European Health Data Space: A New Era in EU Health

Abstract

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union (EU) put in action the plan to create a European Health Union, the structural pillar of which is the creation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). In 2022, the European Commission presented the proposal for a regulation for its creation. Its purpose is to enable European citizens to control their health data and to strengthen health research and innovation in the EU. The EHDS is a key step in the transition to digital health in the EU. Digital health is the means to enhance the resilience of healthcare systems in the EU as it will strengthen healthcare. For this reason, the "MyHealth@EU" platform is being created, which will contribute both to the transfer of primary data and to checking the validity of digital health documents. On the research and innovation side, the “HealthData@EU” platform is being developed, which will bring together a plethora of health data. The EHDS Board will play a coordinating role in the EHDS project. The policy brief concludes with the need for an immediate adoption of the proposed EHDS Regulation, which will contribute to improving healthcare provision while completing the single internal market and achieving the free circulation of health data.