The European Health Data Space is the focus of a flagship conference at Croke Park, Dublin, on 13 October 2026, hosted by the Department of Health as part of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Policymakers, patients, researchers, regulators and industry meet to work through how the EU's new health data law is put into practice.
- The event: "Data in Motion: Connecting Care, Enabling Innovation and the European Health Data Space", Croke Park, Dublin, 13 October 2026, hosted by the Department of Health.
- Opening: Derek Tierney, Secretary General of the Department of Health.
- Closing: Fulvia Raffaelli, Head of the Digital Health Unit at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), on moving "From Regulation to Implementation".
- The agenda: Digital Health Authorities, Health Data Access Bodies, data quality and interoperability in the morning; real-world impact and governance in the afternoon.
- Who attends: the European Commission, WHO, OECD, national authorities, patient organisations, healthcare providers, academia and industry from across Europe.
What the Croke Park conference will cover
The Department of Health describes the conference as a platform for sharing experience, examining policy and operational questions and building the collaboration needed to deliver "a secure, interoperable, and patient-centred European health data ecosystem". It covers both halves of the European Health Data Space: the primary use of health data, meaning the care of the individual patient, and the secondary use of health data for research, innovation and policy.
The morning sessions focus on implementation. Speakers will set out the approach being taken to establishing Digital Health Authorities and Health Data Access Bodies, the national bodies every Member State needs to run the system. Member States will share lessons learned so far, and a session will look at how data quality and interoperability support the secure and effective use of health data.
The afternoon turns to impact. Discussions cover what the European Health Data Space will mean in practice for patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, regulators and industry, and the governance structures and collaborative arrangements needed to make it work at national and European level. The day closes with reflections from Fulvia Raffaelli of the European Commission on moving from regulation to implementation.
What the Minister for Health said
Speaking ahead of the event, the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, said:
"Individuals increasingly expect health information to be available when and where it is needed, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and trust. The European Health Data Space has the potential to transform how health data supports patient care, research and innovation across Europe.
"During Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we are pleased to bring together European partners to share experiences, tackle implementation challenges and help realise the benefits of the EHDS for patients, healthcare professionals and society."
The Department noted that Ireland has been involved in European digital health cooperation for many years and works closely with Member States and the EU institutions on secure, interoperable and patient-centred digital health services.
What is the European Health Data Space?
The European Health Data Space is an EU regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/327, published in the Official Journal on 5 March 2025. It entered into force on 26 March 2025. It creates a common framework for health data across the EU with two aims.
The first is primary use. People gain stronger rights over their own electronic health data, and health professionals can access and share a patient's records, including across borders, through common formats and the cross-border infrastructure known as MyHealth@EU.
The second is secondary use. Researchers, public bodies, regulators and companies can use health data for permitted purposes such as research, innovation and policy making. Access requires a permit issued by a Health Data Access Body, and the data is processed in a secure environment rather than handed over. The infrastructure that connects these bodies across the EU is called HealthData@EU.
When the EHDS rules apply
Most obligations only start four years after the regulation entered into force, and they are phased in. The European Commission sets out this timeline:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 26 March 2025 | The regulation enters into force. |
| March 2027 | The Commission adopts key implementing acts with detailed rules. No rules apply to users yet. |
| March 2029 | Patient summaries and ePrescriptions or eDispensations are exchanged in all Member States. Secondary use rules apply to most data categories, such as electronic health record data. |
| March 2031 | Medical images, laboratory results and hospital discharge reports are exchanged in all Member States. Secondary use rules extend to the remaining categories, such as genomic data. |
| March 2035 | Third countries and international organisations can apply to join HealthData@EU. |
That leaves Member States, including Ireland, about two and a half years from this conference to have their national bodies, systems and data ready for the first exchanges in March 2029.
Why the EHDS matters for Ireland's health service
The European Health Data Space lands on top of Ireland's own digital health programme. The Department of Health's Digital for Care framework sets the national direction to 2030, and Budget 2027 continued funding for the rollout of the HSE Health App, shared care records and ePrescribing, and for progress on a first national Electronic Health Record, as we reported in our analysis of the Budget 2027 health allocation.
Patient summaries and ePrescriptions are exactly the record types the European Health Data Space requires every Member State to exchange from March 2029, so the national projects and the EU deadline are closely linked. Ireland must also establish its Digital Health Authority and Health Data Access Body. The press release says the conference will examine the approach being taken to establishing these bodies; it does not name the Irish bodies or set dates for their designation.
What the EHDS means for Irish pharma, medtech and researchers
For the life science sector the secondary use rules matter most. Companies, universities and hospitals will be able to apply for a permit to use health data for permitted purposes such as scientific research, innovation and regulatory activity, with the analysis carried out in a secure processing environment. For Ireland's research base and its large pharmaceutical and medtech industry, that opens a route to real-world data across the EU under one set of rules rather than 27 different arrangements.
The regulation also sets limits. Health data accessed through the European Health Data Space may not be used for purposes such as advertising or marketing aimed at health professionals or patients, or decisions that exclude people from insurance or raise their premiums. Makers of electronic health record systems face common interoperability and security requirements, which matters for the digital health companies that sell into Irish and European hospitals.
The European Health Data Space sits alongside other EU digital rules that life science firms already track, including the AI Act, which we set out in our guide to the digital-first regulatory landscape for Irish life sciences.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the European Health Data Space?
A: It is an EU regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/327, in force since 26 March 2025. It gives people stronger rights over their electronic health records, lets health professionals share records across borders, and creates a permit system for using health data in research, innovation and policy.
Q: When and where is the EHDS conference in Ireland?
A: "Data in Motion: Connecting Care, Enabling Innovation and the European Health Data Space" takes place at Croke Park, Dublin, on 13 October 2026, hosted by the Department of Health during Ireland's EU Council Presidency.
Q: When will patients in Ireland be able to share health records across the EU?
A: Under the regulation, patient summaries and ePrescriptions must be exchanged in all Member States from March 2029, and medical images, laboratory results and hospital discharge reports from March 2031.
Q: Can pharmaceutical companies use health data under the EHDS?
A: Yes, for permitted purposes such as research, innovation and regulatory activity, with a permit from a Health Data Access Body and analysis in a secure environment. Uses such as advertising to patients or professionals and insurance decisions against individuals are prohibited.
Q: Who is speaking at the Croke Park conference?
A: Derek Tierney, Secretary General of the Department of Health, opens the event, and Fulvia Raffaelli, Head of the Digital Health Unit at the European Commission's DG SANTE, closes it. The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, issued a statement ahead of the conference.
Outlook
The conference comes at the point where the European Health Data Space moves from law to delivery. The next fixed milestone is March 2027, when the European Commission is due to adopt the key implementing acts that turn the regulation into detailed technical rules. The national question for Ireland is when it designates its Digital Health Authority and Health Data Access Body, and how quickly the HSE's shared care records, ePrescribing and Electronic Health Record projects can meet the March 2029 exchange deadline. We will report the outcomes of the Croke Park sessions and any announcements on Ireland's national bodies as they are published.
Cover image: AI-generated illustration. It does not show the conference, its venue or any participant.
Sources
- Department of Health, Ireland: "Ireland Brings European Health Leaders Together to Advance the European Health Data Space", press release under embargo until 00:01, 13 October 2026.
- European Commission: European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS), timeline and overview
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2025/327 on the European Health Data Space
