EU urged to adopt second organ donation and transplantation action plan

The German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) is calling on the European Commission to launch a second EU action plan on organ donation and transplantation. The appeal follows the European Kidney Health Alliance’s (EKHA) request that the Commission translate the EU Council resolutions on organ donation, adopted in 2024, into concrete measures. DGfN highlights the persistent organ shortage in Germany, where around 8,200 patients are currently waiting for a donor organ, most of them for a kidney, and the average waiting time can extend up to ten years.

About 100,000 people in Germany receive dialysis, a life‑saving but sub‑optimal therapy, while kidney transplantation would offer better health outcomes and quality of life. DGfN stresses the need for coordinated capacity building, harmonised data structures, public awareness, and research on organ preservation, as outlined in EKHA’s priorities. The society warns that the voluntary organ‑donor register launched in March 2024 has so far enrolled only about 461,000 people, insufficient to close the gap between demand and supply.