Yet one more bold step has been taken to move the EHDS implementation towards success. A new alliance – called ESHIA – has been set up as a platform for collaboration to support the EHDS. EHTEL is proud to announce that its Secretary-General is ESHIA’s inaugural President – a way of strengthening EHTEL’s new direction and commitment in support of EHDS implementers.

Incubated by the xShare project, look out for plenty more information soon on next stages of work towards the EHDS and health standards interoperability.

Powering the Future of Health Data Interoperability in Europe

The European Standards for Health Interoperability Alliance (ESHIA) has been set up in Brussels. Its mission is to support the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) by operating the European EHR Exchange Format (EHRxF) standards and policy hub. The hub's goal is to advance awareness and global alignment of the common European Interoperability Specifications for the EHDS. The hub is an important contribution to the eventual success of the EHDS.

Under the EHDS Regulation, compliance with the European format (the EHRxF) will become mandatory for European Member States, industry, and providers starting in 2029. The format will ensure the interoperability of personal health data from priority data sets.

The 17 founding members of ESHIA include major standards development organisations (SDOs) such as CEN/TC 251, HL7 Europe, IEEE, and IHE Europe, as well as European stakeholder associations, and interoperability competence centres across Europe.

EHTEL is proud to announce that its Secretary-General has become ESHIA’s inaugural President. As Marc Lange said on 11 June 2025, newly elected by the nine-member ESHIA Board of Directors:

“We are enthusiastic about forming ESHIA as a platform for collaboration of major SDOs and other stakeholder organisations to support the EHDS. In the coming months we will be welcoming other SDOs, interoperability competence centres, stakeholder associations and other organisations to join us.”

EHTEL is even more pleased that the alliance’s by-laws were agreed and made official on 29 August 2025.

Today, the  xShare project, an EU co-funded Research and Innovation Action, serves as the incubator for both the hub and for ESHIA. It offers a neutral and supportive environment for SDOs, health systems, industry, and EHDS users to co-create EHRxF implementation assets and to act as the steward of these assets.

ESHIA will serve as the institutional home of the Hub and will continue and sustain the Hub’s functions and services to support Member States, provider organisations, and vendors in the implementation of EHDS ready and compliant solutions also after the end of the xShare project.

If you are interested to know more about these topics,you will find useful materials which emerged from the EHTEL and xShare webinar on "Better Connecting Primary And Secondary Use Of Data For Additional Societal Value" on 26 June 2025.

ESHIA was registered as a nonprofit association under Belgian law. As a legal entity, it will continue the work of the hub after the xShare project ends on 30 November 2026.

For more info, read the original Press Release about ESHIA’s first steps.