The European Commission on Wednesday created a partnership for action against cancer, which will focus on measures that can be taken at the European Union (EU) level.
The partnership aims to support member states in their efforts to tackle cancer by providing a framework for identifying and sharing information, capacity and expertise in cancer prevention and control, said the commission, the executive body of the EU.
It will also help avoid scattered actions and the duplication of efforts by contributing to better use of limited resources available.
The partnership will engage a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, researchers, patients groups, industry and national authorities across the EU.
"Action at European level can make a real difference for cancer patients and their relations right across the union. I hope that the European Partnership marks the beginning of a European movement which galvanizes political support and collective action to seriously reduce the cancer rate in Europe," said EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.
In the 27-nation EU, one in three people will develop cancer in their life time. This translates to 3.2 million people being diagnosed with the disease every year.
The partnership for action against cancer will be launched in the autumn of 2009.
Identified key areas and actions to be further taken forward by the partnership include early detection of cancer, identification and dissemination of good practice in cancer-related health care, cancer-related research, and collection of health information and data.