Services in the Internal Market
In January 2004, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Directive to create a internal market in services.
The proposal has been controversial and faced strong opposition by civil society groups, trade unions and some Member States.
The proposal will now be discussed by the European Council after being processed by the European Parliament.
You can follow the legislative process in the European Parliament Legislative Observatory file and in the Pre-Lex website.
This section contains news on the legislative process, background documents and reactions from EPHA members and other organisations on the issue.
About:
EU Services Directive
4/06/2011
Active and Healthy Ageing Partnership: the Steering Group is made public
Within the ”Innovation Union” one of the actions outlined was the Active and Healthy Ageing European Innovation Partnership. The Steering Group met for the first time in May. The composition of the Group is now made public. Noticeable is the absence of actors working on health promotion and health prevention.
This high level Steering Group is jointly chaired by Vice President Neelie Kroes and Commissioner John Dalli and includes Member States, regions, industry, health and (...)
4/07/2011
Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross-border Healthcare
The proposal for a Directive on patients’ rights regarding cross-border healthcare was released on 2 July 2008. With the proposal, the Commission will try to create legal certainty on this issue and possibly avoid new court cases because the EU Treaty gives individual patients the right to seek healthcare in other Member States. In its meeting on 2 December 2009, the Council failed to reach an agreement on the Directive.
**Update 2 December 2009** The Council fails to reach agreement (...)
31/10/2008
Mainstreaming Healthy Ageing in the Renewed Social Agenda
The European Parliament’s Ageing and Health Intergroup debated on ’Mainstreaming Healthy Ageing in the Renewed Social Agenda.’ The debate took place on Tuesday 14 October and was co-chaired by Claude Moraes MEP and Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP.
Healthy Ageing, chaired by Claude Moraes MEP
Annika Mansnerus (AM), from the office of the Swedish Permanent representation to the EU, gave an introduction outlining the agenda for the debate, but also took the opportunity to give (...)
31/10/2007
Portuguese Presidency organises conferences on migrants and health and social services
Health and Migration in the EU - better health for all in an inclusive society
A major initiative of the Portuguese Presidency in the field of health, has been the conference "Health and Migration in the EU - better health for all in an inclusive society", held in Lisbon on 27 and 28 September.
The conference aimed at mobilizing Member States, national and international organizations, and some NGOs, to discuss proposals for interventions that would promote health, prevent disease, and (...)
31/05/2007
Health services under attack in the European Parliament
An amendment asking the reintroduction on health services in the ’services directive’ was voted AGAINST by the European Parliament. EPHA and 7 leading health organisations sent a letter (attached) to Members of the European Parliament urging the Parliament to oppose this amendment.
On the 23 May 2007, the European Parliament adopted the Vergnaud report on health services. The report is an own-initiative report on “the consequences on the exclusion of health services from (...)
22/07/2006
Community Pharmacies establishment ruled by European ’laws’
The European Commission has decided to launch judicial actions against Italy, Austria and Spain with regard to their national rules relating to the acquisition, setting-up and ownership of pharmacies, contradictory to the EU internal market rules.
Italy - Can distributors of pharmaceuticals acquire pharmacies?
In Italy, the distribution and retail sale of pharmaceutical products are incompatible. In other words, entreprises distributing pharmaceutical products (or having a link with a (...)
27/10/2006
*UPDATED*The European Commission recognises the specificities of social Services of General Interest
*Updated with the European Parliament report on services of general interest.* Against the backdrop of the ’services Directive’, the European Commission published a Communication on Social Services of General Interest.
The Directorate General of Employment and Social Affairs released a Communication highlighting the specificities of social services of general interest (SSGI).
Because more and more SSGI are classified as ’economic’ activities, many of them fall (...)
16/12/2005
Internal Market Committee votes on the Services Directive: healthcare services to be excluded from the scope
On 22 November 2005, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee at the European Parliament voted at first reading on the report tabled by Ms. Evelyne GEBHARDT MEP (PES, DE).
Over 1600 amendments were tabled for this controversial piece of legislation. Lots of amendments were approved or rejected by a very narrow majority, whereas compromised and consolidated amendments were jointly supported by the major political groups.
MEPs agreed over a number of points:
The need for a (...)
About :
EU Services Directive
17/03/2005
Environment Committee considers draft report on patient mobility
During its meeting of 15 March 2005, the European Parliament’s Committee for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety discussed the draft report on patient mobility submitted by John Bowis (EPP, UK).
In his introductory statement, John Bowis stated that access to high-quality and timely health services is a fundamental right of every patient. In case when such services are not available in the home country, a patient should be allowed to receive treatment abroad and be (...)
3/03/2005
European Parliament adopts a report on workplace health and safety
On 24 February 2005, the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report on "Promoting Health and Safety at the Workplace" by Jiri Mastalka (CZ, GUE/NGL).
The report is a reply to the Commission’s Communication on how the Framework Directive of 1989 and five individual Directives on occupational health and safety have been transposed into national law and applied (see related EPHA’s article).
Parliament’s resolution notes that Community legislation has made an (...)
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