Over the past year, EADV advocacy focused on raising awareness about the dangers of sunbeds and the need to regulate their use across Europe.
Following the European Commission’s decision to abandon its planned recommendation on UV exposure from sunbeds, EADV engaged with key Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), the European Commission and national health officials sharing robust evidence on the impact of sunbeds on public health and our asks, namely a ban for minors and comprehensive legislation on health warnings and advertising.
These efforts helped generate momentum on sunbeds, leading to key achievements:
- In May, the Danish government banned sunbed use for minors, shortly after EADV shared supporting evidence to its Health Ministry.
- In June, a report from the Institute of Public Health (using EADV evidence) recommended a ban on commercial sunbeds, which is currently being considered by the Prime Minister. Following this report, EADV met with the health officers of the Irish delegation to the EU and participated in a national workshop encouraging EU-wide action against sunbeds.
- In October, the European Parliament’s Research Service published a study underscoring the cancer risks of sunbeds and the uneven regulations across Member States. The report will feed into upcoming Parliament work on the implementation of Europe Beating Cancer Plan, where EADV will be an active voice.
- In November, the World Health Organisation and the Commission updated the 5th European Code Against Cancer, explicitly recommending to never use sunbeds and for policymakers to align and reinforce protections against sunbed use, particularly for young people.
In addition, the Commission has begun to reconsider its stance on sunbeds and is signalling openness to further restrictions should additional evidence arise.
Looking into 2026, EADV will continue its work on sunbed regulation advocacy. We will continue to use the momentum built this year to foster political relationships, generate tangible change, and influence EU-wide legislation to ensure that all EU citizens are better protected against skin cancer.