Speeches

Madam President, more than 3 million people in Europe fall ill with cancer every year and 1 million people, including 2,000 young people, die. These numbers show the severity of the disease and how crucial it is to tackle cancer together. Prevention, early diagnosis and access to quality care can save lives. That is why we need to build Europe's top cancer centres working together across Europe, ensure preventive screening to avoid unnecessary losses and, where possible, provide free vaccinations, such as for cervical cancer. In addition to common types of cancer, we will also focus more on rare types of cancer in the future. And in what way? For example, by developing transformational therapies that can cure these rare types of cancer. Allow me to thank all those involved in the preparation of the report on the fight against cancer. Oh, thank you.

Madam President, I am very proud that within the TRANSFORM MEP Interest Group, we help to promote the enormous potential of transformative therapies for rare disease patients. One of the key challenges today is lack of data. Methods based on the collection and use of real world data represents a possible solution. Therefore, the European Health Data Space shall enable usage of real world data in the lifetime management of transformative therapies. Furthermore, cross-border patient data exchange and adequate funding for a European reference network are crucially important. Madam Commissioner, let me invite you to propose an EU Rare Disease Action Plan based also on the recommendations of the Rare 2030 foresight study. This is very important, because this concerns some 30 million EU patients who are waiting for us to take action.

Madam President, high energy costs are a risk to citizens and businesses and the key factor is the price of the allowances. It is unpredictable and it has grown too high. Therefore, it is time to introduce a maximal predictable price and also to limit the trading with the allowances only to businesses among the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), with no more speculations and no more investment funds etc. Another factor in how to stabilise the cost of energy is also to respect technology neutrality. It is not possible to reach the EU climate goals only through renewables. Other planet—friendly solutions, such as nuclear or low—carbon gases, simply must be put on an equal footing in a delegated framework of the sustainable finance or within the state aid rules. Failing to do so would not only further increase the cost of energy, but would also question the meaningfulness of the European climate measures.