“Recommendations for a strong health industry in Europe”
2.4.
Ensuring data protection, IT and cybersecurity
There is a growing debate about the advantages and disadvantages of accessible patient and care data for the individual and society. That is why it is becoming more and more important to inform the public about the form a responsible handling of data would take and what kind of patient services and social services can result from it. Data protection, IT and cybersecurity are major challenges which all players in the health sector must step up to meet. People will only consent to data-based health care when their privacy rights are not endangered. Data protection is important but must not be a spur to holding back research and innovation designed to be beneficial to society. The European Commission should therefore ensure a uniform implementation of the EU GDPR in all EU member states. Cyber threats to health data are growing. In order to speed up the successful digitization of the health industry in Europe, the new European Commission should ▪
coordinate a European reaction to the growing threat from organised, in some cases state-funded, cyber espionage and cybercrime,
▪
within the framework of the “EU Cybersecurity Act” and with the active participation of industry take account of the specific productgroup requirements for medical products (e.g. insulin pumps, heart pacemakers, OP technology) in the implementation of the EU regulation on medical devices,
▪
encourage the EU member states to invest in digital capabilities in order to close the current capability gap in natural sciences, technology and mathematics,
▪
encourage the EU member states to pursue a coordinated European approach for the expansion of 5G networks in order to obtain the strategic advantages that this new technology can bring to the whole of the European economy. Here the BDI points to its general demands relating to the security of data, services and networks in the 5G area. Adherence to these requirements is also essential for the health industry.14
Central recommendation: ▪
The successful digitization of the health industry in Europe requires the uniform implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation and greater investment in digital competences.
BDI: „Daten-, Dienste- und Netzsicherheit im Bereich 5G“ (25.02.2019): https://bdi.eu/media/publikationen/#/publikation/news/daten-dienste-und-netzsicherheit-im-bereich-5g/ 14
www.bdi.eu
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