Citizens gain control of health data in groundbreaking EU deal

The European Commission has hailed a breakthrough agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the creation of a European Health Data Space (EHDS).

The EHDS, proposed by the Commission in May 2022, aims to achieve two key goals:

  • Empowering Citizens: Placing individuals at the heart of their healthcare by granting them full control over their health data, ultimately leading to improved care across the EU.
  • Unlocking Research Potential: Opening up health data for research and public health initiatives.

The agreement establishes clear guidelines for using health data to enhance healthcare delivery, research, innovation, and policymaking. It leverages the potential of safe and secure data exchange, utilisation, and reuse, all while adhering to the EU’s stringent data protection standards.

Under the new rules, EU citizens will have immediate and straightforward access to their digital health data, regardless of their location within the bloc.

This allows healthcare professionals to access a patient’s medical records when needed for treatment in another member state, facilitating evidence-based decision-making in line with EU data protection regulations.

Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said: “The European Health Data Space is a game-changing moment for health in Europe and for the care our citizens receive. It will enable patients to share health data, such as their medical history, test results, or prescriptions with hospitals and medical practitioners within and across Member States, as they wish. At the same time, it will unleash the potential of health data for the development of innovative and lifesaving treatments and devices, as well as for better health policy-making, all with strong data protection and security safeguards. Our Health Union is built on cooperation, and the European Health Data Space will be one of the strongest and most emblematic examples of what we can achieve when we come together.”

Boosting Research and Public Health

The EHDS also creates a robust legal framework for the reuse of health data for research, innovation, and public health purposes.

This data will be instrumental in developing life-saving treatments and personalised medicine, as well as enhancing crisis preparedness.

Rigorous data security and access controls will be implemented, alongside a commitment to upholding fundamental rights.

The European Parliament and the Council will now formally adopt the new regulation, which will be implemented in stages based on the specific use case and data type.

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