THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ITS POSITION ON THE EUROPEAN HEALTH DATA SPACE, WHICH WILL PUT THE EU AT THE FOREFRONT

The European Parliament’s Joint Committee on Civil Liberties and Public Health (LIBE-ENVI) approved last November 28th by a large majority its position on the European Health Data Space, of which the PP MEP Javier Zarzalejos has been co-rapporteur of the European People’s Party group.

Zarzalejos welcomed the agreement, since “the new Space will be a major milestone that will make it possible to put data at the service of citizens and science in a secure and reliable way.

The European Health Data Space (EEDS) aims to be a tool for the exchange of health data that establishes clear rules, standards and common practices, as well as infrastructures and a governance framework for the use of electronic health data by patients and for research, innovation, policy making, patient safety, statistical or regulatory purposes.

Its implementation “will represent an important qualitative leap in the field of European digital healthcare,” explained Zarzalejos. “It will make it possible to improve healthcare provision within the Member States, but also between them, as patient information can be transmitted quickly and securely”.

“What is sought with this European Space is the elimination of obstacles so that European citizens can have access to better healthcare, which gives us more confidence and results in the efficiency of our healthcare systems,” said the MEP.

In addition, it will allow the development of new scientific advances in healthcare by taking advantage of new technologies, such as Big Data, under conditions similar to those in other regions of the world, but safeguarding the privacy of users under the highest European privacy standards.

Zarzalejos recalled that “healthcare data are by definition very sensitive and require very careful treatment. It is therefore imperative to improve the use of health data for research, innovation and policy-making, ensuring that access is carried out with guarantees of security and privacy”.

A more competitive EU in research and healthcare

“This health data space will allow the EU to be more competitive in everything from research to healthcare,” he added.

For the European Health Data Space to work, Zarzalejos insisted on the need to “ensure that people trust the system and understand the benefits. Patients are the owners of their data, so they must have the capacity to act on it”.

In this sense, the text approved in committee strengthens the control of healthcare data by patients. Specifically, an opt-out mechanism has been approved for secondary use, such as research, innovation or policy development. In addition, “in the case of a series of specific data such as genetic or genomic data and data from wellness applications, due to their special sensitivity, patients will be required to voluntarily accept the transfer of data”.

The approved text also strengthens the protection of intellectual property rights to create a safe and conducive space for innovation in the EU. It ensures that companies providing technology and conducting research in the healthcare sector have mechanisms to safeguard their intellectual property and trade secrets.

“The proposal adopted today is ambitious and has required complex negotiation. The result is sound and balanced and effectively serves the objective of allowing citizens to control their own data, and to improve the use of this data for research, innovation and public policy making,” concluded Zarzalejos.