EU Electronic Health Record Access Reaches New Highs, Still Requires Progress to Meet 2030 Target

Brussels, Europe - In an effort to achieve the EU's ambitious eHealth target, the rate of electronic health record (EHR) access among its citizens has reached a new milestone. According to data from the European Union Agency for Digital Health (Europa Digital), 16 Member States have increased their maturity score compared to last year, while all Member States now offer an access service.

The composite eHealth score for the EU-27 has reached an average of 83%, an increase of 4 percentage points over 2023. However, more work is needed to achieve the ultimate goal of 100% EHR access by 2030.

Iceland and Norway lead the pack with significant improvements, while Czechia, Romania, Ireland, and Bulgaria also showed substantial advancements in eHealth maturity. Despite these progress, gaps persist in certain areas, including the availability of medical images and devices, which remain limited at just 26% and 55%, respectively.

Notably, more EU citizens gained access to their EHRs securely through electronic identification (eID) schemes, with 21 Member States reporting usage of compliant eIIDs. A significant majority, 23 Member States, confirmed that 80-100% of the national population can access their records.

Healthcare providers also showed varying levels of connection and data sharing. Public healthcare providers outperformed private ones in terms of maturity scores, with public geriatric nursing homes and mental health facilities consistently ranked among the most connected.

While support for citizens with disabilities or low digital literacy has improved, challenges persist, particularly regarding equal access to EHRs through various interfaces.

According to Europa Digital Director-General Cecilia Decker, achieving complete population-wide access to EHRs is a significant step towards realizing the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation's vision of guaranteed access for all EU citizens. "We will continue working with Member States and stakeholders to close gaps, particularly where more support is needed to ensure equal access," she said.

This report marks the third year of Euopa Digital's eHealth indicator study, which conducts an online survey every year by national authorities on EHR access and maturity. The agency will introduce revisions to its methodology in 2026.