CWA 15849:2008

The background to this document is the DIRECTIVE 2004/23/EC (ECD), Article 25 provision requiring the Commission in cooperation with Member States to design a single European coding system to provide information on the main characteristics and properties of tissues and cells.  This requirement is elaborated further in COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2006/86/EC of 24 October 2006 implementing DIRECTIVE  5 2004/23/EC. The present document therefore sets out the basic specification of a European coding system for human tissues and cells, and indicates how implementation of the system could be approached.