MEPs back European rules on organ donations and transplants

Over the past 50 years organ transplants have become an established practice worldwide. Yet the queues are long - about 60,000 patients are now on waiting lists in the EU - and every day 12 people die while on a list.

 

Common quality and safety standards are needed at EU level to facilitate the donation, transplantation and exchange of organs. Parliament today voted by 643 votes to 16 with 8 abstentions to endorse an agreement with the Council on a directive laying down such standards. The MEP who steered the legislation through Parliament was Miroslav Mikolášik (EPP, SK).

 

 

A key step is to designate the competent authority in each country responsible for quality and safety standards. These authorities will have to establish rules for all stages from donation to transplantation or disposal, based on the standards laid down in the directive. Member States can keep or introduce more stringent rules if they wish.

 

The authorities will approve procurement organisations and transplant centres, set up reporting and management systems for serious adverse reactions, collect data on the outcome of transplants and supervise organ swaps with other Member States and third countries. Traceability from donor to patient and vice-versa will be part of the system, while confidentiality and data security will be ensured.

 

 

Member States must ensure the "the highest possible protection of living donors," say MEPs. Organ donations must be "voluntary and unpaid" but living donors may receive compensation "provided it is strictly limited to making good the expenses and loss of incomes related to the donation". Member States must ban any advertising of a need for, or availability of, human organs where the aim is financial gain.

 

 

To ease cooperation, the Commission will set up a network of authorities and lay down procedures to transmit information between Member States. Governments may also set up agreements with European organ exchange organisations.

 

Member States will have to transpose the directive within two years of its entry into force.

 

 

In a separate resolution, drafted by Andres Perello Rodriguez (S&D, ES) and adopted by show of hands, MEPs welcome a Commission Action Plan on organ donation and stress that appointing transplant donor co-ordinators in each hospital and swapping information and best practice will help countries with low organ availability to improve their donation rates.

 

MEPs urge Member States to consider enabling citizens to join a donor register when applying for a passport or driving licence and to include references on their national ID cards or driving licences identifying them as organ donors. Members States should consider offering on-line enrolment in national and European donors' registers and MEPs want the Commission to look into developing a system whereby the wishes expressed by citizens are taken into account in as many Member States as possible.