European Committee on Organ Transplantation: influencing policy and practices in Europe
Dr. Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, Chairperson of the European Committee on Organ Transplantation, explains how the Committee, through a number of initiatives, programmes and legal instruments, helps meet the three main objectives of the European Commission's Action Plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation. These three goals are to increase organ availability, to strenghten the effectiveness of transplantation systems and to enhance the quality and safety of organs. The Committee puts a particular focus on Human Rights throughout its activities.
What exactly is the Committee and what is its role?
The Committee coordinates transplant activities for the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare on behalf of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, is the oldest and largest European institution, encompassing 47 Member States and 820 million citizens.
What have been some of the Committee's main achievements?
Over the years, the Committee has produced a set of Resolutions and Recommendations subsequently adopted by the Committee of Ministers. Although not legally binding, they have profoundly impacted national legal and ethical frameworks, organisational models, and professional practices.
The Committee also helped elaborate the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs, which provides clarity on the practices that must be criminalised and strengthens mechanisms for cooperation and victim protection. According to the WHO, 5-10% of all transplants worldwide result from organ trafficking, so this is of vital importance. Furthermore, through the establishment of an international network of National Focal Points and a Database on Travel for Transplantation, the Committee is gaining better knowledge on transplant-related crimes and elaborating comprehensive tools and recommendations to address them.
How does the Committee monitor practices and disseminate information?
For the sake of transparency and international benchmarking, practices must be monitored in Member States. The Committee, with the support of the Spanish National Transplant Organisation (ONT), publishes a unique and official source of information on transplant activities for almost 70 countries is the Newsletter Transplant. Published annually since 1996, the newsletter inspires policies and strategic plans globally, including the above mentioned European Commission´s Action Plan.
The Committee also publishes technical guides in the fields of organs, tissues and cells, which serve as valuable tools for regulators and health professionals throughout Europe and beyond. These guides include recommendations which are considered “minimum standards” that align with the principles set out in the relevant EU Directives. However, the guides go further by providing additional technical advice and best practice consistent with current scientific knowledge, expert opinion and the results of many EU-funded projects. They also provide background information on the "why and how" of organ transplantation, which is often used by national administrations when preparing evidence-based policy decisions and educational initiatives. This ultimately contributes to the harmonisation of practices and to increasing the efficacy and safety of these therapies.
Are any outreach efforts aimed at people outside of the health professions?
Yes, every year, the Committee supports the organisation of the European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation, initiated by the Council of Europe, to encourage public debate, establish public trust towards responsible and ethical organ donation and transplantation and to engage policy-makers and health professionals.
Activities at EU level
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Blood, Tissue, Cells and Organs European Commission – Health and Food Safety |
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The European Committee on Organ Transplantation Council of Europe – European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare |
News
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European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation to take place 13 October 2018 To be held in Chisinau (Moldova), the next European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation, an initiative of the Council of Europe, will be complemented in EU countries by a series of events organised by the EU-funded project EUDONORGAN (see project in the highlight). |
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Results of a public consultation show that the majority of the respondents, who included both individual citizens and various groups, such as professional societies, donor and patient organisations and national authorities, consider that EU legislation has had a positive impact in the fields of blood, tissues and cells safer in the EU. |
Health Programme Projects
Other interesting links
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Facebook page for the 2018 European Day of Organ Donation and Transplantation Visit this page for interesting posts on everything from how a needle-phobic man ended up being a champion blood donor to a video interview with a doctor about heart transplants. |
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Resolutions and Recommendations concerning transplantation To share knowledge through international co-operation, the Council of Europe and the European Committee on Organ Transplantation and its predecessors have established recommendations and resolutions in the field of transplantation. |
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Convention against trafficking in Human Organs The Convention aims to prevent and combat the trafficking in human organs by providing for the criminalisation of certain acts, by protecting the rights of victims of the offences and by facilitating co-operation at national and international levels on action against human organ trafficking. |
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Published annually by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare and the Council of Europe, Newsletter Transplant gives international figures on organ, tissue and cell donation and transplantation. It is co-ordinated by the Spanish National Transplant Organisation. |
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European Committee on Organ Transplantation technical guides on organs, tissues and cells Download a free copy of the 6th Edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation and/or the 3rd Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application. |