Public health: action plan to combat cancer 1996-2000

In its common position, the Council made various amendments to the general presentation of this proposal and introduced more specific amendments concerning, in particular: - the establishment of the programme: the general objective of this programme was clarified. It aimed specifically to contribute towards ensuring a high level of health protection and comprised actions aimed at preventing premature deaths due to cancer, reducing mortality due to cancer, promoting the quality of life by improving the general health situation, and promoting the general well-being of the population, particularly by minimising the economic and social consequences of cancer. The actions to be implemented came under the following headings: . data collection and research, . information and health education, . early detection and screening, . training and quality control and guarantees. The Council added further amendments to the sections in the annex and indicated the specific objective for each one. Notably, it grouped together certain actions in the field of research in particular, which no longer came under a separate section. Similarly, certain actions were withdrawn, especially those concerning health education for children and target groups which received less consideration as well as certain actions relating to tobacco and alcohol. With regard to early detection, the Council did away with support for improving early detection and systematic screening techniques as well as the main treatments. Finally, in respect of training, the Council did away with the common classification of complications resulting from cancer treatments and, in respect of information, it withdrew an action targeted at the media. - implementation: the Council stipulated that the programme would be implemented from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2000. It defined more clearly the respective roles and contributions of the various actors participating in the implementation of the programme (particularly the Member States); - comitology: it provided for more active participation of the Member States in certain important decisions concerning the programme by establishing a mixed procedure: a management committee procedure for the important decisions and an advisory committee for other decisions (in accordance with the interinstitutional "modus vivendi"); - the programme's budget: the Council set out the scope of the financial support for the programme. The total allocations set aside for the programme amounted to ECU 59 million (instead of the ECU 64 million proposed by the Commission); - consistency and complementarity: the Council clearly highlighted the importance of ensuring that there was complementarity between this programme and relevant research actions (biomedical and health programme) and programmes introducing an integrated information network; - with regard to monitoring and evaluation, the Council provided for fewer regular reports than had been proposed by the Commission or the EP but did not do away with the interim and final reports to be submitted to these institutions. �