Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL)

Our vision is a ‘Europe free of cancers’. Sharing our ambition of eliminating cancer, nothing less is good enough for cancer leagues or for the citizens, patients and survivors they serve. While we do not have all the answers, the following considerations are key:

• Prevention is the best cure.
• A more robust approach to research on innovative cancer prevention and treatment solutions is needed.
• Cancer is a health inequality issue that cannot be resolved by the health sector alone.
• A substantial amount of data and expertise is available across Europe – we must collaborate to make the most of these tools.

• To get one step closer to a Europe free of cancers, we unite, support, and represent cancer leagues across the WHO European region. ECL members are cancer societies operating across the whole cancer continuum and patient pathway.
• From Iceland to Cyprus, cancer leagues contribute to preventing and fighting cancer by, amongst other things, raising awareness and educating people about cancer, investing in research, and providing support to cancer patients and their families during and after treatment.
• Our member leagues together employ more than 8,000 people and over 300,000 volunteers. They spend more than €750 million every year to fight cancer and represent over 570 million citizens.  We create a unified voice for cancer leagues and bring cancer to the attention of policymakers, civil servants and leaders at the EU level. We increase cancer leagues’ impact by coordinating and supporting ECL working groups collaborating on shared priority areas. We provide a forum for cancer professionals and experienced societies to share best practices and support new entrants facilitating collaboration through our increasing network of members and partners.

ECL provides a voice and forum for cancer leagues to collaborate and share knowledge, primarily in the areas of cancer prevention, access to medicines and patient support, and create opportunities to advocate for these issues at the EU level. ECL’s key activities include:

• Disseminating and promoting the European Code against Cancer (ECAC)
• Coordinating the Prevention and Early Detection Working Group (P&EDWG)
• Managing the ECL Youth Ambassadors for the ECAC programme
• Organising the triennial European Conferences on Tobacco or Health (ECToH)
• Organising the annual European Week Against Cancer (EWAC) campaign
• Coordinating the Access to Medicines Task Force (A2M TF)
• Coordinating the Patient Support Working Group (PSWG)
• Providing the Secretariat for the MEPs Against Cancer (MAC) Interest Group at the European Parliament
• Collaborating with other NGOs, research institutes, and EU and global institutions on cancer control issues at the EU and pan-European level
• Advocating for policy development and effective programme implementation for cancer control.

https://www.cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/ECL-Cross-Border-Initiatives-Paper.pdf

https://www.cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/ECL-What-is-a-Fair-Price-Paper_final.pdf

https://www.cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/ECL_Cancer-at-Work_Handbook-for-Employers_2020_digital.pdf

https://www.cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/ECL_Cancer-Sexuality-Leaflets_2020.pdf

https://www.cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/Joint-Statement_Cervical_Cancer_Elimination_ECL_050721.pdf