Europa Donna’s meeting at the European Parliament

Europa Donna ‒ The European Breast Cancer Coalition calls for a European Breast Health Day at a European Parliament Event to Raise Awareness of the Need for Increased Participation in Mammography Screening Programmes.

To celebrate Breast Health Day on 15 October 2025 Europa Donna held an event at the European Parliament in Brussels to encourage MEPs to back their call for declaring this date the European Breast Health Day. Hosted by Romana Jerković, MEP and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Public Health (SANT), and Nikos Papandreou, MEP, the event highlighted that despite the progress in implementing population-based mammography screening programmes across the EU, about 50% of women targeted do not participate in screening. Vast disparities and inequalities remain between and within countries.

“We believe that establishing the 15th of October as European Breast Health Day would create a unifying symbolic occasion to raise awareness of evidence-based prevention and early detection, to encourage informed participation in organised screening programmes in line with EU recommendations, and mobilise civil society, health professionals, and policymakers in support of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan,” Europa Donna President Stella Mastora told the 50 people present at the event, including MEPsRomana Jerković (Croatia), Nikos Papandreou (Greece), Alessandra Moretti (Italy), Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (Lithuania), and Marta Temido (Portugal). In 2008, Europa Donna launched Breast Health Day on 15 October as a yearly campaign to promote prevention, healthy lifestyles and early detection of breast cancer.

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also took the floor and echoed the need for prevention and how participation in screening can make a difference. She said there is evidence that prevention is good health policy and its cost-effectiveness makes it a smart economic policy. She called for continued and increased funding for cancer research and treatment in the next EU budget, as well as ensuring that the funding from Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is being felt on the ground. As stipulated in the Plan, she emphasised that women need to have equal access to screening wherever they may live. “No one should be left behind simply because of where that woman was born, or what she can afford. That’s not the Europe that we work for or the Europe that we believe in. We need to take this message further, outside this room,” she said. “That will also lead to policy changes and progress that we can be truly proud of.

”The main champion of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, past European Commissioner for Health and Human Safety – and a past president of Europa Donna – Stella Kyriakides told those present that we can do better and we must do better. The Cancer Plan will only make a difference if it is implemented across the member states, and beyond. It calls for 90% of eligible individuals in the EU to be invited for screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers by this year, 2025. She said screening programmes need to reach women because breast cancer survival rates are at 90% with early detection and can be as low as 30% when it is detected in later stages. Yet she said in some countries participation rates are below 40% for reasons such as impaired access, long distances, cultural or language barriers, or lack of trust. “Too often we will say there is also a lack of political will to make screening a true priority, and that is why we’re back here today, because we must do better. We can do better and early detection is not a privilege, it is not something we should be asking for, it is a lifesaving right. And that is how we must see it,” she said.

Starting in 2003, Europa Donna was instrumental in the passing of European Parliament Resolutions and Written Declarations urging for national screening programmes and cancer plans, specialised multidisciplinary breast units and greater investment in research to reduce breast cancer mortality. Since then, even more evidence of the benefits of screening has been accumulating.

In this light, Dirk van den Steen, Acting Head of Unit, State of Health, European Commission covered prevention and building resilient health systems. Data show that once we reach 65 years of age, only half of our remaining years are spent in good health. He said that healthier ageing could lead to reductions in health care spending and a need for fewer health care workers, now in short supply. Again, he pointed to evident disparities across countries. Looking at preventable mortality (i.e., deaths in those under age 75 years that could be avoided through prevention), the best performing country is three times better than the worst performing country. The trend for national health system spending on prevention has been about 3% of the national budget. He said that broader efforts such as tobacco control and reducing air pollution as well as population-based screening, are strategies to improve public health and healthy ageing. Thomas Hofmarcher, Health Economist, Swedish Institute for Health Economics, presented data that breast cancer screening is cost-effective and it also saves lives. Mammography detects tumours when they are in the early stage 1 and almost eliminates those detected at stage 4, when they are more life-threatening and costly to treat. He cited a systematic review of 32 studies in European countries showing that breast cancer screening led to gains in life expectancy and/or quality-adjusted life expectancy at acceptable costs.Caroline Berchet, Health Economist, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), showed data that 26 EU countries plus Iceland and Norway have population-based screening programmes, mainly targeting women aged 50-69 years. Yet data from OECD countries, including most EU countries, indicated that only half the target population had a mammogram in the last 2 years, with a five-fold variation between countries (ranging from 15% to 83%). In a study of 14 OECD countries, 50% of women were diagnosed at an early stage and the best rates were in countries with long-standing screening programmes and high participation rates.

Europa Donna Executive Director Marzia Zambon urged the MEPs present to take heed of these data. Europa Donna has identified the shortfalls of screening participation and has dedicated its 2025 Breast Health Day campaign to improving screening participation by first identifying some reasons for it, such as fear, lack of trust, low health literacy and lack of time and support. These are highlighted in this year’s campaign video. She said that after more than two decades of advocating for quality-assured population-based screening and making significant achievements, it is time to see that prevention opportunities reach all women. Europa Donna launched Breast Health Day in 2008 to promote prevention, particularly healthy lifestyles as the growing evidence clearly shows they decrease the risk of breast cancer occurrence and recurrence and can prevent up to 40% of new breast cancer cases. After yearly campaigns also focusing on prevention through screening, Europa Donna now seeks support in taking this further so that women who do get breast cancer have it detected early.

In closing, ED President Stella Mastora told MEPs, “We respectfully urge you to champion a Motion for a Parliamentary Resolution declaring the 15 of October as European Breast Health Day. Such a step would send a strong political signal, inspiring coordinated action by the Commission, the Council, and member states. This initiative would help sustain public outreach, and remind citizens that they can empower themselves, making choices in their own interest.” In her conclusion, Romana Jerković, MEP, said, “A dedicated European Breast Health Day would strengthen cooperation between policymakers, health professionals, patients and citizens. So, by uniting our voices today, we take another step forward.”

For more information on Europa Donna’s Breast Health Day campaign and materials, see: https://www.europadonna.org/prevention-and-breast-health/breast-health-day/

About EUROPA DONNA

Europa Donna – The European Breast Cancer Coalition – is an independent, non-profit organisation whose members are affiliated groups from countries throughout Europe. Europa Donna works to raise public awareness of breast cancer and to mobilise the support of European women in pressing for improved breast cancer education, appropriate screening, optimal treatment and care and increased funding for research. Member countries currently number 47.

Contact information:

EUROPA DONNA – The European Breast Cancer Coalition

Piazza Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 4

20133 Milan, Italy

Tel: +39 02 3659 2280

Email: info@europadonna.org

Website: www.europadonna.org

The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Europa Donna.