2. Human Rights violations in China, notably the case of Liu Xiaobo
President
The next item is the debate on seven motions for resolution concerning violations of human rights in China, notably the case of Liu Xiaobo.
Renate Weber
author. - Mr President, last month, Mr Liu Xiaobo, the very well-known writer and political activist, was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment for 'incitement to subvert state power'. He was arrested over a year ago after drafting Charter 08, a charter which was signed by more than 10 000 ordinary Chinese citizens, demanding the most normal things in a democratic society: the right to free speech, open elections and rule of law.
The prosecution of Mr Liu Xiaobo, based solely on his peaceful initiatives, and the judicial harassment he faced are undoubtedly incompatible with internationally acknowledged norms of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Therefore, we should call strongly for Mr Liu Xiaobo's unconditional release, which should take place immediately.
In the last few years, relations between the European Union and China have focused mainly on the economic dimension, which has overshadowed the country's democratic record and the gross human rights violations which have systematically occurred in China.
A few days ago, for the first time, a police official admitted that the famous human rights lawyer and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mr Gao Zhisheng, had gone missing after a year in the Chinese authorities' custody. Many people fear that he might be dead. A few weeks ago, the Chinese Government disregarded an EU appeal not to execute a British citizen.
It is particularly disturbing to see how the Chinese Government ignores its international commitments in the field of human rights. One is entitled to wonder why, under these circumstances, China submitted its candidacy to the UN Human Rights Council - was it simply to legitimise the way it suppresses human rights?
In April 2009, the Chinese Government issued a national human rights plan, a lengthy document which appears to be nothing but a piece of paper. There must be no doubt. This House, the European Parliament, has the obligation to thoroughly evaluate the results of the EU-China human rights dialogue.
Tunne Kelam
author. - Mr President, China has demonstrated impressive economic progress. However, part of this progress has been achieved by the use of methods that are in flagrant conflict with universally accepted human norms. Hopes that events like the Olympic Games would motivate the Chinese authorities to show more respect for democratic norms have proven to be in vain. On the contrary, acts of repression have increased and we need to draw conclusions from this fact.
Today, the European Parliament voices concern over the fate of the prominent human rights activist and scholar, Liu Xiaobo, signatory of Charter 08, which urges constitutional reform and the safeguarding of human rights. This Charter has been bravely co-signed by more than 10 000 Chinese citizens. Last month, Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment. We ask today for his immediate and unconditional release. We express our solidarity with the peaceful actions of Chinese citizens in favour of democratic reforms and the safeguarding of human rights, to which the Chinese Government has committed itself.
Véronique De Keyser
Mr President, urgent resolutions are always a difficult exercise because more often than not, they reflect political impotence rather than a humanitarian emergency. The naming and shaming strategy that we apply every month is a last resort. It clearly means that all the other means of dialogue or of exerting pressure have proved ineffective and that, finding ourselves powerless to act, we condemn.
In the case of China, I am not sure that increasing the number of urgent resolutions as we have been doing - in March 2009, in November 2009, in January 2010, and in March 2010, with the other planned resolution - is productive. This is not because I underestimate the difficulty that China is having in managing its transition towards democracy; it is because I believe that, in constantly being on the offensive, it is not the target that is wrong but the strategy. There are other more convincing political tools.
I was the first person to request resolutions on the Uighurs and to harbour the sadly vain hope that capital punishments would in this way be avoided. On behalf of our group, I would like to give my support to Liu Xiaobo, the recently convicted Tiananmen dissident, whose only crime is his passion for democracy. However, I refuse to pillory China every two months, quite simply because that will not make it give in. Quite the contrary, in fact, because this key trade partner, this country which has a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, which is seeing intensive growth and is in the midst of democratic change, which we need in order to combat climate change, this country must be a partner to which one tells a few home truths but which one respects for the efforts that it undertakes. It is this respect that is missing in the resolution.
It is for these political reasons that my group has withdrawn its signature. However, to ensure that there is no ambiguity on the issue of human rights, which I value at least as much as you do, my group will vote in favour of all the amendments that relate to it. As regards the final outcome of the vote, that will depend on the amendments that we have tabled.
Marie-Christine Vergiat
Mr President, China is a large country with a rich history and with huge development potential. The hosting of the Olympic Games in Beijing last year did not have the results that some had expected.
The relationship that the European Union is able to maintain with China is of particular importance. It is our duty as MEPs to say loudly and clearly what we consider important and what is unacceptable.
The fact is, the human rights situation in China is unacceptable. The case of Mr Liu Xiaobo, found guilty of demanding democratic reforms in his country, along with more than 10 000 of his fellow citizens, exemplifies this. Dare I say that, in my opinion, making such mobilisation possible in that country is an achievement rather than a crime?
We must demand the release of Mr Xiaobo, and of all the men and women who, like him, are being harassed and imprisoned for having committed just one crime, that of defending human rights, and more specifically, one of the most fundamental of those rights, namely freedom of expression.
As one of my fellow Members said, just recently a British citizen was actually executed, despite the fact that he was mentally ill. This is the first time in more than 50 years that a European has been executed in China. Indeed, freedom of expression is being flouted a little more each day, as recently revealed to us by Google, which nonetheless has a reputation for being the operator that provides if not the best protection, then at least the least worst protection for Internet users.
It is common knowledge that, to establish themselves in China, operators must comply with the Chinese authorities' request to install software filters, which even Google has ended up agreeing to do. We cannot accept a government engaging in Internet piracy and denying Internet users their freedom of expression.
The European institutions must join forces and take action on this matter. Chinese Internet users must be able to access uncensored information. The European Union has a duty to support Internet businesses that refuse to help the Chinese authorities to censor the Internet or, worse still, to arrest human rights defenders, democrats, or even journalists, as was the case with Mr Xiaobo in April 2005.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot end my speech without asking you to remember the deaths in Tiananmen Square; many hundreds of young Chinese people met their deaths on the night of 3 June 1989. It was 20 years ago now, a sad anniversary which we would be honoured to commemorate by paying tribute to those young victims. Not all the events of 1989 have deserved the same attention, however.
Charles Tannock
author. - Mr President, the fact that yet again in this House, we are debating human rights abuses in China indicates that the Communist authoritarian leadership of Beijing remains determined to suppress any political dissent.
However, that fact should not stop us from raising these issues in Parliament. I believe not only that we have a duty to do so, but that we owe it to the victims of human rights abuses in China such as Liu Xiaobo, most of whom have been denied a voice. This is why we are debating this matter again today.
Indeed, the award of the Sakharov Prize in 2008 to Hu Jia showed the world how seriously we MEPs take the issue of human rights in China. We take it seriously because China really matters. Its vast size and global outreach, its military muscle and economic power compel the EU to seek a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and security.
Perhaps eventually our relationship with China will also be based on our common values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law: we can but hope. I think all of us hope, nevertheless, to see the day when we will really see this in practice in the People's Republic of China. It has been suggested that such ideals are somehow alien to Asia. I always look to democratic Taiwan and vast India with its democratic secular traditions, where these flourish in a free society, to basically put a lie to the idea that the PRC cannot be democratic.
Heidi Hautala
author. - (FI) Mr President, what is significant about the Liu Xiaobo case is that now as many as 10 000 people have openly expressed their support for him, and I think that the European Parliament should acknowledge the bravery of these people and praise them for it.
At the same time, we have to remind ourselves that China itself has given promises to improve the human rights situation. China tried to join the Human Rights Council saying that it would be committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and would uphold the highest standards in this area. Thus, these are China's own promises before the United Nations and it is to these that we ought to refer.
This resolution also speaks of human rights dialogues between the EU and China, and however optimistic we would like to be, the end result is that they have hardly been of any benefit. The institutions of the European Union also need between them to think about how they can improve their own strategies and make China understand that its commitments in matters relating to human rights are our business too and that the future of cooperation between us depends crucially on them.
Finally, we might ask why the European Union's policy on China is so incoherent and inconsistent, and what we can do about it. The European Parliament, for its part, will certainly support the Commission in a combined effort to establish a new strategy with China.
Cristian Dan Preda
'We should end the practice of viewing words as crimes'. This is what Liu Xiaobo asserted in Charter 08, the political manifesto which he launched and which was supported, as has already been said, by thousands of Chinese people. Liu Xiaobo has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and will be deprived of his political rights for a further two years for making such a statement and for continually supporting human rights. I believe that this punishment is symptomatic of the Chinese authorities stepping up their campaign against human rights activists. Further proof of this is highlighted by the announcement this Sunday that Tzu Yong Jun, a leader of the Tiananmen Square movement, was also sentenced to nine years in prison.
As a result, I believe that it is vital to raise the subject of human rights as part of the next European Union-China Summit, as specified in Article 9 of the resolution.
I believe, as also suggested by Mrs Hautala earlier, that dialogue is not sufficient for human rights. This human rights issue needs to be dealt with as part of summit meetings because dialogue has not yielded any results so far.
Zigmantas Balčytis
on behalf of the S&D Group. - Mr President, the European Union is now negotiating a new framework agreement with China, which will set a further path for the development of economic relations with the country.
Those relations are very tight, but we must not close our eyes before repeated human rights violations and with respect for the rule of law.
The European Union must strengthen the EU-China human rights dialogue. This dialogue, established in 2000, proved to be inefficient. The EU, and especially the High Representative, should ensure coordinated and effective EU common foreign policy towards China. Respect for human rights must serve as a basis for this policy.
Helga Trüpel
Mr President, when China was selected to host the Olympic Games, I initially hoped, after all China's promises to improve the human rights situation, that this would perhaps actually happen.
However, during and after the Olympic Games, we, unfortunately, had to admit that there was no improvement, but rather a worsening of the human rights situation. Now, following the judgment against Liu Xiaobo, we have even seen a homosexual party banned by the police, which clearly threatens to result in a political ice age in China for dissidents, human rights defenders and homosexuals.
For this reason, we demand the immediate release of Liu Xiaobo and other human rights defenders and we call on China in particular - if it wishes to be a recognised partner in the international community - to put an end to its hysterical censorship measures and monitoring methods.
This, of course, applies in particular to the Internet. We cannot accept political filtering of the Internet. It is an essential element of fundamental rights that the freedom of expression must be defended in all nations of the world. Human rights are universal and indivisible, whether here in Europe, in the US, in Sudan or in China. The People's Republic of China will have to get used to that if it really wants a different role.
I am firmly convinced that we, as Europeans, need to make it clear to China within the framework of our official relations at summits - precisely because we have an interest in cooperation in the areas of climate protection policy, environmental policy and regulation of the financial markets - that it urgently needs to change its human rights policy.
Lorenzo Fontana
on behalf of the EFD Group. - (IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, one of the most significant problems regarding human rights in China is the exploitation of forced labour in the Laogai, the Chinese concentration camps.
This issue, apart from being a true form of modern slavery, specifically concerns the European economy. It is, in fact, certain that very many goods coming out of the Chinese market are produced by detainees in the Laogai, with an obvious slashing of labour costs that leads to unfair competition with respect to European goods.
Going by the experience, also, of the United States, which has already passed certain laws prohibiting the import of Chinese goods produced in the Laogai, Europe can and should do everything possible to prevent the entry of goods produced wholly or partially by forced labour.
Firstly, a campaign should be conducted to raise public awareness about this issue; and secondly, the same hygiene and safety parameters that are required of European products should be demanded of all products imported into Europe, and legislation on labelling should be introduced to ensure the traceability of goods.
Moreover, entrepreneurs who invest in China must be asked to follow precise rules regarding workers' rights. Finally, we need to establish rules and, above all, ensure that they are respected so that there is an absolute ban on the import of goods produced by forced labour.
I am convinced that this is the only way we can genuinely help the Chinese people in their fight for human rights. If this does not happen, we will remain accomplices who wish to deny these people their freedom.
Edward McMillan-Scott
Mr President, I have the honour to be the European Parliament's Vice-President responsible for democracy and human rights. Rightly, the resolution focuses on Liu Xiaobo, the principal author of Charter 08. An English version is available on my website charter08.eu.
After my last visit to Beijing in May 2006, all the dissidents with whom I had contact were arrested, imprisoned and, in some cases, tortured; Hu Jia, for example, who is still in prison and needing medical treatment. In particular Gao Zhisheng, who reportedly has disappeared after three and a half years in prison, under house arrest and under torture, which caused him twice to try and commit suicide. Gao's open letters to the regime in 2005 set the tone for Charter 08. His investigation into the persecution of the spiritual Buddhist group, Falun Gong, led to widespread support across China. I believe the authorities should now produce Gao Zhisheng and release him.
Nobody should be in any doubt that the European Parliament will not give up on reform in China and, of course, in Tibet.
Eija-Riitta Korhola
(FI) Mr President, it is intolerable that commercial interests should have drawn the longer straw in relations between the EU and China and that the insistence on respect for human rights and democratic development has been more or less put in the role of cordial greetings.
I have been following with interest the boldness showed by the search engine company, Google, and its plans to end cooperation with the Chinese authorities with regard to the filtering of Internet web pages and censorship, and even to leave the country. At the same time, Google is visibly calling for freedom of speech for Chinese Internet users.
I share the concern of my fellow Members regarding the treatment of Liu Xiaobo and other Chinese prisoners of conscience, and I hope that the Council and Commission will take up Xiaobo's case at the next summit meeting between the EU and China. The agreements being negotiated right now should make it quite clear that the future development of commercial relations with China will be tied more effectively to political dialogue and a respect for human rights.
Gesine Meissner
(DE) Mr President, we have talked about various different things as regards what would be the right way to go about talking to China and putting it under pressure, because clearly, very little makes much of an impression on this country. Mrs De Keyser said that, for this reason, her group had withdrawn its signature. I do not think that that is the right way forwards. As the EU, which has enshrined human rights in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and in the Treaty of Lisbon, we of all people should keep on pointing out violations of fundamental human rights. There are no other options available to us at the moment. When we think of something better, I will be there straight away to give it my support.
However, it is not only about Liu Xiaobo; it is also about Gao Zhisheng, who has disappeared and, from what we now hear, has allegedly committed suicide. Everyone assumes that he has probably been killed in one terrible way or another. That is not acceptable. In connection with the Olympic Games, we discovered that if we go to China and make contact there, absolutely nothing changes with regard to the human rights situation. We all hoped that it would, but it did not work. Therefore, we should not let up with our urgent appeals.
Neelie Kroes
Member of the Commission. - Mr President, the EU has clearly expressed its deep concern at the disproportionate sentence against the prominent human rights defender Liu Xiaobo of 11 years' imprisonment for his role as the author of Charter 08, a blueprint for democratic and rights-based reform in China, and for publishing a number of essays relating to human rights issues on the Internet.
We attach great importance to freedom of thought and expression: cornerstones, as we are all aware, of our democratic system. The verdict against Mr Liu is entirely incompatible with the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. We are also attached, by the way, to the protection of the right to sexual expression and orientation, as mentioned by Mrs Trüpel.
The EU attempted to observe the trial, and we deeply regret that our observers were barred from the courtroom. The details of the trial, which we have nevertheless been able to learn, indicate clearly that Mr Liu was not afforded the opportunity to present a proper defence and that he did not receive a fair trial. The EU will continue to call on the Chinese Government to unconditionally release Mr Liu and to end the harassment and detention of other signatories of Charter 2008.
Our overall policy towards China is one of constructive engagement in the framework of our strategic partnership. On several occasions in the past, we have welcomed China's progress with regard to social and economic rights, as well as the recent launch of China's human rights action plan, but, on the other hand, there are extremely serious concerns with regard to civil and political rights and a number of recent developments, such as those that the honourable Members of this House have raised in the draft resolution.
The EU's commitment to human rights is conveyed during our regular political contacts and, in particular, during our human rights dialogue with the Chinese authorities. The last session, as you are aware, was on 20 November last year in Beijing. The strength of our relationship allows us to discuss those matters frankly. Last year, at the 12th EU-China Summit in Nanjing, human rights were raised, both during the discussions and in the press conference.
Mrs Vergiat and Mrs Korhola touched upon the cyber attacks against Google. The Commission thinks that this is another worrisome development in the framework of freedom of expression in China. We are obviously monitoring the situation closely. We understand that there are ongoing consultations between the company and the Chinese authorities. We will remain vigilant in case similar attacks target EU companies.
Let me reassure this House that we will continue to raise those issues, including at the highest level, recalling the international human rights obligations of the People's Republic of China. We also recall the Chinese constitutional guarantees on freedom of expression. We all share the goal of a more open, transparent China, adhering to international standards on human rights and working together to address global challenges. To achieve this, we must continue to work on the development of our strategic partnership.
I would like to react to a question from Mrs De Keyser. Regarding the execution of the British citizen, Akmal Shaikh, the European Union has condemned his execution in the strongest possible terms. It deeply regrets the fact that China did not heed repeated calls by the European Union and one of its Member States for the death sentenced passed against Mr Shaikh to be commuted.
President
The debate is closed.
The vote will take place at 12.00.
Written statements (Rule 149)
Cătălin Sorin Ivan
The right to life, the right of free expression and thought form the bedrock of European integration and our world vision. When one of our partners, in this instance, China, repeatedly violates these rights, we are obliged to respond. However, we must not do it based on the 'shame and blame' model, and accuse China and ignore the differences in culture and civilisation which separate us. This resolution relating to the violation of human rights in China, particularly in the case of Liu Xiaobo, is proof of a simplistic approach to the issues which Chinese society is facing. We certainly did not adopt our position in the face of the principle of the inviolability of human rights underlying the resolution, which we wholeheartedly subscribe to. It was, in fact, about the way in which it was conveyed. In order to achieve the results we want, we need to maintain an atmosphere devoid of conflict between ourselves and China. This is the only way in which we can contribute to China's development towards a society with a deep attachment to the importance of respect for human rights.
Anneli Jäätteenmäki
in writing. - 'Don't be evil' is the well-known motto of Google. There has been criticism regarding their policy in China over the years, questioning the motto. Human rights groups have accused Google of helping the Chinese Government in repressing its citizens and particularly human rights activists. Apparently, Google will be less evil in the future. Their decision to start to operate an unfiltered search engine in China deserves the warmest congratulations. By announcing the change in their China policy, Google risks profits from the biggest Internet market in the world and potentially abandons almost 400 million users. In this particular case, Google has proved that a big multinational company can really stick to its ethics policy. Having its founders still aboard directing the company, Google has every chance of reflecting its core values and beliefs in its every action in the future. And, if Google continues to prosper, it will prove that there is no inherent conflict between making money and acting in a sustainable and humane way.
Nuno Melo
There have been recurring violations of human rights in China, and we cannot omit to condemn them. The fact that the EU is one of China's main economic partners increases our responsibility to condemn all actions that violate the rights of any citizen, especially those who defend freedom of expression and human rights in this country. It is crucial that the People's Republic of China respects and honours the commitments it made before the Human Rights Council.
Alajos Mészáros
The larger a country is geographically, and the more independent it is economically, the more difficult it is to demand the observance of human rights by this country. I find it unacceptable that in its relations with China, the European Union keeps putting economic interests first. At almost every meeting at higher diplomatic levels, all we are able to do is to give a shy reminder of the issue of violations of human rights in this country. In Europe, unfortunately, we have had plenty of negative experiences with the practices of Communist regimes with respect to suppression of human rights. I am therefore convinced that the real number of violations of human rights is much higher than our information leads us to believe. For this reason, there is an urgent need for us to be able to make China respect human rights even at the cost of economic and political sacrifice. Otherwise, the developments in China may have an unfavourable impact on the overall developments in the political situation in Asia with subsequent impacts on the overall global economy and politics.
Wojciech Michał Olejniczak
I voted in favour of the resolution condemning violations of human rights, because we must not tolerate or consent to their being broken, either as people or as citizens. Conduct which is harmful to people, their freedom and rights, which were defined many years ago, is contrary to the foundations on which Western democracies are built. The dialogue which was begun between the European Union and China in 2000 has not brought the expected effects. We should, therefore, ask ourselves if we have done everything we could have done, and if the answer is 'no', we should apply the provisions of resolutions on the effectiveness of economic cooperation. Human rights should become the basis for dialogue between the Union and China, and the interests of people should stand above economic interests.
The arrest and sentencing of peace campaigner and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, who has called for greater democracy in China, is a clear signal that our current measures are not effective. Therefore, it is worth taking other steps, apart from resolutions, which will make possible greater respect for what Liu Xiaobo is fighting for, as well as thousands of Chinese people and many other people around the world.
Thirty years ago reforms were begun in China which showed the world that something was changing, that it may do something for the benefit of society. We expect the same today. We want, today, to have a partner which respects principles which, for us, are fundamental.


Combating cancer in the enlarged EU (debate)
President
(PT) The next item is the debate on the oral question to the Commission on combating cancer in the enlarged European Union, by Miroslav Ouzký, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety - B6-0015/2008).
Commissioner Vassiliou is with us for the first time to take part in this debate. Welcome, Commissioner; I hope you will feel at home among us. Your speech, when the moment comes, will mark the beginning of your cooperation and collaboration with the European Parliament.
Miroslav Ouzký
author. - (CS) First of all, I would like to take this opportunity, as the Chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, to congratulate the Commissioner, who was nominated and appointed to the Commission today. Although serious reasons prevented me from listening to her presentation in person, I must say that she made an excellent impression on the members of my committee and was unanimously welcomed in her new capacity.
Regarding the oral question, I would like to begin by explaining what made us tackle this issue and ask individual states to pay more attention to this serious diagnosis. You probably know, from the emphasis in the report and in the question, that cancer cases in Europe are on the increase. There are a number of reasons for this: as we know, the population is ageing and more and more people are exposed to carcinogens. According to the trade unions, at least 8% of annual cancer deaths are directly caused by exposure to carcinogens in the workplace. We have to bear in mind that one in three Europeans is diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime and one in four Europeans dies from the disease.
Another important matter is the significant differences in cancer treatment success rates between the old and new Member States. This imbalance is surely also food for thought. What can we do in this area and what can we recommend to the European Community? A structure such as the EU undoubtedly has the capacity and power to coordinate individual national policies. By adopting national cancer control programmes we can reduce cancer mortality by as much as 30%. We know that only 3% of the total budget in developed countries is spent on cancer prevention, compared with 97% on treatment.
I would also like to take this opportunity to make an appeal on behalf of patients, who become the focus of our treatment and should become the focus of our care: they should have better access to new scientific knowledge and new information. The European Union should push ahead with a single register and, as far as possible, common education. Paradoxically, the European Union has not yet introduced in all its Member States as undeniably important a topic as oncology. Although oncology is an interdisciplinary subject, its recognition as a subject in its own right is a necessary condition if we want to successfully fight this disease.
Since I would like to allow my colleague from the PPE-DE Group, Professor Trakatellis, to use some of my speaking time, I will now conclude my introduction.
Androulla Vassiliou
Member of the Commission. - (EL) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this is my first official appearance before Parliament, so let me firstly express my thanks to its Members for placing their trust in me through their vote. I repeat what I said at my hearing: I aim to cooperate with MEPs fruitfully and to the best of my ability.
Now, Mr President, to the subject of cancer:
In addition to the priority given to cancer by you and by the Slovenian Presidency, this issue has been a particular concern of mine for many years, so I am pleased that it is the first topic for me to address in front of the plenary.
Every year 3.2 million Europeans are diagnosed with cancer, but this burden is not spread equally across the Union. For example, the most recent data shows that cervical cancer is over four times higher in Bulgaria than in Finland, and the risk of dying from cervical cancer is almost five times higher in Lithuania than in Italy. These variations show that there is scope to do better across the Union.
Clearly, the primary responsibility for comprehensive cancer services lies with the Member States, but European action can make a difference. The Commission is currently preparing a report on the implementation of the Council recommendation on cancer screening of 2003. I expect that this will show that progress has been made, but that more still needs to be done. We will work with the Member States to pursue this.
But even though screening is important, I think that Community action against cancer must cover a wider range of topics. For example: health information and data on the cancer burden that will highlight inequalities and best practices across Europe; preventative measures and health promotion on topics such as tobacco, nutrition and alcohol; best practices on treatment and integrated cancer care, such as palliative care; bringing together expertise through European reference networks; providing investment in infrastructure through the Structural Funds; and support for cancer research at Community level.
I plan to bring forward proposals for an action plan on cancer next year. This will aim to provide focus and coherence for all these actions. We will also consider whether the scientific evidence justifies updating the existing recommendation on cancer screening. Some actions are already under way. We plan to include provisions for European reference networks as part of the forthcoming proposals on the application of patient rights in cross-border health care. The proposals later this year on rare diseases will also help to improve, inter alia, the situation regarding rare types of cancer.
Moreover, when a person has cancer, it affects them most, but it also affects their family, their employer and society as a whole. My proposals will be accompanied by an impact assessment that will make clear not just the human cost of cancer but also the wider social and economic costs.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions on issues we need to address as we develop those proposals. You may be sure that your proposals will be taken into account as we develop this action plan, and I count on your support for all our future actions.
Antonios Trakatellis
Mr President, firstly let me congratulate the Commissioner on taking up her duties. I welcome the views she has already expressed on cancer. Commissioner, I think it is time for us to adopt an effective strategy on cancer in line with current scientific and technological progress, so that the disease can stop being the main cause of death in Europe.
Today, one third of all cancers are preventable. We must therefore review the existing preventive programmes and measures and create new ones to cover every eventuality.
If we expand our scientific knowledge, we must review the Council's recommendation on early diagnosis and improve diagnostic methods for more types of cancers. In addition to breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, we must add skin cancer, and possibly lung and prostate cancer. Strengthening prevention and early diagnosis could cover nearly 70% of cases.
For cases where prevention or early diagnosis is not possible, as you said, we need to improve therapeutic strategies and practice by being more effective and innovative. We must ensure that full use is made of the treatments provided by ever more successful innovation and research. It is necessary simply to incentivise research into innovative cancer treatments and to increase research funding.
Naturally, bureaucratic formalities should not hinder research. Moreover, authorisation procedures should be reviewed in such a way that it becomes possible both to accelerate procedures for new drugs and to adhere to high standards of safety. Commissioner, this is all feasible today. The means made available by the EU may allow us in the immediate future to control cancer, thus almost freeing European citizens of this scourge.
With steady focus on this goal, we are thus called upon today to move forward. We must do so, as you said, by drawing up the various composite elements of this strategy. We hope that both the European Commission and the Council will support Parliament's resolution and will take appropriate measures to achieve our targets.
Glenis Willmott
on behalf of the PSE Group. - Mr President, cancer affects one in three of us across the European Union and results in over one million deaths. Therefore this disease has a twofold cost: firstly, the human cost in terms of its impact on sufferers and their families and, secondly, as a major health burden to society as a whole. Further, due to the demographic changes we are experiencing, and with an ageing population, this is a problem that will only increase.
We need to ensure that all our citizens have access to high-quality screening programmes, diagnosis and treatment, including palliative care. A cancer task force would ensure a cohesive and coordinated approach to all aspects of the disease, ensuring exchange of information and promotion of best practice.
We must ensure that more is done to secure research and innovation, giving as many people as possible access to the best in cancer prevention and treatment. We also need to highlight the link between cancer and obesity - the most avoidable cause of cancer after tobacco. It is also vital to ensure that workers are protected from cancer-causing substances - around 8% of all cancers are caused by exposure to carcinogens at work - and we need binding limits on crystalline silica, which can cause disabling illness and fatal lung disease. On that point, I would urge Members to support paragraph 33 and recital K of the original text agreed by the committee - remember the construction industry is not party to the social partners' agreement on crystalline silica.
There are massive disparities in cancer treatment and screening across Europe. Many of the deaths from cancer could be avoided by prevention measures, such as access to information and to comprehensive screening programmes. Tackling these disparities must be a priority. It is our moral duty and it is possible. What we need is the political will to achieve it.
Georgs Andrejevs
on behalf of the ALDE Group. - Mr President, I would like to use this opportunity to thank the Slovenian Presidency for putting cancer so high on its political agenda.
I want to highlight one initiative in particular: the European Cancer Patient Summit, which was held this week here in Brussels under the patronage of the Slovenian Presidency, with the participation of more than 150 patient groups from all over Europe.
This very successful summit, where I also had the honour of addressing the audience, was the first event our new Commissioner for Health attended in this capacity. I must admit I was impressed by the Commissioner's speech and the commitment she expressed for the fight against cancer as a whole and the concerns of cancer patients in particular.
I was also very happy to learn that the Commissioner intends to put forward a new cancer action plan, starting next year, to ensure that cancer remains high on the Commission's agenda.
These initiatives from the Presidency and the Commission must encourage all of us to focus on what should be done, rethink what we have achieved and discover where the current deficits are. And now we are very much looking forward with high expectations to the upcoming Council conclusions on this topic. I am confident that these conclusions will provide a very good and solid basis for the following presidencies to continue along the lines set out therein. Therefore, I would like to strongly encourage the upcoming French Presidency to follow up on established initiatives and to keep cancer high on its agenda.
Finally, I would like to thank all those colleagues who contributed very much in drafting the motion for a resolution on combating cancer in the enlarged European Union, on which we will vote tomorrow.
Adamos Adamou
Mr President, Commissioner, may I, too, add my congratulations. You are a cancer expert, since you were the director of an oncological centre before you came here as a Commissioner, so you must be used to what you are hearing now.
I will not take issue with the statistical data that my fellow Members are giving you. Mr Trakatellis said that 30% of people can be saved by prevention. As an oncologist myself, I can assure you that a further 30% can be saved by reliable screening programmes. Yet how many of the 27 Member States have such programmes?
You must do something about this; coordination and hence assistance need to be assured. Perhaps you will also have to use funds from the Structural Funds and the 7th Framework Programme so that all these methods can contribute. You must help to raise the profile of oncology, since, as you have said, this is very important. The Slovenian Presidency is to be congratulated, but just as important is the creation of a task force wholly dedicated to the issue of cancer.
Irena Belohorská
(SK) Commissioner, I, too, would like to congratulate you on your nomination.
It makes me very happy to see that the issue of cancer is being dealt with not only by experts but also by politicians, which is very important in this case. The experts are drawing our attention to alarming statistics and the trends in cancer occurrence are extremely unfavourable. Yesterday I was talking with patient organisations until lunchtime, and I can tell you that what they want is adequate treatment, which can be very demanding, especially in the case of rare types of cancer. There is still a huge gap between the 15 old and the 12 new Member States regarding the occurrence of this disease, its late diagnosis and the approach to its treatment at all stages of the disease. Insufficient prevention and late diagnosis or treatment aggravate the patients' state of health and their chances of getting better.
Commissioner, please ensure that the fight against cancer is not just a priority during the six-month presidency, or for professional medical organisations such as ESMO or patient organisations. We, the Members of this Parliament, will also give you our support in the search for a solution.
Alojz Peterle
(SL) Commissioner, I did not expect to have the chance to talk to you about cancer three times in one week. I see that we have a Commissioner who knows how things are with cancer, and who will, together with us, put up a fight. Because knowing that health is the responsibility of member states, the European citizens wish certain tasks to be performed at European level, since it is only at this level that they can be performed properly.
I am pleased that you have announced the action plan to fight cancer. We need it urgently, and if cancer has the exponential dynamics of epidemics, we too must have our own political dynamics, otherwise the gap and the consequences of cancer will become even more serious.
I am pleased the Slovene Presidency has strengthened expectations that, in the future, activities will be more coordinated, there will be more continuity, and the initiatives will be more vigorous, and, as you yourself put it on another occasion earlier this week, that this will coincide with multi-partnerships.
Moreover, I believe that it would be better if countries holding the EU presidency did not prioritise only single aspects, but continuously considered the entire frontline against cancer, as has already been mentioned today.
In this spirit, I hope that with your help, a task group could be formed - or we could call it something else - to bring together the main institutions and key actors in the fight against cancer, not with the intention of creating a new bureaucracy, but in order to achieve better combined results owing to good methods of cooperation.
Commissioner, I wish you much success in your work.
Karin Jöns
(DE) Madam President, Commissioner, the media in my country are noting Germany's successful record on mammography screenings. Once again the EU guidelines on quality assurance have proved their worth. However, demands are already being made to offer this to younger women as well. This shows how important European guidelines are.
Therefore, in its motion for a resolution, too, this House will tomorrow be calling for the further development of evidence-based EU guidelines on early detection, diagnosis and treatment of all widespread cancers and the formulation of an urgently needed accreditation and certification procedure for relevant facilities. Criteria on their own are not enough here. Only in this way will we manage to put quality above populism and above class and market interests when it comes to the early detection and treatment of cancer.
I would ask all my fellow Members - and the Commissioner, too - to continue to persuade and bring on board the Member States still doubting the need for an accreditation procedure.
Elizabeth Lynne
Madam President, cancer is already the second biggest killer in Europe, but the reality is that many cancers are preventable and many cancer deaths unnecessary.
Screening, diagnosis and treatment have improved but not enough. We must set up mechanisms at EU level to ensure that best practice is shared more effectively. Take colorectal cancer, for instance. It is estimated that over 27 000 lives could be saved in the EU each year if modern screening programmes were in place across Europe.
We also need to make sure that those diagnosed with cancer are not discriminated against in the workplace. That should be covered by the Employment Directive 2000 on combating discrimination in the workplace, but many Member States do not class chronic illness and cancer as a disability. That is why we need a definition of disability at EU level that could include people with cancer.
Bairbre de Brún
(GA) Madam President, I support the establishment of an interinstitutional taskforce on cancer that would allow representatives from the European Parliament, Commission and Council to meet on a regular basis. Research on cancer detection and prevention should also be funded under the seventh framework programme. I welcome the contribution made today to this debate by the Commission. Strategies which include women and, particularly, inexpensive and regular cervical screening and inexpensive and rapid breast screening must be implemented.
We must also look at the effect of chemicals, which must be regulated through the REACH regulation.
Finally, poverty is a key factor in ill health. Poor people are more likely to become ill and die at an earlier age than those who are more affluent. This is especially true in respect of cancer prevention and cure.
Miroslav Mikolášik
(SK) I, too, want to welcome the fact that Mrs Vassiliou was today appointed the new Health Commissioner. I expect a lot from this new cooperation and, personally speaking, her presentation in the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety convinced me of her qualifications and her appetite for solving certain problems, for example those related to smoking, which is a subject dear to my heart.
In this context, I would now like to concentrate on a similar topic. We know that one in three Europeans is diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime and that the most common diagnoses are lung cancer, bowel cancer (which some people have mentioned) and breast cancer. It is well known that lung cancer occurs up to five times more often than all other types of cancer combined. There is absolutely no doubt that passive smoking causes cancer just as active smoking does, and we also know that up to 95% of people who are diagnosed with lung cancer are smokers or passive smokers. Putting warnings on cigarette packets is not enough. It is time for adequate legislation to protect non-smokers to be introduced in the old and new Member States that are still putting if off, for reasons that are difficult to comprehend. In countries where good and sufficiently restrictive laws are in place, the health situation has improved significantly and billions have been saved instead of spent on cancer patient treatment.
Ladies and gentlemen, articles recently published in professional medical literature point to a direct link between hormonal contraception and breast cancer. I want to ask the Commission and our programmes to allocate funds to research in this area, too, in order to reverse these trends and improve women's health.
Marios Matsakis
Madam President, cancer, as many know, is not necessarily an incurable disease. Modern treatment methodologies, along with early and more accurate diagnosis, mean that many forms of cancer are today eminently treatable with success.
Of course, much remains to be done and this is why the EU must take it upon itself to declare an all-out war on cancer. We must fight this disease on all fronts, with strong aggression and endless determination. Our efforts must, for example, be directed at making sure that efficient screening programmes are in operation and implemented among those sections of the population that most need them. They must also be directed at ensuring that sufficient funding is always available to the research institutions that provide our hope for the future. Our citizens must be reassured that cancer can be defeated and we, in the European Parliament, are determined to continue to support this fight until, and unless, this is accomplished.
In conclusion, let me take this opportunity to add my congratulations to the new Health Commissioner, Mrs Vassiliou.
Péter Olajos
(HU) Thank you, Madam President, and greetings to the new Commissioner.
Cancer is the second most common cause of death. In both 1993 and 2003, Hungary came first in the world in terms of cancer deaths, with the most common being lung, bowel and breast cancers.
We know the causes: unhealthy diet, too little exercise, contraceptives, alcohol, smoking, and harmful environmental factors. We know that the most cost-effective way to combat cancer is prevention, and yet there are Member States, including Hungary for example, where this year money is only being put into screening programmes for mouth, breast and cervical cancers, but not other types of cancer. Patients have to wait six to eight weeks for CT and MRI scans and to commence treatment.
I hope that this report will open the eyes of the Member States - including those of Hungarian politicians - and provide a boost to the current legislative debate on combating smoking. Thank you very much, and best wishes again to the Commissioner.
Genowefa Grabowska
(PL) Madam President, it is good that the Slovenian Presidency has taken up the fight against cancer as one of its priorities; but this cannot be a one-off action. The fight against cancer must be among the priorities of each successive presidency, if only because the incidence of this terrible disease in Europe is rising and will continue to rise as our society ages. I would like to draw attention to the inequalities emphasised by the Commissioner in the detection and treatment of cancer, which are so apparent when we compare the old and the new Union. Statistics point to a higher survival rate and lower mortality in the old EU, and I therefore appeal to the European Commission to apply special monitoring to the implementation of the EU programme 'Europe Against Cancer' in Central and Eastern Europe in particular.
Citizens of the new Member States should enjoy the same conditions as citizens of the old Union as regards avoidance of this disease and, if they are already affected by it, fighting it.
Erna Hennicot-Schoepges
(FR) Madam President, I would like to comment that prevention is the best way of combating cancer and that consequently our strict position regarding the marketing of carcinogenic substances and endocrine disruptors cannot be relaxed. I appeal to all my fellow Members who did not adopt the correct position in the first vote on pesticides. They could set things right in the second vote on the marketing of pesticides.
As regards keeping national registries, I would like to point out to the Commissioner that this was suggested at the time of the vote on the Seventh Framework Programme two years ago, but was not retained. You will therefore have your work cut out, Commissioner, to encourage the Member States to accept this principle.
Meanwhile, I congratulate you on your appointment and wish you luck.
Gyula Hegyi
(HU) Thank you very much, Madam President. I too would like to say a few words about the importance of prevention. This debate has touched on the issue of smoking. Smoking is perhaps a good example of how social opposition can be generated; in many places nowadays smoking is not - if I can put it this way - a cool or trendy thing to be doing.
At the same time, cancer has other causes that have not so far aroused healthy social opposition. Chemical contamination and air pollution are major causes of cancer. In the area of environmental protection, however, the kind of social awareness has not yet developed that would make us realise that certain chemicals must be taken out of our system, that excessive urban traffic is bad for city dwellers' health, or that reducing the amount of toxicants and pollution we are exposed to involves changing our whole lives.
I would therefore like us all to realise just how closely interlinked the ideas of combating cancer, healthy lifestyle and protection of the environment are. Thank you.
Czesław Adam Siekierski
(PL) Madam President, thanks are due to the Slovenian Presidency for recognising the fight against cancer as one of its priorities for 2008.
Sadly, in the European Union cancer reaps a harvest of one million lives each year. The numbers are shocking. During our lifetime, a tumour will be diagnosed in around 33% of people living in Europe, and for 25% it is the cause of death. The highest percentage of people dying of lung, prostate or breast cancer is recorded in the new Member States, i.e. in the poorest countries.
Action needs to be taken at EU level to enable the disparities in oncological services to be ironed out, and especially where monitoring and screening are concerned. Let us not forget that early detection of cancer offers the best chance of curing it. It is estimated that one third of cases could be avoided by adopting a healthy lifestyle, not smoking tobacco or abusing alcohol, and participating in sport and keeping to a diet.
Silvia-Adriana Ţicău
(RO) I would also like to congratulate the Slovenian Presidency for introducing this theme and, obviously, Madame Commissioner for the opportunity to debate on this subject in her presence.

I would like to emphasize the fact that it is important to have quality services for scanning, detecting and treating this disease.
I also believe it is important to certify institutions with responsibilities in the field of oncological treatment and the Member States' governments should finance these institutions adequately.
Last but not least, I emphasize the importance of the social integration of the ill; they should not consider themselves disabled and, for this reason, I believe the psychological condition of these patients could help them fight this disease.
Androula Vassiliou
Member of the Commission. - Madam President, I have followed with interest the discussion on cancer and I must say once again that cancer is not something which is temporarily on our agenda: it is something which is so serious for the whole of the European Union - and not only - that we cannot be complacent and it will always be among our priorities.
I have been described as an expert on cancer. I must say that I am not an expert on cancer. There are people here who are really experts on cancer, but I am a person who has worked for many years in the fight against cancer and I will remain as such.
I have heard very interesting comments. I will try to answer some of them, but rest assured that I have taken note of all the comments that were made, and we shall include them in our deliberations when we formulate our action plan.
Concerning Structural Funds, the Commission has now included health as one of the priority areas for funding, so the funds can be used for health infrastructure, including cancer.
Mention was made of carcinogens in the workplace. We already have strong European standards, as you know, on health and safety. The Commission will, of course, work to keep those standards updated as science updates our knowledge of risks. I will work on this with Commissioner Špidla, who is responsible for this area of legislation.
The suggestion was made repeatedly concerning the setting-up of an interinstitutional task force to fight cancer. I would examine this during the deliberations of the forthcoming Health Council in Slovenia, and I would also make another addition to this suggestion: that I would like to see representatives of patients and of professionals included in this task force.
Recognition of oncology as a specialisation is something that is, indeed, very necessary, but I would point out that this is something for the Member States to do. But, as far as I am concerned, I will exert all my influence in encouraging Member States to do so.
Many speakers spoke about anti-smoking campaigns. We all know that smoking is one of the most serious detriments to health, and my intention is not only to continue the campaign against smoking but also to try to involve youth in this campaign, not only to make it less trendy for them but also to make them understand that it is to their benefit not to start smoking, and make them involved actively in the campaign so that the word is spread among young people, because that is the first stage to prevent smoking - to start with the young people.
As I said, many other interesting proposals have been made. I will take all of them into consideration, and I will continue to work closely with Members of Parliament in reaching a very good action plan for next year.
(Applause)
President
(FR) In accordance with Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure, I have received a motion for a resolution on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, to conclude this debate.
The debate is closed.
The vote will take place tomorrow.
Written declarations (Rule 142)
Alessandro Battilocchio
in writing. - (IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I support the main points of the report in question. On one aspect, however, I believe we need to be clearer and more decisive: greater resources must be invested in research, in fact and not just in words, and researchers must be guaranteed better conditions. Important results have been achieved in the last few years, giving greater hope to those with cancer and their families, but there is still a long way to go.
However, I think a more secular approach to the ethical issues would be desirable in each of the 27 Member States, because these often constitute a hindrance and constraint on research freedom. The priority objective, while complying with current laws, should be to stamp out this disease that in its varied and terrible forms continues to claim too many victims throughout Europe.<0 The task and duty of setting out on this path falls to us.
Anna Záborská
in writing. - (SK) Although calling the number of cancer cases in the European Union an 'epidemic' is alarming, it is an appropriate term because cancer claims over 1 million lives a year. However, epidemics spread in those countries where the hygiene and epidemiology standards are not met and people live in poor conditions or do not have access to effective health care. I do not know which of these conditions the EU fulfils.
We are talking about a cancer epidemic in the EU at the same time as we are talking about improving the economy and competitiveness, about massive investment in prevention, in new effective treatment methods and in the pharmaceutical industry.
My country, the Slovak Republic, has for more than 30 years been running a national oncology programme to prevent cancer. In spite of that, cancer incidence rates continue to rise. Is this the doctors' fault or the patients' fault?
How are the EU funds for cancer prevention used? In 2003 the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality prepared an own-initiative report on breast cancer. Although it accurately identified the causes and possible solutions, only a little of what was included in the report has been implemented.
Sometimes I feel that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing and that our society, and the EU as a whole, deliberately keep quiet about the real reasons for this disease, perhaps in order to project a better image and for fear of telling the truth. Fighting cancer cannot be a priority for just one EU presidency. Its implementation as a systematic EU policy should already have been the norm for several years.