The European Commission presents an Action Plan to address barriers to the full use of digital solutions in Europe's healthcare systems, and to increase the pace of change and improvement in healthcare. In addition, the Commission will publish in 2014 a mHealth (Mobile Health) Green Paper addressing quality and transparency issues.

The new Action Plan of the European Commission to address barriers to the full use of digital solutions in Europe's healthcare systems, has as objective to increase the pace of change and improvement in healthcare by clarifying areas of legal uncertainty; improving interoperability between systems; increasing awareness and skills among patients and healthcare professionals; putting patients at the centre with initiatives related to personal health management and supporting research into personalised medicine; and ensuring free legal advice for start-up eHealth businesses. In November 2012, it was created a Task Force to advise on how to promote eHealth.

The Commission also commits to issue a mHealth (Mobile Health) Green Paper by 2014 addressing quality and transparency issues. While patients and health professionals are enthusiastically using telehealth solutions and millions of Europeans have downloaded smartphone apps to keep track of their health and wellbeing, digital healthcare has yet to reap its great potential to improve healthcare and generate efficiency savings.

Also together with the Action Plan, the Commission published a Staff Working Paper that gives a legal overview of how current EU legislation applies to cross border telemedicine (services such as teleradiology, teleconsultation or telemonitoring). Currently, telemedicine falls within the scope of several legal instruments. The paper clarifies the issues a healthcare practitioner faces in delivering cross-border telemedicine.