Cyprus puts cancer battle at the heart of 2026 EU Council Presidency

Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna has said that as Cyprus prepares to undertake its second Presidency of the Council of the EU in January 2026, the government aims to focus on issues that are of paramount importance for the lives of citizens, like health and the effective fight against cancer.

"It is a priority for us," she said addressing Friday evening an event during which the Presidential Palace was illuminated in gold, as part of the “Gold September” world campaign – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Raouna referred to Cyprus's participation in building the European Health Union, where all EU countries work together, among other things, to improve prevention, treatment and after-care for diseases such as cancer.

Cancer, she said, is one of the biggest health challenges in Europe, and referred to the ambitious European Plan to Fight Cancer, which, as she noted, is one of the most comprehensive strategies in the world to deal with cancer and includes actions such as cancer prevention, early diagnosis and detection, equal access to diagnosis and treatment. She referred to the creation of the first network of Integrated Cancer Treatment Centers by 2025 which will ensure access to high-quality care for all.

She said that the Cyprus state is investing to upgrade health services, promoting early diagnosis and access to innovative treatments. Raouna added that the construction of a new Pediatric Oncology Center with excellent specifications is under study to offer even better services.

She noted that the Pediatric Oncology-Pediatric Hematology Clinic at the public Archbishop Makarios III Nicosia Hospital is the only tertiary care center for children and adolescents suffering from cancer and leukemia in Cyprus. She recalled that in cases where there is need for treatments that are not offered in Cyprus, the state undertakes to send patients to specialized university centers abroad.

She pointed out that the Government's new plan to subsidize travel, accommodation and food expenses for patients and those accompanying them abroad that was adopted by the Council of Ministers in March 2024, aims to relieve families of this additional financial burden. She added that the coverage of expenses concerns the entire duration. Regarding children patients, there are no income criteria for the subsidies of the person accompanying them.