Right to be Forgotten in major European directive

A proposal by an Ireland South MEP to help cancer survivors has been included in a major European Union directive.

MEP Deirdre Clune’s proposals on the Right to be Forgotten have been included in the European Union’s Consumer Credit Directive.

The Right to be Forgotten means people don’t have to disclose previous cancer diagnoses to banks and insurance companies provided a certain time has elapsed since the end of their treatment.

Negotiators from Parliament and Council have reached a provisional political agreement to update the EU’s rules on consumer credit.

MEP Clune, a member of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer, said: “This is great news as many cancer survivors are facing unjust financial penalties years after their treatment has come to an end.

“A new report from the National Cancer Registry shows the number of Irish patients living after an invasive cancer diagnosis has exceeded the 200,000 mark for the first time.”

She added: “These figures mean there has been a 50% rise in the number of cancer survivors in Ireland in the past decade. 60% of respondents to a recent Irish Cancer Society survey said they had difficulties when applying for mortgages, loans and insurance.”

MEP Clune said she is now calling for the Right to be Forgotten to be incorporated into Irish legislation, so the growing number of cancer survivors in Ireland have fair access to financial products.