06/09/2006
Patient mobility II: New EU directive on opening up the health services market
The ECJ ruling on the Yvonne Wyatt case (see above, Patient Mobility I) highlighted the need for a new directive.
When the European Parliament and Council left out provision of health services from the Services Directive (Bolkestein), the Commission promised to draft a specific directive to cover the topic. The Commissioners for the Internal Market, Charlie McGreevy, and Public Health and Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou, have now announced their intention to bring forward submission of a health services directive to the end of 2006.
The document is likely to trigger some lively debates as the EU has relatively little competence in the fields of public health and social security, which remain the remit of Member States, following the wish of many Non-Governmental Organisations. The EAHP will follow the drafting of this new directive closely and consult its members, if and when appropriate, on the content, when the proposals are made public.
Links
• Commission news: Research project helps plot EU patient mobility path
• Commission: Scientific support to policies
• European Court of Justice press release: Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-372/04 - The Queen, on the application of Yvonne Watts v Bedford Primary Care Trust and Secretary of State for Health (16 May 2006)
• Europe for patients: Patient Mobility in the European Union Learning from experience (29 May 2006)
• Europe for patients - project website
The document is likely to trigger some lively debates as the EU has relatively little competence in the fields of public health and social security, which remain the remit of Member States, following the wish of many Non-Governmental Organisations. The EAHP will follow the drafting of this new directive closely and consult its members, if and when appropriate, on the content, when the proposals are made public.
Links
• Commission news: Research project helps plot EU patient mobility path
• Commission: Scientific support to policies
• European Court of Justice press release: Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-372/04 - The Queen, on the application of Yvonne Watts v Bedford Primary Care Trust and Secretary of State for Health (16 May 2006)
• Europe for patients: Patient Mobility in the European Union Learning from experience (29 May 2006)
• Europe for patients - project website
Latest publications
Vienna seminar and symposium presentations
You may now view your favorite presentations from the 16th Congress of the EAHP as the audio and video presentations are now available online. To view, please click on the dvd above. You may also order the cd/dvd by emailing sec (@) eahp.eu.