On 11 October 2021, experts from across the blood ecosystem convened during the policy webinar ‘Updating policies and practices to support blood sustainability: the role of the EU Blood Directive and patient blood management’ to reflect on the EU’s role in preserving blood to improve patients’ lives. In the context of the revision of the EU Blood Directive and as a legislative proposal is expected by end of 2021, the meeting stimulated a dialogue on potential solutions to current challenges in blood management and use. The necessity of bold EU actions to further support the deployment of the WHO-endorsed Patient Blood Management (PBM) bundle of care in Europe – which should become a shared goal in order to manage blood effectively and improve patient outcomes – came out clearly in the debate.

Dr Yuyun Maryuningsih (WHO) and Prof Axel Hofmann (University Hospital Zurich) gave a preview of the new WHO Policy Brief on PBM (released on 19 October) and implications for European policies.

The recording is accessible here. For more information on this webinar, please visit the page here, where a summary report will be published soon.