Brussels, 28/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 June, the European Commission launched a public consultation exercise on future EU action in organ donation and transplantation. The aim of this consultation exercise is to identify the main problems encountered in organ donation and transplantation to determine whether measures should be taken at EU level to help solve the problems and to invite ideas on what EU initiatives could be taken. The steady rise in the number of organ donations and transplants carried out in the EU over the last decades has brought good results in terms of years of life gained and improvements in quality of life. However, the shortage of donors, organ trafficking and the lack of harmonisation in quality and safety standards are among the obstacles that could hamper further progress in this medical field. The consultation exercise launched this week will run until 15 September. It will allow potential advantages and disadvantages of a directive setting out quality and security standards for transplants, similar to the rules in place for blood and blood products, and for tissue and cells, with the difference of course that, unlike the others organs cannot be kept for a long time, to be determined. The Commission will analyse the feedback with a view to deciding how to proceed with policy making on donation and transplantation at EU level.
Organ transplants began in 50s, with the first kidney transplants, and have steadily increased over the years. Today, organ transplantation is the most effective, and sometimes the only, treatment for end-stage renal, liver, lung and heart failure. However, a serious problem in the area of transplantation lies in the shortage of donor organs. Almost 10 people die every day in Europe while waiting for an organ, and the mortality rate in patients waiting for a heart, liver or lung transplant is between 15% and 30%. Currently, there are around 40,000 patients in Europe on waiting lists for an organ donation. The number of organ donors varies considerably from one country to another in Europe, ranging from 34.6 donors per million population in Spain to 13.8 in the United Kingdom, 6 in Greece and 0.5 in Romania. There are few exchanges of organs between Member States, and national requirements with regard to safety and quality procedures vary widely. In addition, the shortage of legally donated organs can encourage trafficking in human organs, with all the concomitant ethical and health implications.
The consultation paper published by the Commission outlines three possible scenarios for future EU action on organ donation and transplantation: (1) continue a limited number of basic projects already being carried out under different EU programmes; (2) promote active coordination between Member States on organisation donation and transplantation, e.g. establishing guidelines for quality and safety standards, sharing experiences and best practice, promoting European registers on transplantation, identifying the main problems at EU level when it comes to organ exchanges, and reviewing the legal framework on organ trafficking; (3) set up active coordination between Member States so that they work together on actions outlined in Point 2 above, with the Commission undertaking to study how EU legislation could complement and reinforce these actions. A directive on organs could set quality and safety requirements for their donation, procurement, testing, preservation, transport and distribution, along with legislative proposals to combat organ trafficking.
The consultation document provides a number of questions for stakeholders and the public to help ascertain which of the options outlined would be the most appropriate, or whether there is an alternative approach. The consultation paper is available at:
http: //europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_threats/human_substance/organs_en.htm