Announcement on key EU healthcare plans scrapped

MEPs have blasted the commission's postponement of the adoption of key new healthcare legislation.

EU health commissioner Markos Kyprianou was due to outline the proposals at a news conference on Wednesday.

But a commission source today said the lunchtime event by the Cypriot official had been cancelled “due to time restraints”.

The source said, “There is a very heavy agenda today as the proposal on CO2 emissions reductions is also due to be discussed at the weekly meeting of commissioners, which is the last college one before the Christmas break.

“The healthcare item had to be removed due to administration reasons. There is no more to it than that.”

She could not say exactly when the announcement on the new EU healthcare directive would be put back on the agenda but hoped it would be “sometime in January”.

Kyprianou was supposed to appear before parliament's environment and public health committee on Wednesday to spell out the proposals and the postponement incensed many of its members.

Some questioned if the delay was due to a political disagreement in the commission and not only due to the announced agenda problems.

UK Tory MEP John Bowis, former rapporteur on patient mobility, described the decision as "unacceptable".

He asked for confirmation that the delay was purely procedural and not due to disagreement on the substance.

German centre right MEP Andreas Schwab agreed, saying, "It is a disgrace for Europe and the credibility of the EU institutions in general if announcements of the commission cannot be trusted anymore.

"It is very surprising that commissioner Margot Wallstrom is apparently pushing for a delay of presenting the proposal. Obviously, she succeeded.

"The commissioner is arguing for stricter obligations for patients to obtain a permit for treatment abroad."

UK Socialist Linda McAvan felt the commission should be able to manage its affairs better while Irish centre-right deputy Avril Doyle believes the delay damages the commission's credibility given the wide public and press interest in the issue.

However, UK Liberal MEP Chris Davies said he had some sympathy for Kyprianou and laid the blame on the mess the commission had got itself into over the CO2 proposal.

Under the commission's proposals, patients would be able to travel to hospitals across Europe for health treatment and claim back the costs.

As long as the treatment is permitted in their own state, all EU citizens would be entitled to get medical care in any European country.

Patients would then be allowed to invoice their own health service for the full cost.

Among those keeping a close watch on the EU's proposals are health officials from Taiwan, who are keen to adop a similar system in South East Asia.

Prof Peter Chang, European health representative at the Taiwanese Represention Office to the EU and Belgium, said that so-called "health tourism" between Europe and Asian countries, in particular Taiwan, was increasing.

"We are very interested in these proposals because it is possible we may look at introducing a similar system ourselves," he said.

"Increasingly, the EU itself will have to look at global collaboration in health provision, not just within EU borders but further afield.

"Europeans are, increasingly, coming to our country for  a range of treatments and Taiwanese people are heading in the opposite direction."

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