The Beyond 1 Million Genome Stakeholders Meeting was successfully held online on Wednesday, 21 October 2020, with more than 220 participants. The core aims of the 1 Million Genome Stakeholder Coordination Framework initiative are to connect national genomic data infrastructures, harmonize the ethical and legal framework for sharing sensitive data, and co-ordinate the implementation of genomic technologies in national and European health-care systems.
The European Commission is working on an European Health Data governance framework, the European Parliament is allocating healthcare funding, and there is a growing conviction among Europe’s policymakers that people must be at the centre of any healthcare improvement strategy.
The ambition of the European Commission is a transition to a healthy planet and a new digital world. European citizens expect access to health care and protection against epidemics. However, many chances for improvement are still waiting to be taken up, especially in the field of personalized healthcare. Secure and authorized cross-border access to genomic data would improve patient outcomes, ensure sustainability of healthcare, enable the diagnosis and treatment of cancer at a much earlier stage, advance the understanding of genetic factors that cause common diseases, and strengthen the effectiveness of disease prevention by improving the screening accuracy.
