Declaration of the European Parliament on establishing a European cardiac arrest awareness week

European Parliament Declaration

Declaration of the European Parliament of 14 June 2012 on establishing a European cardiac arrest awareness week

P7_TA(2012)0266 P7_DCL(2012)0011

The European Parliament ,

–   having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas in Europe approximately 400 000 people suffer an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest every year, with a survival rate of less than 10%;

B.   whereas the survival of many apparently healthy victims depends on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) administered by bystanders and early defibrillation, and whereas an intervention within 3-4 minutes may increase the chance of survival to more than 50%;

C.   whereas in Europe, automated external defibrillator (AED) programmes are only partially implemented;

1.  Calls on the Commission and the Council to encourage: 

	–	the adoption of common programmes for implementing AED in public places and training lay people in all Member States,
	–	the adjustment of legislation in order to facilitate CPR and defibrillation by non-medical persons,
	–	systematic data collection for feedback and quality management in every programme;

2.   Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish a European cardiac arrest awareness week aimed at improving the awareness and education of the general public, physicians and healthcare professionals;

3.   Calls on the Commission to support the Member States in adopting and implementing national strategies for equal access to high-quality CPR;

4.   Calls on the Commission and the Member States to enact harmonised legislation across the EU in order to provide immunity from liability to non-medical first responders who offer voluntary assistance in cardiac emergencies;

5.   Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories(1) , to the Council, the Commission and the parliaments of the Member States.