A4-0091/96

Resolution on the European health card

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Article 138b, second paragraph, of the EC Treaty,

- having regard to Rule 50 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mr Parodi and Mr Ligabue on the Community action to promote 'travel medicine' (B4-0007/95),

- having regard to its resolution of 13 October 1981 on a European health card ((OJ C 287, 9.11.1981, p. 32.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 16 November 1984 on a Council recommendation on the adoption of a European emergency health document ((OJ C 337, 17.12.1984, p. 449.)),

- having regard to its resolutions of 12 June 1991 on a Community tourism policy ((OJ C 183, 15.7.1991, p. 74.)) and of 18 January 1994 on tourism in the approach to the year 2000

((OJ C 44, 14.2.1994, p. 61.))- having regard to the Council resolution of 29 May 1986 concerning the adoption of a European emergency health card ((OJ C 184, 23.7.1986, p. 4.)),

- having regard to Article B, third indent, of the EU Treaty,

- having regard to Article 3(d) and (o) of the EC Treaty, as amended by Article G(3) of the EU Treaty,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and the opinion of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A4-0091/96),

A. whereas no proposal resembling this legislative initiative is being prepared or is included in the current Annual Legislative Programme (Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure),

B. whereas the Treaty on European Union provides for the introduction of a citizenship of the Union, and whereas that must take the form of measures to ease the daily life of its citizens while increasing the protection of their rights and interests,

C. having regard to the increasing mobility of the citizens of Europe within the European Union for both business reasons and tourism,

D. whereas European citizens are entitled to proper care as required by their state of health while travelling,

E. whereas a health card would help avoid the potentially serious or fatal outcome of ineffective or dangerous treatment, especially in cases of chronic or serious disease or allergies,

F. whereas Article 129 of the EC Treaty provides that the Community shall contribute towards ensuring a high level of human health protection,

G. whereas it is already technically possible to introduce a health card which could be used in all the countries of the European Union and outside its borders, and whereas it must be possible for the card to be used throughout the system, i.e. by doctors, hospitals, casualty departments and duty doctors, since, if the system is not a comprehensive one, it will be neither useful nor secure,

H. whereas Directive 95/46/EC of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data ((OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31.)) provides the legal framework for the confidentiality of data entered on health cards,

I. whereas the purpose of such cards must first and foremost be to serve the citizen, and whereas they may perhaps be a way of reducing health costs but never a surveillance tool for public authorities of whatever nature; whereas the information on the card should not therefore be held in any data file, but should appear only on the card itself, and whereas the citizen should therefore decide him- or herself what data should appear, and should have the right to omit certain information; whereas it should be easy to change the information on the card, the issuing of which should not involve the cardholder in any expense,

J. having regard to the experimentation in certain countries, companies and (research) institutes in the European Union and the interest they have aroused among both users and health professionals,

K. whereas in some Member States of the European Union different emergency identity cards/health cards are in circulation, a situation which, while due in part to problems of copyright, leads not so much to improved information as confusion,

L. having regard to the interest shown not only by international organizations concerned with health, such as the WHO, but also by G7 and non-Community countries in the research and experimentation being conducted in the health card field,

1. Calls on the Commission to submit by 1 January 1997 a proposal for a Council and European Parliament Decision based on Article 129 of the EC Treaty setting up by 1 January 1999 a European health card to be issued to every European citizen on a voluntary and optional basis, and incorporating the following aspects:

(a) the object of the European health card would be to facilitate free movement of persons within the European Union by providing them with appropriate access to the health care and treatment required by their state of health,

(b) pursuant to Directive 95/46/EC of 24 October 1995, the European health card would contain information pertaining to the bearer's civil status, medical data (including blood group, known allergies, chronic and industrial diseases, treatment being administered and the name of a contact person administering the treatment, vaccines, medication which the cardholder must be able to acquire freely from pharmacies throughout the European Union, with details of its chemical composition, rather than the trade name of the drug, an indication of any refusal on religious grounds to be given blood transfusions or transfusions of blood products, and, where appropriate, willingness to be an organ donor) and information regarding social insurance cover and reimbursement for treatment,

(c) the European health card would be introduced gradually, with priority being given, at their request, to persons suffering from chronic or serious illnesses needing ongoing or urgent treatment appropriate to their individual cases,

(d) the provisions regarding the form, content and conditions for access to the data contained in the European health card would be drawn up in conjunction with the Member States, associations of health-care professionals and consumer organizations,

(e) the Commission should instruct the European Committee for Standardization (ECS) to standardize the technical aspects of the European health card in order to make it usable in all the countries of the European Union, by means of a numerical indication of the main diseases,

(f) the standardized texts should appear on the European health card in all the languages of the Member States of the European Union,

(g) the Member States should be called upon to take the necessary steps to ensure that the validity of the European health card is recognized within their territory, that it is easily obtainable by any citizen wishing to acquire it, and that it is in widespread use throughout the health-care systems,

(h) the Member States should be called upon to appoint the authority or authorities responsible for the issuing and distribution of the European health card and for monitoring compliance with the rules on confidentiality of data and medical secrecy,

(i) the Community should encourage cooperation with third countries and international organizations working in the field of public health, particularly the World Health Organization,

(j) the Commission is called upon to run information campaigns aimed at making citizens and health-care professionals aware of the existence of the European health card, its benefits and how to obtain it,

(k) the Commission should update the European Parliament and the Council at intervals on the progress of work and the implementation of this resolution;

2. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council.