Inquiry into the EU Commission's Communication
on organ donation and transplantation: policy actions at EU level
CALL FOR EVIDENCE
EU Sub-Committee G (Social Policy and Consumer
Affairs) is conducting an Inquiry into the issues raised by the
European Commission's Communication "Organ donation and transplantation:
policy actions at EU level", which was published on 31 May
2007. The relevant Commission document COM(2007) 275 final is
accessible on the Commission website at:
An associated Impact Assessment which gives
greater detail relating to the subject has also been prepared
by the Commission and is available at:
The Commission Communication is intended to
stimulate discussion of the issues that arise increasingly now
that organ transplantation has come to be a successful form of
treatment for medical conditions involving the failure of the
kidney, liver, lung and heart. In the case of kidney failure,
transplantation is now the most cost-effective treatment available
(the alternative being daily kidney dialysis); while for failure
of the liver, lung and heart, it is the only treatment available.
The Commission cites Article 152(4)(a) of the
EC Treaty as the basis for its action in this field. They assert
that this Article enables the European Parliament and Council
to adopt harmonised health measures on the basis of the co decision
procedure set out in Article 251 EC, by setting high standards
of quality and safety of human organs.
Particular issues raised in the Commission's
Communication on which we invite responses are the following:
— EU-wide shortage of organs available
for transplantation;
— organisation of organ donor and transplantation
systems;
— raising public awareness of organ
donation;
— use of organ donor cards, including
the idea of a European organ donor card;
— use of volunteer living donors;
— ensuring the quality and safety of
cross-border organ donation within the EU;
— ethical issues relating to organ
donation and transplantation;
— health and social welfare benefits
of organ transplantation;
— medical risks of organ transplantation;
and
— illegal trafficking in organs.
We also invite responses on the following issues
of relevance to the Commission document:
— questions which may arise in relation
to organ donation and transplantation from a faith-based point
of view;
— questions which may arise in relation
to organ donation and transplantation from the point of view of
population sub-groups within the UK;
— the "presumed consent"
approach for identifying organ donors (under which a willingness
to donate organs becomes the default position and people wishing
to opt out from this need to make this known); and
— the arrangements for taking into
account the views of relatives about removing organs for transplantation
from a deceased donor (both under the present system of "opting
in" or under the "presumed consent" system for
identifying donors).
In addition, we seek views on the need for an
EU role in this field—the Commission's argument is that
it is needed for three main reasons:
— To promote cooperation between Member
States in order to share expertise and to expand the size of the
potential donor pool in each Member State.
— To provide a cross-border framework
for the organisation of organ donation and transplantation, with
harmonised rules that would provide EU citizens with higher standards
for organ safety and quality than can be assured by the national
legislations of Member States acting separately.
— To enable more effective action across
the EU to fight illegal organ trafficking.
We also would welcome views on any other aspect
of the Commission's Communication and Impact Assessment.
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