The kick-off meeting of the Joint Action on Innovative Partnership for Action against Cancer (IPPAC) takes place today and tomorrow in Luxembourg in the presence of the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis who will deliver a speech.

This Joint Action has been selected for funding under the 2017 Work Plan of the Health Programme. It includes 21 Member States, as well as Norway, Moldova and Serbia. Over the next 36 months, the Joint Action will support Member States in implementing the recommendations and best practices agreed by the previous Joint Action on Cancer Control (CanCon) that ended in 2017.

The IPAAC Joint Action aims to reduce disparities across the EU and to translate the results of many years of cooperation on cancer prevention and control into concrete actions, designed to yield real results through six main objectives:

• Implementation of the fourth edition of the European Code Against Cancer
• Implementation of 'genomics' best practices in cancer control and care
• Improvement of cancer information to support planning and assessment of national cancer planning
• Identification and addressing new challenges in cancer care
• Mapping of innovative therapies
• Support to governance of national cancer plans in time of budget restriction

The Joint Action will also foster supportive environments for healthy lifestyles, taking into account the ‘health in all policies’ principle.

More information on EU cancer policy:

• CHRODIS +
• EU action on non-communicable diseases
• ECIS - European Cancer Information System