Join the network
If you are a researcher, clinician, or institution interested in law, medicine, and culture at the end of life, we invite you to connect with us and take part in shaping this European initiative.
Understanding death in Europe: law, medicine, culture
EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR HARMONISING DEATH DETERMINATION, FAMILY COMMUNICATION, AND ETHICAL END-OF-LIFE CARE
What is death in Europe today?
In contemporary Europe, death is not a single moment. It is negotiated at the borders of law, medicine, and culture. Intensive care units extend life beyond traditional boundaries, while the determination of brain death links clinical practice to organ donation systems.
Our focus is on how death is determined and communicated in hospitals and intensive-care units – places where medical, legal, and moral decisions meet in their most sensitive form. Families, professionals, and societies find themselves in a shared space of uncertainty, seeking words and rituals that do not still exist.
Why this matters
Death is both universal and local. By studying how it is determined and communicated across Europe, we can better understand how societies balance ethics, technology, and human dignity. This is not only a scholarly question but also a public one – shaping trust in medicine, law, and collective life.
Project overview
The project investigates three domains:
- Law and institutions – how regulations define and operationalize death in different countries.
- Medicine and care – how professionals in ICUs manage communication with families, colleagues, and administrators.
Culture and meaning – how societies interpret brain death, organ donation, and the absence of rituals for life-death transition.
Historical perspectives – how ideas of death and personhood have evolved in European medical, legal, and philosophical traditions.
Next steps
We are preparing a COST Action to build a European network. Planned activities include:
- comparative mapping of laws, practices, and historical traditions,
- interdisciplinary research combining ethnography, history, and bioethics,
- development of consensus guidelines for families and clinicians, in collaboration with philosophers and ethicists,
- training for ICU staff,
- open workshops and public engagement.
Invitation
We welcome collaboration with colleagues who share an interest in law, medicine, and culture at the end of life.
Who we are so far
Dr Hristo Hristov – anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist, with clinical experience in brain death determination and organ donation procedures. He brings medical expertise and a deep understanding of ICU practices.
Ilina Marinova – psychologist, and cultural and social anthropologist. Interest in healthcare ethics, end-of-life communication, and cultural attitudes toward death. Publications on the intersection of law, medicine, and society in Bulgaria.