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Family refusal
46% Greece
42% United Kingdom
30% France
29% Italy
21% Estonia
19% Latvia
17% Slovakia; Spain
9% Hungary; Poland
Source: European Commission; Council of Europe
UK Organ donation
The proposals from the European Commission did not go far enough for the British Medical Association, which urged a system of presumed consent so that organs could be used from all potential donors unless an individual had opted out.
In Britain, where the waiting list for organs reached a record high of 7,234 at the end of March, nearly nine out of ten people believe that carrying a national donor card is a good idea, but only one in four people actually carries one. Britain also has one of the highest family refusal rates in the EU, with 42 per cent of relatives blocking organ removal, compared with 17 per cent in Spain, 29 per cent in Italy and 30 per cent in France.
Only the Greeks were more reluctant among 12 nations surveyed, with 46 per cent of relatives telling doctors not to remove organs for transplant.