ABSTRACT
Community, the Community has inter alia as its task, by establishing a common market and progressively approximating the economic policies of Member States, to promote throughout the Community a harmonious development of economic activities, a continuous and balanced expansion and an accelerated raising of the standard of living;
Whereas the European Council in Milan on 28 and 29 June 1985 emphasized the importance of launching a European programme of action against cancer;
Whereas that European Council also approved the proposals of the ad hoc Committee on a People’s Europe calling for appropriate follow-up to the Commission Communication on co-operation at Community level on health problems;
Whereas various Community actions to prevent cancers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation or exposure to chemical carcinogens are already being carried out under the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community,
Whereas actions to reduce the risk of cancer from exposure to carcinogenic substances are included in a number of existing Community
programmes on the environment, worker protection, consumer protection, nutrition, agriculture and the internal market;
Whereas the present programme would increase knowledge about the causes of the cancer and the possible means of preventing and treating it;
Whereas by ensuring a wider dissemination of knowledge of the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer, and an improvement in the comparability of information about those matters, in particular concerning the nature and degree of risk of cancer arising from exposure to given substances or processes, the programme will contribute to the achievement of Community objectives, in particular the removal of nontariff barriers to trade, while contributing to the overall reduction of risks of cancer;
Whereas research into cancer and carcinogenic effects of physical and chemical agents is being undertaken in a number of Community research programmes;
Whereas the co-ordination of national research activities relating to the early detection and treatment of cancer is not the specific purpose of this resolution, whereas research should take place in the context of the promotion of research organized by the Commission and of the relevant medical and public health research programmes; whereas it is desirable to provide the necessary co-ordination and liaison between those activities and the activities undertaken pursuant to this resolution;
Whereas co-operation with international and national organizations carrying out work in this field will ensure a wider dissemination of knowledge of cancer and help to avoid duplication of effort,
(a) Tobacco As a first priority, development of measures to limit and reduce the use of tobacco.
