BMJ  2006;333:568 (16 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7568.568-d

News roundup

European Commission draws up measures on seeking health care abroad

Brussels Rory Watson

The European Commission is facing the challenge of drawing up a package of measures to ensure that different national health systems are compatible with European Union rules.

Last week it launched wide ranging consultations that will run until the end of the year. After assessing the input it will table concrete proposals during the first half of next year. These would then have to be approved by EU governments and the European parliament.

The commission stresses that the aim is not to harmonise national health systems; the benefits and services they provide remain national responsibilities. Instead the aim is to guarantee legal certainty for patients seeking treatment abroad and for health services managing and financing these services.

The complex issue is on the EU’s agenda because of a series of judgments from the European Court of Justice, the first of which was in 1998. This judgment established . . . [Full text of this article]


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