COCIR welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the combined evaluation roadmap and inception impact assessment on the European Health Data Space.

COCIR is fully supportive of the European Data Strategy that aims to establish common European data spaces. There is the urgent need for a common European data space, which promotes timely access to health data for public and private research and better health outcomes, and offers measures for effective data sharing ecosystems. Already in November 2019, COCIR published its initial views on a European Health Data Space.

COCIR therefore fully agrees the European Commission should make the European Health Data Space a key priority. The challenges in itself are not new, but the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis has clearly demonstrated the need and urgency of making concerted efforts and targeted investments, addressing existing barriers in accessing and sharing health data and providing all EU citizens equitable access to the best available care.

Now is a critical time to act and to ensure that Member States together with the European Commission take the lead in creating the European Health Data Space to make the most of the potential of digital health to provide high-quality healthcare for all in the EU.

For many years COCIR, as the leading industry voice on digital health, has been vocal on the identified challenges and has been coming up with constructive proposals and efforts to address these. COCIR therefore strongly supports the proposed objectives and the policy options under consideration.

Please refer to attached document for our detailed feedback.

COCIR remains fully committed to work with the European Institutions, the Member States and other involved stakeholders in setting up a European Health Data Space to the benefit of European citizens, industry and society