New Laws on Donor Organ Transplants in the EU

The countries of the European Union are facing a shortage of donor organs. The waiting lists for patients needing transplants are continuously growing. Organ transplants not only improve the quality of life for recipients but also save money for healthcare systems. For instance, a kidney transplant is €30,000 cheaper per year for Spain than treating a patient on dialysis.

Hungary, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council, is preparing to propose an expansion of the exchange practices between countries. "First and foremost, we need to overcome barriers and try to establish proper relationships with other countries. This will allow for the exchange of donor organs and speed up the transplantation and procurement processes. The next phase will be their transplantation. You know that there are numerous obstacles, financial barriers that can hinder rapid transplantation, and this can reduce the quality of donor organ transplants," said Dimitri Michalski, Vice President of the Belgian Transplantation Society.

From 2009 to 2015, a program for organ donation and transplantation was established in the European Union, which has allowed for an increase in the number of donors on a European scale. However, the percentage of donors varies greatly depending on the EU country. This indicator ranges from 47 donors per million population in Spain to 31.5 in Portugal, 2.1 in Bulgaria, and 3.3 in Cyprus.

One of the options for increasing the number of donors is the use of so-called marginal donors, that is, those who are older or have donor organs in worse condition. This could be a temporary solution to reduce the waiting list and fill the donor organ deficit. Experts believe that countries like Germany need to change their legislation so that all citizens are automatically considered donors unless they officially state otherwise. This practice already exists in 18 countries, including Spain and Portugal.