27 February 2026 

As the European Union continues its efforts to eliminate cervical cancer, the EU-funded CBIG-Screen project has launched a new toolkit and policy recommendations to make the offer of screening more attractive, accessible, and acceptable to vulnerable women. 

In Europe, 61,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. Alarmingly, nearly 26,000 lose their lives to this disease annually. Each deaths represents a tragedy, particularly considering that cervical cancer is today a preventable and treatable disease.  

Though cervical cancer screening programmes significantly reduce mortality rates, they remain largely inaccessible and underused by vulnerable women. This gap exacerbates inequalities across the European Union and adds to the socioeconomic challenges underserved populations already face on a daily basis.  

This is why the CBIG-Screen project, of which the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) is a proud partner, collaborated with 14 partners from 10 European countries to develop sound evidence around barriers to cervical cancer screening and pilot interventions to inform policymaking. The project was funded with €3.6 million from the EU Horizon 2020 programme. 

By working together with vulnerable women of low socioeconomic status, women living with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), incarcerated women, sex workers and migrants, the project set out to:  

• Make the offer of screening more attractive, accessible, and acceptable to vulnerable women.  

• Ensure they are not left out in the follow-up from the point of the initial test to treatment if necessary.  

• Tackle inequalities in cervical cancer screening. 

• Create a Europe-wide knowledge framework around barriers to cervical cancer screening.  

• Contribute to achieving the WHO 2030 target of screening >70% of women for cervical cancer.  

Now, following five years of research, the project has marked its closure with the launch of a hands-on intervention toolkit and policy recommendations for EU and national policymakers to use in their efforts to eliminate cervical cancer. The five policy recommendations include:  

• Expand access to HPV vaccination and HPV-based screening. 

• Implement targeted, culturally sensitive outreach intervention with tailored intervention modalities. 

• Integrate digital tools for tracking participation and reminders. 

• Ensure equitable access for underserved and vulnerable populations. 

• Promote participatory, community-based policy development models. 

ECL is proud to have contributed to this innovative project, which is redefining how Europe approaches inclusive cancer screening.  

“CBIG-Screen equips EU and national policymakers with the necessary tools and momentum needed to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer. By placing vulnerable and underserved women at the heart of policy action, the project redefines the standard for inclusive cancer screening programmes across Europe”, explains Arianna Khatchadourian, Head of EU Projects at the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL).  

Access the CBIG-Screen toolkit and policy recommendations, and visit the CBIG-Screen website for more information about the project.