Euro-Parliament votes to make organ transplants easier

9.35.14pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 18th May 2010

East Midlands LibDem MEP Bill Newton Dunn has welcomed moves that will shorten waiting times for people in need of organ transplants. Common European rules on organ transplants, approved by the Euro-Parliament today, will also make them safer for East Midlands residents.

Almost 60,000 patients are on waiting lists EU-wide and every day 12 of them die still waiting for a transplant.

Of these, 10,000 are in the UK alone. The problem has been that, although there are two groups of countries that already exchange information and organs, the UK belongs to neither group and works in isolation.

The creation of a European area of organ transplants, with harmonised quality standards and improved procedures between all 27 European states, will help increase the availability of suitable organs for citizens in need and will improve safety for recipients.

Bill said, "This is EU legislation that will really benefit my East Midlands constituents. Rules making it easier for organs to be shared across European borders will increase the number of organs available for patients on waiting lists to receive them. This will ensure more people get the organs they need to survive, and within a shorter time.

"The increased cooperation between European states and requirement that all organs conform to high quality standards will guarantee the safety of all people receiving organ transplants.

"I am confident that the greater pool of quality organs will increase the chances of success for people with unusual blood groups, who have more difficulty finding suitable matches.

"As well as the obvious benefits to patients in the East Midlands, it is great news for people living in European countries where the number of donors is low."