European Parliament resolution on modernising social protection and developing good quality health care (2004/2189(INI))
Date: 2005-04-28
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: European social policy, disease prevention, health care, health care profession, health care system, health policy, labour shortage, open method of coordination, social security, vocational training

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P6_TA(2005)0152

Social protection and good quality health care

European Parliament resolution on modernising social protection and developing good quality
health care (2004/2189(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission Communication on modernising social protection for the devel-
opment of high-quality, accessible and sustainable health care and long-term care: support for the
national strategies using the ‘open method of coordination’ (COM(2004)0304),

— having regard to its resolution of 16 February 2000 on the Commission communication on a con-

certed strategy for modernising social protection (1),

— having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2003 on the Commission communication on the future
of health care and care for the elderly: guaranteeing accessibility, quality and financial viability (2),

— having regard to the meetings of the European Council of 20 to 21 March 2003 in Brussels and the
conclusions of the preceding European Council meetings in Lisbon, Göteborg and Barcelona on health
care and long-term care,

— having regard to the Commission White Paper on services of general interest (COM(2004)0374),

— having regard to the Commission Communication on ‘Strengthening the social dimension of the Lisbon

strategy: streamlining open coordination in the field of social protection’ (COM(2003)0261),

— having regard to its resolution of 11 March 2004 on the proposal for a joint report on ‘Health care and
care for the elderly: Supporting national strategies for ensuring a high level of social protection’ (3),

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinion of the

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (A6-0085/2005),

A. whereas the right to health is a basic social right, as enshrined in Article II-95 of the Treaty establishing
a Constitution for Europe (4), now subject to ratification, and whereas the Charter of Fundamental
Rights of the European Union (5) recognises the right of each person to have access to health care and
medical treatment and the right of the elderly to lead a life of dignity and independence and to par-
ticipate in social, cultural and working life,

B. whereas health is a value inherent to each individual at all stages and in all situations in life and is one
of the basic prerequisites for him or her to make an active contribution to society, and whereas public
health is one of society's values and maintaining it is one of society's most important tasks,

C. whereas health is affected by many factors including genetic predisposition, lifestyle and social situation,
and whereas health care contributes only to a limited extent (the figure of 10 % is often mentioned) to
an individual's overall state of health,

D. whereas confidence that health care will be available if needed is essential to the successful functioning

of any individual in society, at all stages and in all situations in life,

(1) OJ C 339, 29.11.2000, p. 154.
(2) OJ C 38 E, 12.2.2004, p. 269.
(3) OJ C 102 E, 28.4.2004, p. 862.
(4) OJ C 310, 16.12.2004.
(5) OJ C 364, 18.12. 2000, p. 1.

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E. whereas the free movement of persons (including workers) is one of the EU's basic principles and is
also at the same time essential to the further development of the individual Member States and of the
Union as a whole, and people's confidence in the availability and the quality of health care as a result of
their movement between Member States can be strengthened through the open coordination of health
systems,

F. whereas, in line with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, there will be an increase in
patient mobility and the use of cross border services, and this development, combined with a deepening
of the internal market, will have an increasing impact on national health systems, whose principles and
objectives must not be jeopardised thereby;

G. whereas the European sickness insurance card is an appropriate instrument for ensuring freedom of
movement within the EU in terms of health care, even if the structures of national social systems vary
very substantially,

H. whereas the European Court of Justice has repeatedly recognised claims by patients for the reimburse-
ment of the costs of medical treatment in another Member State, although it has made a distinction
between in-patient and out-patient treatment, attaching certain conditions to the assertion of such
claims, which are intended in particular to ensure a balanced approach and social security, always
with the objective of ensuring a high standard of health protection,

I. whereas in its above-mentioned resolution of 11 March 2004, the European Parliament urged the
Member States to strengthen their public and private care and assistance institutions by using the full
range of supply available in patients' countries of origin,

J. whereas health systems in the Member States are founded on the principles of equality and solidarity,
which dictate that high-quality health care and long-term care should be available and accessible to all,
tailored to their needs and irrespective of their age or means,

K. whereas it is a constant objective of the Union to promote a high level of social protection and whereas
more effective cooperation in the field of health care and long-term treatment will contribute to the
sustained modernisation of the European social model and greater social cohesion; whereas health care
and long-term treatment are services of general interest in which the principle of solidarity should be
given priority,

L. whereas health systems, as part of Member State' social security systems, are confronted with the
challenges posed by new investigative and therapeutic technologies, an ageing population (i.e. an enor-
in need of tailored health assessment and
mous increase in the number of the very old and frail
appropriate care), the general public's increasing expectations and the guarantee of universal access for
all citizens to these systems,

M. whereas the ageing of health-care workers presents a challenge in some Member States, as does the

ageing of many who provide unpaid care,

N. whereas new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies not only jeopardise the financial stability of health
systems, they also — and in particular — introduce fresh options and inject new hope into mankind's
constant fight against disease and old age; whereas, however, increasing poverty amongst the elderly
must also be borne in mind,

O. whereas prevention is the most effective and most efficient form of health care and whereas affordable
high-quality preventive care, which is accessible to all,
leads to an increase in average life span, a
reduction in the frequency of illness and lower expenditure on health care, and helps to ensure that
health-care financing is sustainable on a long-term basis,

P. whereas although the vast majority of older people live healthy and independent lives, a significant
number of them still suffer from illnesses and disability and therefore need access to high-quality
highly-integrated social and health services providing appropriate geriatric (i.e. multidisciplinary and
holistic) assessment, which is the only intervention able to reduce disability as well as prevent unnecess-
ary long-term care for members of this group,

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Q. whereas the focal point of everything relating to health is the individual — the patient; he or she is
provided with health care and pays for it either directly or in the form of insurance or taxes; ordinary
people have the utmost interest in the availability, accessibility, appropriateness and quality of care, and
must therefore be fully informed and have full rights and choice as regards decision-making in respect
of health-care options and consumption,

R. whereas the quality of health care is affected in particular by the educational

level and continuing
training of health workers, by appropriate working and labour protection conditions, by the availability
of high-quality investigative and therapeutic technologies, by the level of organisation of health services
and by the quality of communication and information-sharing between health-care providers and
patients,

S. whereas, given the enormous increase in the number of frail older people, there is an urgent need for
the development and promotion of gerontological and geriatric education, both in undergraduate and
postgraduate training programmes, in order to equip all health professionals with the specific knowl-
edge and skills that are needed to provide better and more appropriate care to this group,

T. whereas the European programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-2008)
provides an integrated approach to health policies and health care, based inter alia on health promotion
and primary prevention, on obviating risks to health, on the inclusion of a high level of health protec-
tion in the definition and implementation of all sectoral policies and on tackling social inequalities as a
source of health problems,

U. whereas health — like economics — is a very important field of science and research — it constitutes
an extremely large area for scientific development and research and at the same time for the practical
everyday application of the results of research and scientific investigation; whereas, as a sector of the
economy, health creates large numbers of jobs and a great deal of economic value,

V. whereas, in addition to basic research, there is a strong need for clinical research, which addresses the
health problems currently encountered by the growing number of frail older people and aims at devel-
oping new interventions to provide the most effective and efficient care, contributing to a high quality
of life,

W. whereas the health sector is closely linked to economic growth and sustainable development and should
not therefore be considered solely in terms of its costs, but also as a productive investment that can be
made by means of effective health policies,

X. whereas cooperation in the health care sector is an element in the creation of a healthier Europe whose
organisation essentially lies within the responsibility of the Member States; whereas, in order to improve
and develop high-quality, accessible and sustainable health care,
it is important for there to be an
exchange of experience between the Member States; whereas health care should play a significant role
in the Lisbon strategy;

Y. whereas there is an increasing demand for home care which enables a patient to be treated in his or her
familiar home environment and whereas this type of care provides a useful complement to in-patient
treatment and constitutes an important service with great employment potential,

Z. whereas the Commission's Communication on the Social Policy Agenda (COM(2000)0379) states that
the introduction of social health insurance has been an essential element of health care reforms, high-
lighting the fact that seven of ten new Member States prefer an insurance-based to a tax-based system,

Notes that the Commission intends to support — inter alia within the framework of the open method
1.
of coordination — national (and, where appropriate) regional governments in the development and reform
of health care systems and demands that the absolute sovereignty of national (and where appropriate,
regional) governments in the field of health care organisation in particular the various funding systems be
fully respected, so that they may attain jointly defined objectives for the modernisation of the social protec-
tion systems;

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2.
Points out that in the process of the open method of coordination neither the competences of the
Member States may be eroded nor the principle of subsidiarity undermined; points out that in future each
Member State must continue to decide for itself how jointly defined objectives for the modernisation of
social protection systems are to be attained;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take more account of the importance of preven-

3.
tion and health when establishing Community objectives and indicators;

4.
Criticises the fact that the open method of coordination, as intended to apply to health, in particular
computerised data collection, clearly overstretches the administrative capacity of the Member States; pro-
poses that data collection should initially apply only to especially relevant areas;

5. Welcomes the Council decision to use the open coordination method in the field of health care and
long-term treatment; confirms its endorsement of the three basic objectives — universal access independent
of income or wealth, high quality and long-term financial sustainability; calls upon the Member States to
make those priorities explicit and to ensure universal access without undue waiting lists and points out that
sustained efforts must be made to ensure that those objectives are consistent with each other; considers that
citizens' rights to equivalent health care in every Member State need reinforcing; calls on each Member State
to take the necessary steps to ensure that these rights are respected, and that tourists in particular are not
propelled into costly private health treatment against their wishes and in contravention of their rights;

6.
Urges Member States to consider active steps to deal with the health needs of the poorest members of
society and their access to health care; points out that universal coverage must be based on solidarity and
provide a safety net against poverty and social exclusion, benefiting in particular those on low incomes and
those whose state of health requires intensive, long or expensive care, including palliative and end-of-life
care;

Regrets that the Commission views the modernisation of social protection with regard to health care
7.
essentially in terms of the requirements of the Stability Pact; regrets that the Commission makes no refer-
ence in its text to the trends in spending on the various sectors of health care (treatment, hospital care, etc.)
or to the impact of prevention in the individual Member States;

8.
Agrees that health systems in the Union are confronted with common challenges, owing to medical
and technical progress together with increasing costs, demographic developments, in particular the growing
number of frail older people, suffering from multiple illnesses which are often compounded by unfavourable
social circumstances, the increasing demand for health services and medical products and an increasingly
mobile Community population;

9.
Takes the view that the ageing of the population constitutes a challenge and should also be taken as an
opportunity to involve people with long and valuable experience more closely in society and enterprises as
part of active ageing;

10.
Points out that for the further development of social
requires better coordination between medical services and care services;

infrastructures,

increasing life expectancy

Recognises that an increasingly mobile Community population and immigration from other countries

11.
can represent an administrative challenge;

12.
Emphasises the importance of prevention and of affordable care for one's own health as the most
effective courses of action in the fight against disease, and calls upon the Member States' governments to
encourage the coordination of health prevention programmes aimed at different age groups which include
health promotion and health education amongst their priorities and give prevention a perceptibly higher
priority in the actual use of services, including regular preventive medical examinations and vaccination in
accordance with scientific knowledge and to ensure universal access to these measures; also recommends
appropriate geriatric screening for frail older people with a view to improving their quality of life and
avoiding unnecessary long-term hospitalisation and nursing home care, which will in turn make a huge
contribution to cutting expenditure on health;

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Remarks that the ‘big killers’ (e.g. cancer diseases, cardiovascular diseases) and the ‘big cripplers’ (for
13.
example, musculo-skeletal disorders and other work-related chronic diseases, health problems resulting from
e.g. unhealthy diets, drug abuse, environmental degradation and reduced physical activity) could be consider-
ably reduced by general intersectoral policies and individual preventive policies and improved measures to
address those factors in people's working and living environment which cause disease; stresses, therefore, the
importance of developing occupational health care with a view to the prevention and early detection of
diseases and health problems;

14.
Emphasises the fact that the main role in any system of health care and long-term care must be
played by the individual as a beneficiary of services and a care consumer; his or her rights are paramount
and first and foremost amongst them is the right to comprehensive information concerning his or her own
health, concerning health care and long-term care options and concerning the choice of care which is
offered on the market by individual providers;

15.
Calls on the Member States and the Commission, in particular with the help of the health action
programme, to ensure the approximation of data collection and an improvement of the data situation and
to enable citizens and service providers to access information on the health care and health policy of other
Member States through the EU health portal which is currently under construction;

16. Welcomes the emphasis which the Commission places on improving interdisciplinary and inter-
agency communication and cooperation between individual health care and long-term care providers in
prevention, diagnosis and treatment; believes that doctors responsible for dispensing primary care play a
key role in such communication and cooperation and the sharing of existing information leads to higher
quality and efficiency of the care provided, a reduction in the risk that patients will be harmed and greater
effectiveness in the use of manpower and resources;

17.
Is concerned about the substantial differences between the old Member States and most of the new
Member States in terms of the health status of their population and access to, quality of, and resources
deployed in the field of health care and long-term care; calls on the Commission and the old Member States
to support the new Member States in their efforts to improve health care and long-term care with the aid of
the health action programme and other appropriate instruments, in particular the open method of coor-
dination;

18.
Stresses the importance of health care, long term care and social care in national economies, thanks
to the large number of people which they employ at present and their potential to create an abundance of
jobs with various care providers, thus creating increased competition and hence increased growth potential
for national economies; points out that the gradual ageing of the EU population will require the deployment
of more financial and human resources to help older people; and also considers that in many Member
States there is an urgent need to take active steps to recruit and retain health care workers;

Points out that the increasing demand for services in the health and care sector is creating additional

19.
jobs of an ever higher quality;

20.
Calls on Member States' governments to adopt effective measures to improve the situation of indi-
viduals in their consumption of health care and long-term care, to support improved availability of
information for the general public and to enhance the conditions under which individuals can take decisions
freely regarding the consumption of health care and long-term care; considers that to make this possible
there is a need for a variety of care providers and for availability of information on healthy lifestyles and
preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic options, and access to such information must not be restricted, espe-
cially not for the purpose of saving public resources;

Points out that some Member States are increasing the share of health costs to be borne by patients

21.
and calls in this connection for disadvantaged groups to continue to have access to adequate health care;

22.
Is concerned that, in many Member States, waiting times for certain urgent and non-urgent forms of
treatment are too long; calls on these Member States to make targeted efforts to reduce waiting times; calls
on the Member States, whenever long waiting lists exist and a comparable or equally effective treatment for

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patients cannot be undertaken in time domestically, to work together closely to ensure a high level of health
protection and social security for all EU citizens, while duly respecting the principle of subsidiarity, the
balance of national systems and a financial equilibrium;

Thursday 28 April 2005

23.
Calls on Member States' governments to provide practical support for the sharing of information
(including among the various agencies and disciplines involved in the care of individual patients) and the
use of electronic communications technologies in health care and long-term care; calls on the Commission
and the Member States' governments to provide greater and more systematic support for the development
of so-called electronic health care;

24.
Is concerned that in many Member States there is an increasing lack of well trained doctors, medical
and care personnel- albeit to varying degrees; urges Member States to make targeted efforts to improve the
quality of work, to make these professions more attractive and to eliminate existing staff shortages; stresses
the need to promote the training and further training of volunteers and qualified employees in this area;

25.
Regrets that in matters subject to greater coordination no particular value has been attached to feed-
back from grassroots actors; points out that the flow of information from the bottom up plays a prominent
role within the management models in use;

26.
Regrets that, in general, greater emphasis is not placed on a scientific analysis of needs; recalls that
scientific data from other organisations cannot be accepted without prior verification; recommends that the
processing of internal data should be effected to a greater degree through existing research programmes;

27.
Calls on Member States' governments to bring the systems for educating and training health workers
closer into line, to advance the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, thereby facilitating the
mobility of health professionals, and both to coordinate to a greater extent and to bring closer into line
the requirements relating to the equipping of health-care facilities and the use of new investigative and
therapeutic technologies, and thus to promote comparable health-care quality in all Member States;

Emphasises that financial sustainability can only be secured in the long-term if existing resources are
28.
optimally used; points out that this objective can only be attained if the quality of health care is made more
transparent than is presently the case, if Member States introduce systematic programmes to ensure quality
and evidence-based treatment guidelines and if they use public funds only for medical products and tech-
nologies with proven benefits;

29.
Stresses the need for Member States increasingly to scrutinise medical and medico-technical progress
in the light of effectiveness, benefit and economic viability; calls upon the Commission to examine the
possibility of networking and coordinating the evaluation of health technology and medical guidelines
undertaken in the Member States;

Urges the Member States to present national preliminary reports in time for the next European

30.
Council;

Considers that the health care of the frail elderly is an appropriate area for research at the European

31.
level;

32.
Calls on the Commission to submit proposals by the end of 2005 presenting policy orientations,
common objectives, working methods and a detailed timetable, while also stressing that citizens' health care
is the responsibility of the individual Member States;

33.
Emphasises that a very careful approach must be adopted in drawing up indicators and in interpre-
ting the results and that existing differences between health systems must be respected; urges in particular
that indicators should be drawn up to measure equitable access to and the quality and effectiveness of care;

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34.
Calls on the European Council, with a view to rationalising the open method of coordination, to
adopt in the spring of 2006 an integrated framework in a field of social protection and to adopt a standard
list of common objectives in the areas of social integration, pensions, health care and long-term care;

35.

Calls on the Council and the Commission to inform the European Parliament of their proposals;

Calls on the Member States and the Commission to involve patients' organisations more than

36.
hitherto in health policy decisions and to give them appropriate support in their work;

37.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to pay appropriate attention to aspects specific to
women in all health care matters; calls on the Commission to submit a new report on the health situation
of women in the European Union;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Social Protec-

38.
tion Committee and the Parliaments of the Member States.

P6_TA(2005)0153

Financial markets

European Parliament resolution on the current state of integration of EU financial markets (2005/
2026(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the implementation of the Financial Services Action Plan (FSAP) (COM(1999)0232)
adopted by the Commission, in particular Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 4 November 2003 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the
public or admitted to trading (1), Directive 2003/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 28 January 2003 on insider dealing and market manipulation (market abuse) (2), Directive 2004/39/
EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on markets in financial instru-
ments (3) and Directive 2004/109/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December
2004 on the harmonisation of transparency requirements in relation to information about issuers
whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market (4),

— having regard to Directives 2001/107/EC (5) and 2001/108/EC (6) of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 21 January 2002 amending Council Directive 85/611/EEC on undertakings for collective
investment in transferable securities (UCITS) (7),

— having regard to the Inter-Institutional Monitoring Group's third Report monitoring the Lamfalussy

Process,

— having regard to the four reports by four independent groups of experts on the state of financial inte-
gration in the banking, insurance, securities and asset management sectors published by the Commis-
sion in May 2004 and the financial markets participants' comments on these reports,

— having regard to its resolution of 21 November 2002 on prudential supervision rules in the European

Union (8),

— having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2004 on the future of hedge funds and derivatives (9),

(1) OJ L 345, 31.12.2003, p. 64.
(2) OJ L 96, 12.4.2003, p. 16.
(3) OJ L 145, 30.4.2004, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 390, 31.12.2004, p. 38.
(5) OJ L 41, 13.2.2002, p. 20.
(6) OJ L 41, 13.2.2002, p. 35.
(7) OJ L 375, 31.12.1985, p. 3.
(8) OJ C 25 E, 29.1.2004, p. 394.
(9) OJ C 92 E, 16.4.2004, p. 407.