WRITTEN QUESTION E-0229/03

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 February 2003)

Subject: Commission initiative on European patient mobility

At the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council meeting, the Commission presented an oral report on patient mobility between Member States.

Is a Commission study available on the development of an organisational framework in this sphere and does the Commission intend to present in the future proposals to implement a plan to promote patient mobility?

Is there also a study assessing the possible implications of the free movement of patients for public accounts in the Member States?

Finally, does the Commission intend to extend the positive experience of the Netlink project, launched in a number of European cities, to create an electronic health card which, while fully respecting privacy, makes the health records of every citizen of the Union immediately available in any European hospital?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(26 February 2003)

In the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 2 and 3 December 2002, the Commission presented preparatory work regarding the High Level process of reflection on patient mobility which involves Health Ministers and key stakeholders. This process, jointly chaired by the Member of the Commission in charge of Health and Consumer Protection and the Member of the Commission in charge of Employment and Social Affairs with the close involvement of the Member of the Commission in charge of the Internal Market, was launched on 3 February 2003. One of its aims will be to identify areas for co-operation between Member States in the fields set out by the Honourable Member.

Some preparatory work regarding inter alia the mapping of patient flows will be supported by the Community's action programme on public health.

At the same time, the Commission has launched a consultation process with the Member States in order to obtain an overview of the follow-up by the Member States to the European Court of Justice judgements on the reimbursement of medical expenses incurred in a Member State other than the Member State of registration(1). This should form the basis for a constructive dialogue with Member States in order to ensure this follow-up is carried out in a concerted and coherent manner.

Further to the decision of the Barcelona European Council (March 2002) to create a European Health Insurance Card the Commission will adopt before the European Council of Brussels of 20 March 2003 a Communication concerning the introduction of a European Health Insurance Card. In this Communication the Commission will propose a timetable for the progressive replacement of the current paper forms needed in the framework of the co-ordination of national Social Security schemes under Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 of the Council of 14 June 1971 on the application of social security schemes to employed persons and their families moving within the Community(2), for health treatment in another Member State. Initially the European Health Insurance Card will carry in visually readable form the information needed for the granting and reimbursement of health care provided in a Member State other than that in which the recipient is insured. The third and ultimate phase will lead to the electronic version of those forms. The timing of this latter phase depends among other things on the result of current pilot projects such as Netcards and Netlink. The eEurope 2005 Action Plan, approved by the Seville European Council (June 2002), envisages using the European Health Insurance Card as a basis for promoting a common approach to patient identifiers and developping new functions such as storage of medical emergency data.

(1) Kohll (C-158/96), Decker (C-120/95), Smits and Peerbooms (C-157/99) and Vanbraeckel (C-368/98).

(2) OJ L 149, 5.7.1971.