More people in Europe are becoming parents later in life or through non-traditional paths—including same-sex couples and single parents—thanks to advances in assisted reproductive technology.
This has led to a surge in children born via sperm and egg donations. However, there are growing calls to regulate the industry to address serious health and ethical concerns.
Currently, regulation of gamete donation is left to each EU member state, leading to a patchwork of rules. The number of children allowed from a single donor varies widely—from just one in Cyprus to 15 in Germany.
Some countries, like Sweden and Belgium, cap donations based on the number of recipient families, not just children. In contrast, commercial sperm banks often impose their own rules, resulting in some donors fathering up to 75 children.
This unregulated activity has led to troubling cases. One Danish donor, who unknowingly carried a rare cancer-linked genetic mutation, helped conceive at least 67 children—10 of whom later developed cancer. Such cases raise alarms over public health, unintentional incest, and the unchecked spread of genetic abnormalities.
Another concern is donor anonymity. In Italy, sperm donation is anonymous. In the Netherlands, it is not. Austria allows semi-anonymous donations.
However, with the rise of at-home DNA testing and social media, many donor-conceived individuals are now discovering their biological connections—often unintentionally—causing emotional and psychological strain for families.
To tackle these issues, eight EU health ministers—from Belgium, Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden—have proposed creating a unified legal framework for gamete donation.
A central European donor registry is also being discussed. Without harmonized rules, patients and donors often travel across borders to take advantage of more relaxed regulations. For instance, Spain handles about 50% of egg donations in the EU and even receives patients from Latin America.
European lawmakers argue that it’s time for the EU to align national laws with ethical standards, especially as current commercial practices risk undermining public health.
The Oviedo Convention explicitly states that the human body and its parts must not generate profit. Yet, commercial sperm and egg banks continue to profit from donor screening, cryopreservation, and storage—despite growing calls for reform.
With assisted reproduction on the rise, the need for standardized EU rules on sperm and egg donation has become both a health and ethical imperative.
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