This book is based on the International Congress "Organ Transplantation:
Ethical, Legal and Psychosocial Aspects. Towards a common European policy" (Rotterdam, The Netherlands, April 2007). The contributions deliver an overview of current worldwide achievements, analyses, controversies, and dilemmas. The topics:

• Commercialization and trafficking;
• Legal systems for organ donation and allocation;
• Altruism, counseling and psychological aspects of living donation;
• Minorities, religions, gender aspects;
• Expanded post mortem donor criteria, including Non Heart Beating donation;
• Role of patients, media and pharmaceutical industry;

are intensely discussed among ethicists, clinicians, psychologists, lawyers and policy makers in the field of organ transplantation.
The ELPAT platform is initiated with the aim to establish continuity in European communication on 'Ethical, Legal and Psychosocial Aspects of Organ Transplantation (ELPAT)', after several ad hoc conferences had been organised in the last two decades. ELPAT is thus an attempt to facilitate and structure the European research area in this field of science. It is now an official body within the European Society for Organ Transplantation.