Conference to discuss organ donations and transplants in EU 

The Commission's DG Health and Consumer Protection prepared for this conference by sending out a survey to transplant organisations in the EU-15 as well as the acceding and candidate countries to get an overview of the present legal and organisational situation in the organ transplant field, including its safety aspects.

The conference will be divided into two working groups, with the first one examining the differences and similarities in approaches towards ethical issues, as well as the organisational systems, which influence the quality, safety and availability of organs. This group will then identify the main areas in this field where a common European approach would be desirable.

The second working group will tackle the quality and safety side of organ donation and transplantation. It will consider the establishment of a European strategy aiming to increase the availability of organs in the Union.