Established in 1979, the European network of population-based registries for the epidemiologic surveillance of congenital anomalies (EUROCAT) covers over one third of European births (over 750.000 cases, 44 registries in 25 EU/EEA countries).
EU funding for EUROCAT ran out in 2014 and this invaluable information source faced serious uncertainty in terms of continuity and sustainability. For these reasons, the EC's Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) asked the JRC to transfer EUROCAT to Ispra (IT) and integrate it in the future EU platform for Rare Disease Registries, which is presently being developed in the JRC.
Further information: Rare Diseases – a secure and sustainable solution for the registration of congenital anomalies in Europe