WRITTEN QUESTION E-2297/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(31 July 2001)

Subject: Recognition of homeopathy in Greece

The Greek Association of Homeopathic Medicine is protesting at the fact that doctors specialised in homeopathic medicine are not officially recognised in Greece so that they face professional problems not encountered by their colleagues in other countries.

In its Resolution R4-0075/1997(1) of 29 May 1997 the European Parliament called on the Commission to initiate a procedure for recognising the various branches of non-conventional medicine, while the Council of Europe in its resolution of 11 June 1999 supported a common European approach to non-conventional medicine.

Given that homeopathic medicine is recognised in many Member States as a sub-specialisation of general medicine, how does the Commission intend to ensure terms of equality for doctors practising this speciality, recognition of their professional qualifications and freedom of movement and freedom to pursue this speciality for practitioners in a Member State other than their own?

(1) OJ C 182, 16.6.1997, p. 15.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(21 September 2001)

In the absence of harmonisation of the homeopathic profession at Community level, each Member State is free to regulate the conduct of this activity on its territory. The Greek authorities are thus entitled not to recognise this discipline in Greece.

With regard to the possibility of Greek homeopaths practising their profession in another Member State, the Commission would like to point out that the Court of Justice concluded in its judgment on the Bouchoucha case delivered on 3 October 1990 (Case C-61/89) that in the absence of harmonization at Community level regarding activities which fall solely within the scope of the practice of medicine, Article 52 of the EEC Treaty does not preclude a Member State from restricting an activity ancillary to medicine exclusively to persons holding the qualification of doctor of medicine.

As a result, if persons qualified as homeopaths in Greece have not been trained as doctors of medicine they will not be entitled to practise as homeopaths in Member States where this activity is reserved for doctors of medicine. Conversely, they should, in principle, be able to freely carry out this activity if their qualification as a doctor of medicine is recognised by the authorities of the Member State in which they seek to practise this profession.

Finally, with regard to the possibility of harmonising the conditions for practising the profession of homeopath at a European level, the Commission would stress that it does not take steps to draft a specific Directive unless three conditions have been met: a high level of consensus among the representative professional associations, support from a large majority of Member State authorities and certainty that such an initiative will significantly add value to the existing system of recognition. In the present circumstances, none of these three conditions has been met. It should also be emphasised that unanimity within the Council would also be required before a text can come into force at European level.