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HIMSS European Health Conference and Exhibition took place this year on 19-21 May 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark. As health and care systems face mounting pressures, this annual conference serves as a strategic forum for advancing enterprise transformation through technology, data, and collaboration.

In 2026, HIMSS Europe delved especially into artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and digital maturity. Its clear focus was on sharing actionable strategies that help accelerate smarter care delivery and sustainable health system performance.

Healthcare leaders, innovators, and policymakers from across the European continent gathered together to exchange bold ideas and breakthrough solutions. They connected, collaborated, and accelerated impact whether they were driving digital transformation, seeking the next big innovation, or shaping health policy.

xShare and ESHIA announced their latest

Among the exciting content at HIMSS26 Europe was the work of the xShare project and of the ESHIA alliance.

The xShare project was present at the conference in terms of both important discussions on the future of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and a booth presence.

Source: Mie Hjorth Mathiessen

During the conference, xShare presented just how it contributes to interoperable digital Care Plans and Computable Clinical Guidelines as part of the future European Health Data Space (EHDS) infrastructure. The plans and guidelines build on international standards, such as HL7® FHIR®, and on experiences in Denmark.

EHTEL’s Secretary General, Marc Lange, who is also President of the European Standards for Health Interoperability Alliance (ESHIA), spoke on the conference Tech Leadership Stage. He outlined how ESHIA is helping organisations prepare for the wider scale-up of the European EHR Exchange Format (EEHRxF).

 Source: xShare LinkedIn

 ESHIA brings together key communities in standards and interoperability and organisations which are actively developing tools and are testing use cases for EHDS implementation. Examples of the standards development organisations include CEN/TC251 Health Informatics, HL7 Europe, IHE Europe, IEEE, OpenEHR International, and CDISC. The alliance works hard to turn interoperability standards into practical implementation and value.

The EHDS vision is clear. It is about enabling secure and interoperable health data sharing to improve care, advance research, and create value through innovation.

ESHIA itself supports organisations through their EEHRxF journey whether they are involved in the connection of standards, implementation assets, expertise, collaboration, or testing opportunities. Overall, the alliance helps translate policy and specifications into practical solutions and business value.

Exciting conversations were held and inspiring collaborations were planned around the future of digital health in Europe.

Next steps

HIMSS26 Europe was a conference that really helped to move forward digital health and health as a whole. EHTEL was honoured to partner with it and to take part in its valuable discussions.

Meanwhile, xShare encourages early adopters of the xShare yellow button to submit to the project’s latest open call before 17 July 2026.

Consider making HIMSS Europe 2027 part of your 2027 agenda! The conference will be held in Barcelona, Spain on 8-10 June 2027.