25/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a press release issued on Tuesday 23 September, Eurotransplan, one of the two main bodies allocating scarce organs in Europe, expresses its concern at the fall in organ donation in Europe. The 4% drop in the seven countries covered by Eurotransplant (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Slovenia) further increases waiting time for patients and raises the numbers of premature deaths among those for whom a transplant is the only hope of survival. The reduction in kidney donations was most marked, with a fall of 6.5% compared with 2007. However, Eurotransplant welcomes the interest in organ transplants shown by European Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou during her visit to the organisation's headquarters in Leiden in the Netherlands on Saturday 6 September. (O.J./transl.rt)