Examines the recent Cross Border Healthcare Directive, the role of the European Court of Justice and the ‘Europeanisation of Healthcare’. The introduction of EU law into healthcare presents many problems. The most pressing being that EU institutions have sought to apply the ‘economic’ rights enshrined in the EU Treaty’s free movement law to national healthcare systems, like Britain’s NHS, that are essentially ‘social’ in purpose and aims. Expanding the ‘choices’ of users and providers of cross-border European healthcare is a further indulgence of the choice agenda that we’ve seen in Britain. This will only serve to further undermine social healthcare provision in the UK and the rest of Europe.

The Briefings will examine the impact of EU liberalisation and competition policy on the provision of public services in Britain. No 1 – European Union Competition Policy and the Liberalisation of Postal Services and No 2 – The Impact of European Union Competition Policy on Public Transport Policy and Provision in the UK, both by Andy Morton. See Publications: ESSU Reports and Briefings for summary and downloads.