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On Tuesday 18 March 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of Health and Social Security, Martine Deprez, and the Minister for Digitalisation and Minister for Research and Higher Education, Stéphanie Obertin, announced the launch of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation in the Grand Duchy.
As reported by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Health and Social Security and the Ministry for Digitalisation, the initiative marks a decisive step in the evolution of European healthcare systems by promoting secure and equitable access to health data across the European Union (EU) in the interest of patients. Accessible health data will become even more secure, useful and patient-centric. This approach benefits both patients and healthcare systems as a whole.
The ministries stated that Luxembourg citizens will have immediate and free digital access to their medical records throughout Europe through the EHDS and that, as a result of the EHDS regulation, e-prescriptions and digital health records will work across borders, allowing citizens to collect their medication on holiday in Spain as easily as at home in Luxembourg. Citizens will also retain full control over their data at all times and will be able to modify it, restrict access and see who has used it, with the organisations that manage this data required to maintain its confidentiality, security and to respect medical confidentiality.
The ministries also reported that for healthcare professionals the EHDS will allow greater access to patient records, even if the patient was treated in another EU country. Healthcare professionals will therefore have easier access to medical history, enabling safer and more efficient monitoring. For the research and innovation sector, the EHDS will provide access to large-scale health data from all Member States, fostering scientific breakthroughs, medical innovation and applied research. Moreover, the EHDS will offer the opportunity to benefit more easily and cost-effectively from health data to improve health policies and patient safety.
The ministries confirmed that, although the EHDS Regulation is now officially launched, it will not become active until 2029. Implementation will be gradual with important steps to ensure a smooth transition. To implement the EHDS and meet the requirements for secure health data sharing, several preparatory steps are necessary in all European Union Member States. In Luxembourg, this translates into the preparation of new legislation, the implementation of new processes and tools and the training of stakeholders affected by this new regulation. Work towards its implementation has already begun at the Ministry of Health and Social Security and the Ministry for Digitalisation.
Minister of Health and Social Security, Martine Deprez, stated: "Cross-border sharing of health data is essential for a mobile and mixed population like that of Luxembourg. But this openness cannot be achieved without absolute security. Protecting this data means protecting patients and guaranteeing their trust in the healthcare system."
Minister for Digitalisation and Minister of Research and Higher Education, Stéphanie Obertin, commented: "Research and innovation in the health sector are a growth ambition for this country, where we will focus on the effective implementation of this new regulation, in line with our national data strategy aimed at leveraging data in all areas."
SM
