Officially launched the MEPs Interest Group on “European Patients' Rights & Cross-Border Healthcare”

“Patients' rights are non-negotiable and universal values that must be guaranteed to all the European citizens”
Launched today the  MEPs Interest Group on “European Patients' Rights and Cross-border Healthcare”

Civic society and patient organizations together with the Members of the EU Parliament to strengthen the protection of patients’rights in the European framework. This is the aim of the newInterest Group on “European Patients' Rights and Cross-border Healthcare”, presented today in the European Parliament by MEP David Borrelli, Co-Chair EFDD Group & Co- Founder of the Interest Group and Antonio Gaudioso, Secretary General of the Italian NGO Active Citizenship Network-Cittadinanzattiva. 

The idea to encourage a MEPs Interest Group goes in the exact direction of the latest decisions of the European Commission, who has recently introduced the right of cross-border healthcare. It is absolutely in accordance with more than ten years of commitment of Active Citizenship Network at European level, the promoter of the European Charter of Patients’Rights in 2002 and, later, of the European Patients’Rights Daysince 2007.

The Interest Group aims at drawing and maintaining the highest level of attention on patients’rights, also because their reinforcement all over Europe may contribute to strengthen a sense of belonging to a European citizenship.

At the same time the concrete implementation of theEU Directive 2011/24/EU on cross-border healthcare, could testify the real commitment of our Governments at national level in the framework of patients' rights: for this reason the implementation of this Directive is so relevant for all EU citizens and patients.

The main objectives of the Interest Group are:

  • To strengthen the protection of patients’ rights in the European legislation, starting from the adoption of those included in the European Charter of Patients' Rights.
  • To promote initiatives to encourage and ensure the appropriate implementation of the European legislation on patients’ safety, starting from the Directive 2011/24/EU on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare.
  • To actively support the celebrations of the European Patients’ Rights Day and collaborate with civic and patient associations at national and European level.
  • Make the European Parliament acknowledge the European Patients' Rights Day in order to officially recognize and institutionalize it. Establish a European Year of Patients' Rights.

The idea of encouraging a MEPs Interest Group focused on patients’ rights is connected to a widespread request of 100 civic and patient organizations sent last May to the EU Parliament to officially recognize the importance of citizens’initiatives in health policy-making, as for the European Charter of Patients’Rights and the European Patients’Rights Day.

Here you are the list of the first Members of European Parliament Interest Group on "European Patients' Rights and Cross-border Healthcare":

Co-founders:

Supporters: