On Monday 8th November, the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer met to discuss amendments to the Rapporteur’s draft report.

The European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) was set up in September 2020 and is comprised of 63 MEPs, 33 full members and 30 substitutes. The aim of the committee is to examine actions the EU can take to tackle cancer proposing actions at every key stage of the disease: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, life as a cancer survivor and palliative care.

On the 3rd February 2021, the Commission published Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan with consultations on the Roadmap running from 4 Feb to 3 March 2020 and on the Report from 4 Feb to 21 May 2020.

The draft report on Beating Cancer was finally published on the 25th of June, and to the dismay of tobacco harm reduction experts, it failed to recognize the potential of vaping in the fight against smoking-induced cancer. At the time, the director of the World Vapers Association (WVA) Michael Landl highlighted that the document is an improvement on the European Commission’s draft, which leaves the door open for flavour bans and higher taxes, but by ignoring the potential of vaping products it still misses the mark.

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