During the month of December, EU health ministers met in Brussels in order to discuss the crossborder health directive. They focused their discussion on the first three chapters of the draft directive. While some progress has been made since the tabling of the draft directive, some health ministers have shown restraint and have proven divided on its support. They reaffirmed their fears about a loss of national sovereignty over healthcare, while others expressed a wide range of views on the scope and implementation of the directive. They reached general consensus on improving legal recourse for crossborder patients, as well as expressing their preference for a provision allowing "informed choices" and enhanced cooperation between countries.
The ministers at the Employment, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will discuss this revised draft, after the Parliament has issued its opinion, in June of this year.
