The Cancer Action Plan: alcohol, meat and prevention

The resolution assesses the implementation of the European Plan to Combat Cancer and was adopted by a vote of 447 to 66, with 91 abstentions. The EPP supported it by an overwhelming majority (152 in favour, 1 against, 4 abstentions), as did the S&D (106 in favour, 1 against, 6 abstentions) and Renew (67 in favour, 1 against, 1 abstention). The Greens/EFA voted unanimously in favour, with all 44 MEPs voting in favour. The Left also voted in favour (35 in favour, 2 abstentions). The ECR were mostly against (33 against, 11 in favour, 25 abstentions), PfE were divided, with the majority of its MEPs abstaining (20 in favour, 9 against, 38 abstentions), the ESN voted against (16 against, 7 abstentions).

The text focuses on prevention. According to the resolution, 40 per cent of cancer cases can be prevented by reducing modifiable risks, such as tobacco, harmful alcohol consumption (particularly beyond scientifically established health recommendations) or an unhealthy diet. The text notes that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies ethanol from alcoholic beverages and the acetaldehyde produced from it as carcinogenic to humans, and that, according to OECD models, achieving the targets could prevent up to one million additional cases of cancer between 2023 and 2050.

With regard to alcohol, the resolution regrets that little progress has been made on the mandatory labelling of ingredients, nutritional information and health warnings on all alcoholic drinks. It calls on the Commission to submit, without further delay, legislative proposals for clearly visible health warnings on all alcoholic beverages, with particular regard to minors and young people, to present, together with the Member States, a revised EU strategy on alcohol, including a strategy for zero alcohol consumption among minors, and to propose measures to limit exposure to alcohol advertising, particularly among minors. Three amendments to these passages were supported by the ECR, PfE and ESN; the pro-European majority rejected them by votes of 210 to 390, 189 to 403 and 186 to 397. On one part of the paragraph concerning labelling, the EPP voted in favour by a majority, although 21 of its MEPs voted against. On the section concerning advertising, the PfE largely abstained (49 abstentions, 10 against, 9 in favour). An abstention does not count as a vote against.

On nutrition, the resolution calls on the Commission to speed up work on mandatory standardised nutritional labelling on the front of packaging, which is intended, amongst other things, to address the excessive consumption of red and processed meat in line with public health recommendations and to reduce the consumption of foods high in saturated and trans fats, sugar and salt. Three amendments supported by the ECR, PfE and ESN were rejected (200:398, 195:403 and 211:380). The sections of the paragraph on labelling were adopted by votes of 424:163 and 399:191: the EPP voted in favour by a majority (146:11 and 124:29), whilst no one from PfE voted in favour.

The same plenary session on the same day adopted, by a vote of 476:83:42 , the report on the promotion of agricultural and food products . According to the report, meat, dairy products and wine should not be discriminated against or stigmatised in future promotion programmes, and promotion policy should not be restricted by other EU policies; the report explicitly calls for equal treatment for quality wines and red meat as well. The EPP supported it by an overwhelming majority (156 in favour, 1 against, 1 abstention), whilst the S&D (85 in favour, 11 against, 17 abstentions) and Renew (55 in favour, 5 against, 7 abstentions) supported it by a majority. The Greens/EFA were against (35 against, 4 abstentions, none in favour). The EPP voted alongside the ECR, PfE and ESN on this issue; the report was also supported by the S&D and Renew.

The same 330 MEPs voted in favour of both resolutions, including 148 from the EPP, 82 from the S&D, 54 from Renew and 4 from The Left. All 20 PfE MEPs and all 11 ECR MEPs who supported the resolution on cancer also voted in favour of both. None of the Greens/EFA MEPs were among them.