All over Europe, over 40 thousand people are waiting for an organ transplantation, "while a remarkable number of them dies" waiting for operations. Therefore, here is the necessity to increase organ availability, to "sensitize the public opinion" in relation to donations, and "to strengthen the fight against organ trafficking". Adamos Adamou, MEP from Cyprus, is the author of the report which is going to be debated by the EU Parliament today, at the opening of the session (Strasbourg, 21-24 April). The text submitted to the auditorium takes care to stimulate national initiatives, within a shared strategy, to shorten the times of the waiting lists for transplantations, excluding any kind of donation trading; it points out the opportunity to promote organ circulation within community borders and with safe "traceability", discouraging "transplantation tourism". Furthermore, it defines the urgency to establish a "European chart of donors". In accordance with the report, biotechnology "will give us the opportunity to create organs starting from existing cells and tissues, in future"; therefore, it would be necessary to promote research in this field, however respecting "the cultural and ethical frameworks fixed by Member States".
