality improvement of cancer registry data feeding the European Cancer Information System (ECIS).

The EU4Health Annual Work Programme (AWP) 2024 includes many initiatives focused on cancer.

The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive. Once adopted, the new law will set 2030 EU air quality standards aligned more closely with the WHO global air quality guidelines. This is an important step to better protect our health and move forward on the path to zero pollution in our environment by 2050.

Some related activities in the field:
The European Cancer Inequalities Registry hosts a topic dedicated to Childhood cancer. A panel discussion was organised in December 2023, with key speakers from the International Organisation for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) and the European Commission. The report from the event was just published.
HaDEA showcased two EU4Health projects, EU-CAYAS-NET and OACCUs, that are transforming childhood cancer care.
IARC published a new infographic showing the incidence of childhood cancer types by age group.

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (15.3.2024) A study mapping and evaluating the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan was launched under the EU4Health Work Programme 2022, the results of which are expected to be available in mid-2024.

Brussels, 28 March 2024

The Easter Bunny is having an expensive year. Cocoa prices are going through the roof.

Cocoa bean prices have climbed to record nominal levels over the past six months, more than doubling since August 2023.

This is a short week for some of us lucky enough to be born in - or live in - countries where Easter celebrations are a multi-day affair. Unfortunately, that group does not include me.

The process of structural transformation is a hallmark of development economics: when economies shift away from agriculture towards manufacturing and services, this typically drives sustained economic growth, increased living standards, and poverty reduction.

Agricultural area, abbreviated as AA, describes the area already used for farming, or that could be brought back into cultivation using the resources normally available on an agricultural holding. It includes the land categories: - arable land; - permanent grassland; - permanent crops; - kitchen gardens; - unutilised agricultural area; - special holding areas; The term does not include wooded land and land occupied by buildings, farmyards, tracks, ponds, etc.

The US Department of Agriculture has released a plan including programs to encourage climate-smart production and use of domestic biomass. The plan describes current understanding of biomass use and availability and identifies current challenges and vulnerabilities to biomass supply chain systems in the US, taking stock of existing initiatives and recommending additional actions to support the expansion of the bioeconomy.