STOP PRESS 19 March: All 12 Irish MEPs have signed the Declaration and we would like to thank them as well as all our members and supporters who contacted them.

The Declaration in the fight against Breast Cancer in the EU has been approved.

 

We received a message from parliamentarians at the  plenary session last week stating that “369 MEPs have signed our Written Declaration, therefore we do not need to extend the time.”
 
 

STOP PRESS 19 March: All 12 Irish MEPs have signed the Declaration and we would like to thank them as well as all our members and supporters who contacted them.

The Declaration in the fight against Breast Cancer in the EU has been approved.

 

We received a message from parliamentarians at the  plenary session last week stating that “369 MEPs have signed our Written Declaration, therefore we do not need to extend the time.”
 
 
Thank you to all for your constant efforts and work that made this possible.

 

The Declaration

 

Here we explain:

  

• what the Declaration on Breast Cancer is,

• what EDI is doing about it,
• and how you can help – along with the text of a suggested email to MEPs 

   (which you can use/personalise if you wish) and a list of Irish MEPs & email addresses.

      

What is the Declaration on Breast Cancer?

A written Declaration on Breast Cancer has been put forward by four MEPs and backed by EUROPA DONNA – The European Breast Cancer Coalition. It calls for the implementation of measures across Europe to battle this disease which is the leading cause of death in European women aged 35 to 59. For the Declaration to be adopted a majority of MEPs must sign it before 14 March 2010.

“This is our call to all EUROPA DONNA advocates across the 27 EU countries to contact their MEPs and ensure that they sign this Declaration. This Declaration serves as a reminder to MEPs, new and old, of the need to implement the European Resolutions on Breast Cancer and the European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis which we are striving to have implemented Europe-wide,” said Susan Knox, EUROPA DONNA Executive Director.

EUROPA DONNA has been working with MEPs to ensure that the new members are aware of the 2003 and 2006 Resolutions on Breast Cancer and the need to work toward their implementation. This Declaration, drafted with input from EUROPA DONNA, is a way of achieving that objective. The submission of the Declaration is an initiative of MEP Elizabeth Lynne (UK) with co-signatories MEPs Michail Tremopoulos (Greece), Lívia Járóka (Hungary), Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg (Poland). It has been posted and distributed to all MEPs and is available in all EU languages on the European Parliament website:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/plenary/writtenDecl/wdFastOngoing.do?language=EN  

EUROPA DONNA is planning to hold an information event about the Declaration with MEPs on 24 February 2010 in Brussels.

Every year 331,392 women in the European Union are diagnosed with breast cancer and 89,674 women die of the disease. Mammography screening can reduce deaths from breast cancer by up to 35% in women between 50 and 69. The Declaration therefore calls for the following:

• Member States to introduce nationwide breast screening, in accordance with EU guidelines
• The Commission to create a progress report on implementation of mammography screening in all EU countries every 2 years
• The Commission to support studies to look at whether screening is useful for women over 69 years of age and under 50
• Member States to provide multidisciplinary specialist breast units in accordance with EU guidelines by 2016, and the Commission to deliver a regular progress report
• The Commission to present up-to-date, reliable statistics on breast cancer and support the development of national cancer registers
• The Commission to develop a certification protocol for specialist breast units in accordance with EU guidelines by 2011 and to provide adequate financing for this
• The EU President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the parliaments of the Member States.

To read the 2006 Resolution: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P6-TA-2006-0449&language=EN&ring=B6-2006-0528

For more about EU Declarations: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/plenary/writtenDecl.do?language=EN

 

What you can do:

  

You can email your MEPs, names and email addresses can be found in the next section. Below is an adapted copy of the letter sent (29 January 20100) by EDI to all Irish MEP’s seeking their support for the Declaration.

 

Dear

A Declaration on Breast Cancer put forward by four MEPs (Elizabeth Lynne (UK) with co-signatories MEPs Michail Tremopoulos (Greece), Livia Járóka (Hungary) and Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg (Poland)) and backed by EUROPA DONNA – The European Breast Cancer Coalition (of which EDI is a member) was released on 14 December 2009 at the opening of the European Parliament Plenary Session in Strasbourg.

This new Declaration must be signed by 14 March 2010. It can be signed at the usual signing booth outside the main conference hall in the Parliament building. Click here to see the text of the Declaration http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+WDECL+P7-DCL-2009-0071+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN  .

EUROPA DONNA will be holding an “Info Day” about the Declaration on Breast Cancer on 24 February, 2010. Please visit this stand, which will be at the top of the escalator opposite the letter boxes, if you have any questions about the Declaration or about breast cancer in Europe.

You may have already signed the Declaration and, if so, I would like to thank you most sincerely. If not, I ask you to take the time to look at the document. Ireland has made significant progress in recent years and is ahead of many other European countries. The 2003 and 2006 Resolutions have played a valuable part in this progress but there is still some way to go, for example the extension of the BreastCheck screening programme to women up to the age of 70. Of course I would also like to see progress such as ours extended to women across Europe and this Declaration will assist all European women in campaigning for best quality diagnosis and treatment.

Kind  regards

 

  

Dublin Constituency:

Proinsias de Rossa MEP   proinsias.derossa@europarl.europa.eu

Joe Higgins MEP   joe.higgins@europarl.europa.eu

Gay Mitchell  MEP     gay.mitchell@europarl.europa.eu

East Consituency

Liam Aylward  MEP    liam.aylward@europarl.europa.eu

Nessa Childers  MEP   nessa.childers@europarl.europa.eu

Mairead McGuinness  MEP    mairead.mcguinness@europarl.europa.eu

North West Constituency

Pat the Cope Gallagher  MEP   patthecope.gallagher@europarl.europa.eu

Marian Harkin  MEP   marian.harkin@europarl.europa.eu

Jim Higgins  MEP     jim.higgins@europarl.europa.eu

South Constituency

Brian Crowley  MEP   brian.crowley@europarl.europa.eu

Alan Kelly  MEP   alan.kelly@europarl.europa.eu

Sean Kelly  MEP   sean.kelly@europarl.europa.eu