Germany joins the 1+ Million Genomes Initiative
Germany has become the 21st EU Member State to sign the declaration “Towards access to at least 1 million sequenced genomes in the European Union by 2022”, which aims to link genomic health data throughout the EU. This initiative enables health authorities across the EU to share genomic data in a secure manner and collaborate on improving disease prevention, developing personalised treatments and creating sufficiently large datasets to improve medical research. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Education, Culture and Youth, said: “Genomic data management and interoperability is ever more important in healthcare, but we still need to establish standard methods and tools. The One Million Plus Genome Initiative showcases how research concretely contributes to making EU citizens’ lives better.” Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, said: “Digital innovation and secure access to health data are crucial in our efforts to improve health and care for Europeans. Germany’s commitment to this important initiative will boost the potential of linking great amounts of genomic data across borders and will contribute to the EU remaining at the forefront of health research.” Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, who attended the signing ceremony in Berlin, said: “I welcome Germany’s signature of this important initiative that will contribute to advancing research, developing new treatments, and improving the health of EU citizens.” Originally signed in April 2018, the initiative on linking genomic data across the EU is now supported by 21 Member States. More information is available here and in this infographic.
