On 12 November 2025 EHTEL members gathered for the 5th meeting of the EHTEL European Health Data Space (EHDS) Implementers' Task Force. This Task Force meeting reviewed an early draft of a working paper on the EHDS regulation of electronic health record (EHR) systems. It examined – from the perspective of implementers – some blind spots and pain points.
The 5th EHDS Implementers’ Task Force meeting considered the content of an internal version of a draft working paper entitled, "The EHDS regulation of EHR systems: Blind spots and pain points, and how to address them" .
The review meeting was introduced by Michael StrĂĽbin (EHTEL) and co-chaired by EHTEL members, Heidi Peltatalo (THL, Finland) and Daniela Speissburger (gematik, Germany). It took a look at several challenging issues.
⚜️ The meeting's detailed report, presentations and video are now available to EHTEL members, on the EHTEL Member Workspace.
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EHTEL set up a European Health Data Space (EHDS) Implementers' Task Force for its members, to help them keep their fingers on the pulse of the latest EHDS developments. Read here about what the EHDS Task Force has done so far. |
What is the EHDS and its challenges
The EHDS regulation was published and came into force in March 2025. In a new world of seamless health data exchange, many players are beginning to align their approaches so as to help advance healthcare delivery, research, and innovation. These stakeholders include European Member States, industry, and other implementers. It is, however, becoming clear that the legislative process that underpinned the EHDS might have benefitted from more deliberation. It could have captured in more detail the perspectives of healthcare providers, vendors, and innovators.
Task force attendees explored the extent to which they themselves had understood (or not) the “connected systems” approach articulated in the EHDS regulation.
Comments reflected on both content and tone of the EHTEL draft working paper. Topics covered included definitions of systems; types of devices, appliances, systems, and services; having a greater focus on data; and the EHDS implementation timelines.
The views of at least three different stakeholder types were captured: healthcare providers (including hospitals and others); industry; and the public sector.
Main take-aways:
Through a structured and interactive discussion, EHTEL members began to agree on a number of potential EHTEL-related recommendations.
Among future orientations:
- Suggest possible modifications in the legislation.
- Examine what needs to be done with legacy EHR systems.
- Enlarge the engagement and collaboration of a wider range of stakeholders, e.g., industry, healthcare providers, and others.
- Facilitate a discussion on “implementation strategies”.
- Set up a collaborative platform.
⚜️ EHTEL members have access to the videos and presentations on the EHTEL Member Workspace.
Next steps and actions
EHTEL members are encouraged to offer further commentary and enrich discussions and activities on EHR systems by contributing to a dedicated session on this topic at the EHTEL Symposium, during the Radical Health Festival Helsinki, on 21 January 2026.