Communication from the Commission -  Action plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation (2009-2015): Strengthened Cooperation between Member States {COM(2008) 818 final} {SEC(2008) 2956} {SEC(2008) 2957}
Date: 2008-12-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU programme, cooperation policy, health policy, organ transplantation, public awareness campaign

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 8.12.2008 
COM(2008) 819 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Action plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation (2009-2015): Strengthened 
Cooperation between Member States 

{COM(2008) 818 final} 
{SEC(2008) 2956} 
{SEC(2008) 2957} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Action plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation (2009-20015): Strengthened 
Cooperation between Member States 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

On  31  May  2007,  the  Commission  adopted  a  Communication  on  organ  donation  and 
transplantation1.  This  Communication  and  the  Impact  Assessment2  accompanying  made  a 
number of suggestions  for  actions at Community and Member State levels designed to help 
increase the supply of organ donors across the EU and ensure the quality and safety of these 
procedures.  

The Communication proposed a dual mechanism of action: an Action Plan enhancing active 
coordination  and  cooperation  between  Member  States  complemented  by  a  legal  instrument 
containing the basic quality and safety principles. 

Following  the  adoption  of  this  first  Communication,  the  Commission  started  a  process  of 
consultation  with  national  experts  and  key  stakeholders  with  the  focus  on  the  quality  and 
safety  requirements  of  human  organ  donation  and  transplantation  and  key  priority  areas  for 
the  proposed  action  plan.  This  consultation  process  enabled  the  Commission  to  identify  10 
priority actions, which are grouped under three challenges:  

•  Increasing organ availability 

•  Enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of transplantation systems 

•  Improving quality and safety. 

2. 

STRENGTHENED  COOPERATION  ON  ORGAN  DONATION  AND 
TRANSPLANTATION  

Article  152(4)(a)  of  the  Treaty  provides  for  the  possibility  of  the  EC  to  adopt  harmonising 
measures  to  ensure  organ  safety  and  quality.  The  same  Article  (152(2))  also  states  that 
Community  action  should  complement  national  policies  directed  towards  improving  public 
health.  The  Community  has  to  encourage  cooperation  between  Member  States  in the  areas 
referred  to  in  this  article and,  if  necessary,  lend  support  to  their  actions.  In  this  respect, 
Member  States  have  to  liaise  with  the  Commission  and  coordinate  their  policies  and 
programmes.  Working  in  tandem  with  the  Member  States,  the  Commission  may  take  any 
initiatives that might be useful or necessary to promote such coordination.  

In  the  field  of  organ  donation  and  transplantation  in  particular,  there  is  huge  potential  for 
sharing  experience  and  expertise  among  EU  Member  States.  This  Action  Plan  aims  at 
reinforcing  the  cooperation  between  Member  States,  through  the  identification  and 
development of common objectives and guidelines, jointly-agreed indicators and benchmarks, 
regular reporting, and identification and sharing of best practices.  

1 
2 

SEC(2007) 704 – SEC(2007) 705. 
Impact  Assessment  accompanying  the  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council.  Organ  donation  and  transplantation:  policy  actions  at  EU  level 
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_threats/human_substance/documents/organs_impact_en.pdf  

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Actions at Community level will complement Member States' efforts to improve the quality 
and  safety  of  organ  donation  and  transplantation,  combat  the  organ  shortage  problem  and 
make  transplantation  systems  more  efficient.  Through  the  utilization  of  Community  tools, 
especially the Health Programme 2008-2013, the Commission will provide assistance to the 
Member States.  

3. 

PRIORITY 
TRANSPLANTATION  

ACTIONS 

FOR 

ORGAN 

DONATION 

AND 

In  recent  years,  the  Commission  has  put  considerable  effort,  under  different  Community 
programmes, into supporting initiatives in the area of organ transplantation. A large number 
of projects have been co-funded3, the results of which have generated a considerable amount 
of  information  and  knowledge.  It  is  very  important  that  further  work  under  the  existing 
programmes  should  be  continued  and  where  necessary  extended,  involving  not  only  the 
Member States but also other relevant stakeholders.  

Having  gathered  the  information,  knowledge  and  expertise  generated  in  the  field  of  organ 
donation and transplantation, the Commission has identified a detailed list of priority actions. 
These  objectives  and  priority  actions  are  dispatched  under  the  mentioned  3  challenges.  In 
turn, the Action Plan divides each priority action into various actions enumerated in Annex. 

Each Member State will decide what action and measures need to be taken in order to achieve 
the desired objectives; these will be included in their Sets of National Priority Actions, which 
should  serve  as  a  platform  for  discussion,  exchange  of  expertise,  and  identification  of  best 
practices in the framework of this Action Plan. The Sets of National Priority Actions should 
be country-specific and tailored to the specific situation of each Member State.  

3.1. 

Priority Actions for increasing organ availability  

Currently,  the  demand  for  organs  exceeds  the  number  of  available  organs  in  all  Member 
States  and  this  demand  for  organs  is  increasing  faster  than  organ  donation  rates.  There  are 
currently more than 56 000 patients waiting for a suitable  donor organ within the European 
Union4.  

There  are  large  differences  in  practices  and  results  among  Member  States  Exchanging 
information and best practices will help countries with low organ availability to improve their 
availability rates. Implementation of elements of the Spanish Model in Italy, for example, has 
been very successful in increasing organ donation rates, which demonstrated that changes to 
the  organisation  of  organ  donation  and  procurement  can  substantially  increase  and  sustain 
organ donation rates.  

3.1.1. 

Increasing deceased donations to their full potential 

Improvements  in  the  complex  process  from  donor  identification  to  the  transplantation  of  an 
organ have been shown to have a large impact on organ donation rates5. The success of some 
Member States in increasing organ availability has been largely down to the organisation of 
the process, which shows that some ways of organising the organ donation process might be 
better  suited  to  achieving  high  availability  of  organs  than  others6.  The  combination  of  an 
efficient system for organ donor identification, detection and procurement has been identified 

3 
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5 
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A description of the projects is available in the Impact assessment attached to this Communication. 
Council of Europe (2007). 
See, for example, Roels et al. (2002) and Simini (2000). 
ALLIANCE-O (2007b). 

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as  one  of  the  keys  to  increasing  the  deceased  donation.  In  particular,  the  presence  of  a  key 
donation person at hospital level (transplant donor coordinator), whose main responsibility is 
to  develop  a  proactive  donor  detection  programme,  is  the  most  important  step  towards 
optimising organ donation and improving donor detection rates7.  

Member States should therefore aim to incorporate in their Sets of National Priority Actions 
the objective of gradually appointing Transplant Donor Coordinators (Priority Action 1) 
in  all  hospitals  where  there  is  potential  for  organ  donation.  The  Commission  could  have  a 
coordinating  and  monitoring  role  in  this  respect;  for  that  purpose  Member  States  should  be 
encouraged  to  report  to  the  Commission  the  number  of  hospitals  that  have  appointed  a 
transplant donor coordinator. Building on this principal objective, the Action plan must help 
to establish internationally recognised standards for transplant donor coordinator programmes 
in  the  forthcoming  years  of  the  Action  Plan  and  promote  the  implementation  of  effective 
training programmes for transplant donor coordinators8. At a later stage the Commission and 
the  Member  States  should  aim  to  establish  European  or  international  accreditation  schemes 
for transplant coordinators.  

Of equal importance is to promote Quality Improvement Programmes for organ donation 
(Priority  Action  2)  in  every  hospital  where  there  is  potential  for  organ  donation.  These 
programmes are primarily a self evaluation of the whole process of organ donation9 according 
to  the  characteristics  of  the  hospital  and  the  health  system.  These  will  make  it  possible  to 
compare  results  and  thus  to  pinpoint  areas  for  improvement.  Consequently,  it  will  also  be 
beneficial  to  promote  accessibility  to  and  training  for  a  specific  methodology  in  relation  to 
these Quality Improvement Programmes.  

3.1.2.  Living donations as complementary to diseased donations 

Being complementary to deceased donation, living donation is a real alternative to improving 
the  availability  of  organs  for  transplantation.  Member  States  should  therefore  deploy  the 
Action  Plan  to  promote  the  exchange  of  best  practices  on  living  donation  programmes 
(Priority Action 3).  

The  Action  Plan  therefore  aims  to  the  promotion  of  altruistic  donation  programmes  and  the 
development of registration practices regarding living donors in order to assess and guarantee 
their safety.  

The  Commission  will  help  to  develop  adequate  tools  to  facilitate  the  proper  collection  of 
information  on  the  medical,  psychological,  financial  and  social  consequences  of  a  living 
donation − in the short and the long term. This information, coupled with the exchange of best 
practices on living donation programmes among the Member States, should help to develop 
evidence-based  guidelines  and  consensus  documents,  and  address  the  selection,  evaluation 
and follow-up of the living donor. Registers of living donors should be established to facilitate 
monitoring  and  follow-up.  All  of  these  measures  must  be  in  compliance  with  the  existing 
European  legal  framework  on  the  protection  of  personal  data  consisting  in  particular  of  the 
Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC. 

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Council  of  Europe  Recommendation  (Rec  (2005)11)  on  the  role  and  training  of  professionals 
responsible for organ donation. 
ETPOD. 
Council  of  Europe  Recommendation  (Rec  (2006)16)  on  quality  improvement  programmes  for  organ 
donation. 

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3.1.3. 

Increasing public awareness  

The  success  of  the  Spanish  Model  has  shown  that  investing  heavily  in  public  awareness 
campaigns  does  not  always  yield  the  expected  results.  Great  attention  must  be  paid  to  the 
specific information given to the media: systematic and comprehensive information should be 
provided  about  organ  donation  and  transplantation  through  media  outlets.  Researchers  have 
argued  that  the  use  of  the  mass  media  in  Spain  on  the  issue  of  organ  donation  has  greatly 
influenced  the  creation  of  a  positive  social  atmosphere  around  organ  donation  and 
transplantation10.  

It has been proven that there is an important positive correlation between having discussed the 
issue of donation within the family and the willingness to actually donate organs. Since public 
awareness  and  opinion  play  a  very  important  role  in  increasing  organ  donation  rates, 
continuing  education  should  form  an  essential  part  of  all  Member  States'  communication 
strategies  on  the  issue.  People  should  be  encouraged  to  speak  about  organ  donation  and  to 
communicate  their  wishes  to  their  relatives.  Only  41%  of  European  citizens  seem  to  have 
discussed organ donation within their families11.  

There  is  therefore  a  need  to  improve  the  knowledge  and  communication  skills  of  health 
professionals  and  patient  support  groups  on  organ  transplantation  (Priority  Action  4). 
Awareness  campaigns  should  include  information  regarding  the  rights  citizens  and  patients 
have  concerning  organ  donation  and  transplantation  in  different  Member  States.  The 
Commission  can  actively  contribute  by  helping  Member  States  to  collect  this  kind  of 
information.  

People's  mobility  also  underlines  the  need  to  facilitate  the  identification  of  organ  donors 
across Europe and cross-border donation in Europe (Priority Action 5). The Commission 
will help Member States to develop identification mechanisms. 

3.2. 

Priority Actions for enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of transplantation 
systems  

Even among EU countries with well-developed health and organ transplant services, there are 
still  considerable  differences  in  organ  donation  and  transplantation  activity.  It  is  clear  that 
some organisational systems are performing better than others. Hence, initiatives focused on 
identifying  the  most  efficient  systems,  sharing  experience  and  promoting  best  practices  in 
accordance with local characteristics are promoted by the Action Plan.  

3.2.1. 

Supporting and guiding transplant systems 

The  Action  Plan  calls  on  Member  States  to  enhance  the  efficiency  of  transplant  systems 
(Priority Action 6). To this end, they will develop their own Sets of National Priority Actions 
in 2009. These will provide the basis for an overall evaluation of the success Member States 
have in achieving the aforementioned common objectives.  

Member  States  should  then  aim  to  establish,  in  close  collaboration  with  the  Commission,  a 
common set of indicators to monitor organ policy and a methodology to evaluate the potential 
in  each  Member  State.  Common  definitions  of  both  terms  and  methodology  need  to  be 
adopted  in  order  to  evaluate  the  results  of  transplant  systems.  The  Commission  will  help 
Member States achieve this objective in particular by  issuing ad hoc recommendations on the 
basis of regular reporting.  The Action Plan further encourages Member States to promote the 
twinning  of  projects  and  peer  review  programmes,  which  should  be  part  of  a  voluntary, 

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Matesanz and Miranda (2002). Also Matesanz and Miranda (1996). 
Eurobarometer survey 2006. 

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mutual  learning  process.  Peer  reviews  should  encompass  scrutiny  of  existing  policies, 
programmes  or  institutional  arrangements  that  have  been  identified  as  good  practice  in  the 
various  Sets  of  National  Priority  Actions.  This  could  prove  to  be  a  useful  tool  for  Member 
States when designing and implementing more efficient and effective policies.  

3.2.2. 

Interchange of organs between Member States 

The  exchange  of  organs  is  already  common  practice  between  Member  States.  There  are, 
however,  significant  differences  between  the  number  of  organs  exchanged  across  borders 
between  Member  States  that  have  set  up  bodies  and  rules  for  the  international  exchange  of 
organs,  such  as  Eurotransplant  and  Scandiatransplant,  and  the  other  Member  States. 
Participants in the Eurotransplant area exchange around 20% of all organs transplanted each 
year (around 3 300 organs) between each other, while only 2% of organs leave or enter the 
Eurotransplant  area.  Without  such  comprehensive  exchange  agreements  Member  States 
exchange  far  fewer  organs,  but  the  rate  can  potentially  increase  if  there  are  bilateral 
agreements in place12.  

These differences in exchange rates indicate that the full potential of exchanging organs has 
not  yet  been  reached.  If  there  is  no  exchange  of  organs  between  Member  States,  then 
recipients  that  need  an  infrequent  match  will  have  very  low  prospects  of  finding  an  organ, 
while  at  the  same  time  donors  will  not  be  considered  because  there  are  no  compatible 
recipients  on  the  waiting  lists.  This  is  of  particular  relevance  to  "difficult-to-treat"  patients 
(paediatric,  urgent  or  hypersensitised  patients  that  require  very  specific  matching)  and  for 
small Member States in general. The Action Plan thus aims to have a system or a structure for 
the exchange of organs for urgent patients and difficult to treat patients (Priority Action 
8). An IT tool to support this action could be designed with guidance from the Commission 
and Community  funding.  Moreover, the Commission will support the Member States in the 
development of a structured system for exchanges of surplus organs between them. 

3.2.3.  EU-wide agreements on aspects of transplant medicine 

The  Action  Plan  strongly  supports EU-wide  agreements  on  various  aspects  of  transplant 
medicine (Priority Action 7). A cooperation method is the ideal context to discuss issues of 
mutual concern and come up with common and shared solutions and monitoring mechanisms. 
For instance, Member States are advised to establish such EU-wide agreements to deal with 
all aspects concerning transplant medicine for extra-Community patients.  

This  cooperation  method  seems  especially  pertinent  to  identifying  the  main  challenges  of 
increasing  patient  mobility,  in  particular  in  border  regions  and  small  Member  States.  The 
Action Plan recommends that EU-wide agreements be put in place to tackle the basic rules for 
internal EU patient mobility in respect of transplantation, in compliance with the principle of 
free movement of recipient of services as provided for in the EC Treaty and in Community 
legislation. These agreements will facilitate the relevant procedures in practice and solve any 
problems surrounding the equitability of transplantation systems. 

A  common  understanding  of  the  priorities  and  strategies  of  future  research  programmes  on 
organ  donation  and  transplantation  also  needs  to  be  fostered.  The  creation  of  a  European 
transplant  research  network  could  be  considered  in  the  context  of  an  EU-wide  agreement 
setting common priorities and objectives.  

12 

For example, Italy now exchanges more organs with Greece and Slovakia, with which it recently signed 
bilateral agreements (see IGE (2007)). 

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3.2.4.  Organ trafficking 

One  of  the  potential  consequences  of  organ  scarcity  is  the  trafficking  of  human  organs.  . 
Organ  trafficking  can  be  linked  with  trafficking  in  human  beings  for  the  purpose  of  the 
removal  of  organs  which  constitutes  a  serious  violation  of  fundamental  rights  and,  in 
particular, of human dignity and physical integrity. This practice is carried out by organised 
criminal groups, who track down and remove organs from donors in developing countries and 
hand them on to recipients within the European Union. 

While it is recognised that, ideally, the best way of fighting organ trafficking is to increase the 
number  of  available  organs,  the  Action  Plan,  in  the  meantime,  urges  Member  States  to 
establish EU-wide agreements on monitoring the extent of organ trafficking in Europe. Given 
the lack of investigative information on the issue, such agreements will help Member States – 
through active collaboration and exchange of information − to examine and, at a later stage, 
find the best ways of monitoring organ trafficking.  

At  the  same  time,  the  Commission  will  for  its  part  continue  to  work  together  with  other 
international organisations such as the Council of Europe and the World Health Organisation 
in a bid to combat organ trafficking.  

3.3. 

Priority Actions for improving quality and safety 

These  actions  should  complement  the  European  legal  framework  referred  to  in  the 
Commission  Communication  on  Organ  Donation  and  Transplantation13.  The  future  legal 
instrument  will  encompass  the  principles  needed  to  establish  a  basic  quality  and  safety 
framework  across  the  EU,  including,  for  example,  the  creation  of  national  competent 
authorities and other relevant structures. 

3.3.1. 

Improving follow-up procedures and registers 

The  Action  Plan  sets  out  to  complement  this  legal  framework  by  way  of  a  compilation  of 
information  in  the  form  of  registers  facilitating  the  evaluation  of  post-transplant  results 
(Priority  Action  9),  which  will  in  turn  help  to  develop  good  medical  practices  in  organ 
donation  and  transplantation.  Evaluating  post-transplant  results  through  common  definitions 
of terms and methodology, as suggested in the Action Plan, could help to promote EU-wide 
registers, if necessary, and in compliance with the existing European legal framework on the 
protection of personal data consisting in particular of the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, 
or create a methodology to compare the results of existing post-transplant follow-up registers 
of organ recipients.  

In an effort to increase the pool of organs available for transplantation, the use of expanded 
donors  (donors  that  from  a  medical  point  of  view  can  only  be  considered  for  specific 
recipients  under  specific  circumstances)  should  also  be  considered.  Since,  in  practice, 
published  experience  is  not  enough  to  establish  safety  limits;  the  Action  Plan  recommends 
common definitions of terms and a methodology to help determine acceptable levels of risk in 
the  use  of  expanded  donors.  This  compilation  of  information  will  consequently  help  to 
determine acceptable levels of risk in the use of expanded donors.  

These  actions  will  ultimately  help  Member  States  to  develop  and  promote  good  medical 
practices on organ donation and transplantation on the basis of results.  

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3.3.2.  Common accreditation system  

The  Action  Plan  also  seeks  to  develop  a  methodology  that  could  support  the  EU  legal 
framework  in  order  for  Member  States  to  accredit  programmes  on  organ  donation, 
procurement  and  transplantation.  This  could  help,  in  the  long  run,  to  build  a  common 
accreditation system for organ donation/procurement and transplantation programmes 
(Priority Action 10) at EU level and provide support for centres of excellence. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS AND FOLLOW UP ACTIONS 

This  Action  Plan  identified  10  priority  actions  order  to  aid  Member  States  address  the 
challenges  in  the  field  of  organ  donation  and  transplantation.  It  will  promote  strengthened 
cooperation between MS and exchange of best practices as a key element in the strategy.  

This  cooperation  process  shall  be  based  on  the  identification  and  development  of  common 
objectives  and  guidelines, 
indicators  and 
benchmarks and identification and sharing of best practices. 

jointly-agreed  quantitative  and  qualitative 

On  the  basis  of  these  actions  Member  States  should  develop  their  own  Sets  of  National 
Priority  Actions.  The  Action  plan  will  provide  the  basis  for  an  overall  evaluation  of  the 
success  Member  States  have  in  achieving  the  aforementioned  common  objectives.  A  mid-
term review (mid-term review 2012) of the actions will be carried out to evaluate the efficacy 
of this action plan.  

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ANNEX I: SPECIFIC ACTIONS PROPOSED 

CHALLENGE 1: INCREASING ORGAN AVAILABILITY 

OBJECTIVE 1 

MEMBER  STATES  SHOULD  REACH  THE  FULL  POTENTIAL  OF  DECEASED 
DONATIONS 

Priority  action  1:  Promote  the  role  of  transplant  donor  coordinators  in  every  hospital 
where there is potential for organ donation. 

Action 1.1 Incorporate in the Set of National 
Priority  Actions  the  objective  of  gradually 
appointing  transplant  donor  coordinators  in 
hospitals.  Design  indicators  to  monitor  this 
action. 

MS action  

EC coordinates and monitor 

Action  1.2  Promote  the  establishment  of 
internationally 
for 
recognised 
transplant donor coordinator programmes. 

standards 

EC Action 

Action  1.3  Promote  the  implementation  of 
effective  training  programmes  for  transplant 
donor coordinators.  

MS + EC Action 

Action  1.4  Promote  the  establishment  of 
national 
accreditation 
international 
schemes for transplant donor coordinators. 

or 

MS + EC Action 

Priority  action  2:  Promote  Quality  Improvement  Programmes  in  every  hospital  where 
there is potential for organ donation. 

Action 2.1 Incorporate in the Set of National 
Priority  Actions  the  objective  of  gradually 
putting 
Improvement 
Programmes in hospitals. Design indicators to 
monitor this action. 

in  place  Quality 

MS action  

EC coordinates and monitor 

Action  2.2  Promote  accessibility  to  and 
training on a specific methodology on Quality 
Improvement Programmes.  

MS action  

EC coordinates and monitor 

OBJECTIVE 2 

MEMBER  STATES  SHOULD  PROMOTE  LIVING  DONATION  PROGRAMMES 
FOLLOWING BEST PRACTICES.  

Priority Action 3: Exchange of best practices on living donation programmes among EU 
Member States: Support registers of living donors. 

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Action 3.1 Incorporate in the Set of National 
Priority  Actions  the  promotion  of  altruistic 
donation programmes for living donors, with 
safeguards  built  in  concerning  the  protection 
of  living  donors  and  the  prevention  of  organ 
trafficking. 

MS action  

EC coordinates and monitor 

Action  3.2  Promote  the  development  of 
registers  for  living  donors  to  evaluate  and 
guarantee their health and safety. 

MS + EC Action 

OBJECTIVE 3 

INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ORGAN DONATION 

Priority  Action  4:  Improve  the  knowledge  and  communication  skills  of  health 
professionals and patient support groups on organ transplantation. 

Action 4.1 Incorporate in the Set of National 
Priority  Actions 
the 
important  role  of  the  mass  media  and  the 
need  to  improve  the  level  of  information  to 
the public on these topics.  

the  recognition  of 

MS action  

EC coordinates and monitor. 

Action  4.2  Promote  training  programmes 
towards  health  professionals  and 
geared 
patient 
organ 
transplantation communication skills.  

support 

groups 

on 

MS + EC Action 

Action  4.3  Organise  periodic  meetings  at 
national  level  (competent  authorities)  with 
journalists  and  opinion  leaders  and  manage 
adverse publicity. 

MS action  

EC coordinates and monitor. 

Priority Action 5: Facilitate the identification of organ donors across Europe and cross-
border donation in Europe.  

5.1  Collect 

Action 
disseminate 
information  about  citizen's  rights  concerning 
organ donation across the EU. 

and 

MS + EC Action 

Action  5.2  Develop  mechanisms  to  facilitate 
the identification of cross-border donors 

MS + EC Action 

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CHALLENGE  2:  ENHANCING  THE  EFFICIENCY  AND  ACCESSIBILITY  OF 
TRANSPLANT SYSTEMS 

OBJECTIVE 4 

SUPPORT AND GUIDE TRANSPLANT SYSTEMS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND 
ACCESSIBLE 

Priority  Action  6:  Enhancing  the  organisational  models  of  organ  donation  and 
transplantation in the EU Member States. 

Action  6.1  Include  in  the  Set  of  National 
Priority  Actions  ad  hoc  recommendations  of 
the  committee  of  experts  to  the  Member 
States by way of regular reporting.  

Action  6.2  Promote  twinning  projects  and 
peer reviews.  

Action 6.3 Assess the use of structural funds 
and  other  Community  instruments  for  the 
development of transplantation systems. 

MS + EC Action 

EC Action 

EC Action 

Action  6.4  Promote  networks  of  centres  of 
reference.  

EC Action 

Priority Action 7: Promote EU-wide agreements on aspects of transplantation medicine. 

Action 7.1 EU-wide agreement on basic rules 
internal  EU  patient  mobility  and 
for 
transplantation, 
with 
Community law.. 

compliance 

in 

MS + EC Action 

Action  7.2  EU-wide  agreement  on  all  issues 
concerning  transplant  medicine  for  extra-
Community patients. 

MS + EC Action 

Action 7.3 EU-wide agreement on monitoring 
organ trafficking. 

MS + EC Action 

Action  7.4  EU-wide  agreement  on  common 
priorities  and  strategies  for  future  research 
programmes.  

MS + EC Action 

Priority Action 8: Facilitate the interchange of organs between national authorities. 

Action  8.1  Evaluate  procedures  for  offering 
surplus organs to other countries.  

EC + MS action 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
 
Action  8.2  Put  procedures  in  place  for  the 
exchange  of  organs  for  urgent  and  difficult-
to-treat patients. 

EC + MS action 

Action  8.3  Design  IT  tools  in  support  of  the 
previous actions.  

EC + MS action 

CHALLENGE 3: IMPROVING QUALITY AND SAFETY 

OBJECTIVE 5 

IMPROVE  THE  QUALITY  AND  SAFETY  OF  ORGAN  DONATION  AND 
TRANSPLANTATION 

Priority Action 9: Evaluation of post-transplant results. 

Action  9.1  Develop  common  definitions  of 
terms and methodology to evaluate the results 
of transplantation. 

EC Action 

Action  9.2  Develop  a  register  or  network  of 
registers to follow up organ recipients. 

MS + EC Action 

Action  9.3  Promote  common  definitions  of 
terms  and  methodology  to  help  determine 
acceptable  levels  of  risk  in  the  use  of 
expanded donors. 

Action  9.3  Develop  and  promote  good 
medical  practices  on  organ  donation  and 
transplantation  on 
results, 
including the use of expanded donors. 

the  basis  of 

EC Action 

EC Action 

Priority  Action  10:  Promote  a  common  accreditation 
donation/procurement and transplantation programmes. 

system 

for  organ 

EN 

12 

   EN