5 March 2021

On 24 February 2021, the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) adopted a draft report on a European Strategy for Data. MEP Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, Finland) is the rapporteur for the file. The report looks at industrial and public data as an essential resource for economic growth and societal progress and a key enabler of the green and digital transitions. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, MEPs asked that special attention should be given to the European Health Data Space, a request of which MMD is very supportive.

Diabetes is a condition that makes much use of numbers, calculations and data and which requires life-long, round-the-clock self-management by the person living with the condition. Increased digitalisation of health services and a harmonised EU-wide data framework have the potential not only to help improve the quality of life of people living with diabetes (PwD) and reduce the incidence of T2D but also to decrease the cost of diabetes-related healthcare expenditure, free up health system resources through lower diabetes incidence and fewer or less severe complications, and broaden access to health. Diabetes is the natural choice for spearheading the digital health transformation.

The Blueprint for Action on Diabetes in the EU by 2030, recently released by MEPs Mobilising for Diabetes, identifies data and digitalisation as key enablers to flatten the diabetes curve, improve the lives of PwD and reduce health inequalities, and provides recommendation for action within the EU. As part of this, MMD supports efficient data legislation that will harness research and innovation and increase data availability for the benefit of the 32 million people living with diabetes in the European Union today, with the respect of fundamental values and principles and with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.

A summary version of the Blueprint can also be downloaded by clicking on this link.