On 29 September 2026, the European Commission (Commission) launched a targeted consultation on fair access to financial services for cancer survivors.
Background
Europe’s beating cancer plan was adopted on 3 February 2021. It is an initiative that aims to tackle various aspects of cancer, including improving access to financial services for cancer survivors. Among its many achievements, the cancer plan has played a crucial role in placing the right to be forgotten high on the agenda. It brought cancer organisations, the medical community and the insurance sector together to engage in dialogue on a voluntary stakeholder code of conduct on cancer patients’ fair access to financial services by advancing the right to be forgotten for cancer survivors in the EU, supported by the Commission.
Legal frameworks for a right to be forgotten have, to date, been adopted in eleven Member States. In addition, four Member States have implemented non‑legislative voluntary codes of conduct. At EU level, the new Consumer Credit Directive (CCD II) in 2023 marked the integration of the right to be forgotten in EU legislation for the first time. It prohibits the use of a person’s cancer history for the purpose of insurance policies related to consumer credit agreements after a maximum period of time, to be determined by the Member States and which should not exceed 15 years, calculated from the end of medical treatment. It is up to Member States to decide to reduce this timeframe. The transposition date of the CCD II was 20 November 2025, and the Commission services are currently verifying whether all Member States have adopted and published the national legal measures necessary to comply with this Directive.
Building on this work, the Commission is launching a consultation aimed at gathering practical insights on how to implement an effective right to be forgotten approach in EU Member States.
Next steps
The deadline for responding to the consultation is 27 October 2026.