2021/2100(INI) Cohesion policy as an instrument to reduce healthcare disparities and enhance cross-border health cooperation
Next event: Debate in plenary scheduled 2022/03/07
Lead committee dossier:
Next event: Debate in plenary scheduled 2022/03/07
Progress: Awaiting Parliament's vote
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | REGI |
SOKOL Tomislav ( EPP)
|
PENKOVA Tsvetelina ( S&D),
MITUȚA Alin ( Renew),
ROPĖ Bronis ( Verts/ALE),
PANZA Alessandro ( ID),
KRUK Elżbieta ( ECR),
PAPADIMOULIS Dimitrios ( GUE/NGL)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 54Subjects
Events
2022/03/07
Debate in plenary scheduled
2022/02/14
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Documents
2022/02/14
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Documents
2022/01/25
EP - Vote in committee
2021/10/29
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/09/22
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/07/08
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/04/22
EP - SOKOL Tomislav (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in REGI
Documents
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A9-0026/2022
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A9-0026/2022
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE699.164
- Committee draft report: PE697.616
- Committee draft report: PE697.616
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE699.164
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A9-0026/2022
Activities
- Dita CHARANZOVÁ
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Tomislav SOKOL
Plenary Speeches (0)
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 189 |
2021/2100(INI)
2021/10/29
REGI
189 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 1 — having regard to Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) which requires a high level of human health protection in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities and aims to encourage cooperation between Member States in order to improve the complementarity of their health services in cross-border areas,
Amendment 10 #
-A. whereas the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the crucial importance of the health sector, put greater demands on the healthcare systems and health workers, and highlighted the weaknesses and shortcomings of the healthcare systems as well as the healthcare disparities and inequalities within the EU and its Member States;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Emphasises that EU citizens in rural areas and the outermost regions often encounter barriers to equal
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Notes that transport costs are one of the reasons for the rising price of medicines and clinical equipment for hospitals and health centres in the outermost regions, remote regions and regions with low population density, which also have to cope with long delivery times, meaning that regional health services need to have more capacity to store large amounts of stock and avoid shortages; considers, therefore, that Europe should develop a response to these issues;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Stresses that equal access to healthcare will also increase the inclusion of people, including those who have disabilities or are otherwise disadvantaged, and will increase the level of their social protection; notes that promoting accessibility for mental heath can also help to increase employment and eliminate poverty in the less-developed regions;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Emphasises the specific situation regarding the access to healthcare in border regions on the EU external borders and periphery where EU citizens already face a numerous challenges;
Amendment 104 #
10a. Believes that the EU should support the development of e-medicine, the creation of a cross-border structure of emergency services and the provision of common public services;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10b. Highlights the importance of mobilising European funds in order to invest more in disease prevention, promotion of healthy lifestyles and active ageing to prevent early pressure on health systems; stresses the importance of supporting campaigns to raise public awareness, particularly among young people, of the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyles, and the importance of supporting the development of screening programmes for the early detection of serious diseases;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Believes that, in order to overcome
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Believes that, in order to overcome the major obstacles that exist in terms of equality of access to healthcare in
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Believes that, in order to overcome the major obstacles that exist in terms of equality of access to healthcare in rural areas, wide use should be made of advanced technologies, such as e-Health, robotic surgery or 3D printing, as an integral part of the ‘smart villages’ concept11
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Underlines the merits of a European approach in tackling the Covid- 19 pandemic, through joint acquisitions, stockpiles and other measures; calls for the continuation and development of this approach, using the instruments of the cohesion policy, for other joint EU acquisitions of medical equipment and treatments such as cancer-preventing vaccines like HPV, hepatitis B vaccines, emergency equipment, to improve affordability and access to treatments;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital -A a (new) -Aa. whereas cohesion policy, through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus (CRII+), was the first line of defence against the COVID-19 pandemic, thus proving that it can contribute significantly to promoting health and to reducing health inequalities;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Points out that the depopulation of areas that are less advantaged, from a territorial point of view, is also caused by a lack of healthcare facilities; notes that, in addition to compensating for the lack of healthcare, encouraging the creation of healthcare facilities, smart health villages and telemedicine centres can be an actual driver of economic and social development;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Stresses the importance of using EU cohesion programmes to improve the deployment of digital solutions for collecting and processing of data for mapping the needs of citizens and providing technical assistance to public administrations, insurance companies and other healthcare operators dealing with cross-border cooperation issues;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 b (new) 11b. Points out that the lack of a working cross-border scheme for exchange of vital data for EU cross- border patients further slowed down the common epidemiologic response to theCOVID-19 pandemic and created confusion, mistrust and hampered regional cooperation between the most affected regions;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 c (new) 11c. Stresses the importance of national and EU authorities to provide for a more efficient involvement of a wide range of healthcare institutions, such as hospitals, national or regional administrative systems and insurance companies, as they form an interconnected framework which delivers the healthcare service to EU citizens;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for bold cohesion policy measures, in accordance with the legal provisions in force in the EU, in order to attempt to mitigate the lack of healthcare workers in rural areas, in particular by helping workers and their families to settle, providing opportunities for continuing vocational training and specialisation, and ensuring good working conditions, and aimed at motivating them to commence or resume practice there;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for bold cohesion policy measures, in accordance with the legal provisions in force in the EU, in order to combat the phenomenon of medical deserts, attempt to mitigate the lack of healthcare workers in rural areas, and
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for bold cohesion policy measures, in accordance with the legal provisions in force in the EU, in order to
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for bold cohesion policy measures, in accordance with the legal provisions in force in the EU, in order to attempt to mitigate the lack of healthcare workers in
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the lack of basic infrastructure
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Points out that sustainable long- term investment in the healthcare workforce is more urgent than ever before, given the economic and health impact of the COVID-19 crisis, in particular investment in higher education from the
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Points out that sustainable long- term investment in the healthcare workforce is more urgent than ever before, given the severe economic, social and health impact of the COVID-19 crisis, in particular investment in sufficiency of healthcare workforce, higher education from the ESF+, funding specialisations and sub-
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Emphasises on the need to set up a working cross-border cooperation network between the Member States and their regions, which could react to other health crises or future pandemics;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Calls for the use of cohesion policy funds to improve the working conditions of the health workforce in order to facilitate retention strategies for the healthcare workforce in less-developed regions and areas with low population density and less economic wealth;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Calls for the use of cohesion policy funds to improve the
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Calls for the use of cohesion policy funds to improve the working
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 – point 1 (new) (1) Calls for a greater role for local and regional authorities, especially those in cross-border regions, in implementing cohesion policy programmes and projects that have a significant impact in terms of reducing health disparities;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Calls on the Member States to ensure genuine cooperation in the field of cross-border healthcare, in order to ensure that patients’ rights are respected, as provided for in the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive as well as the availability and quality of services increased;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Points out that the COVID-19 crisis has shown the need to step up investments to reinforce healthcare systems’ preparedness, responsiveness and resilience, while ensuring
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the lack of basic infrastructure, highly trained personnel and quality services in certain less- developed regions and cross-border regions, which hampers equity of access to healthcare, is the main reason health infrastructure remains a priority for many national governments;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Points out that the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the importance of public-private partnerships in patient treatment, drug and vaccine research, and vaccine distribution; believes that the cost-benefit ratio of using European funds for healthcare research and development projects carried out through public-private partnerships should be noted;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Points out that the EU Recovery Fund focuses on economic stimuli for sectors with a high shares of male employment, while many of the sectors profoundly affected by the COVID-19 crisis have high shares of female employment, which risks to contribute to increasing gender inequalities in employment in the EU as well as in the health sector where women represent the higher share;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Stresses the need for an online platform with relevant stakeholders to encourage exchanges of best practice and discussions on cross-border healthcare;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Believes that the COVID-19 pandemic represents a historic transformational moment for investments in health systems and future workforce capabilities; calls for the establishment of a strong and sufficiently-funded European Health Union to enhance cooperation and coordination between Member States, reinforce public healthcare systems, better protect peoples’ health and effectively address the long- standing healthcare disparities;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Encourages the use of NextGenerationEU funds and cohesion funds to radically upgrade the digital capabilities of healthcare systems; emphasizes the need for enhanced interoperability of IT systems, as this is the main pillar for facilitating cross- border provision of eHealth services and especially of telemedicine services;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 b (new) 16b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to use the cohesion policy instruments in order to promote the digitalization of medication in European hospitals, including traceability systems, to reduce medication errors, to improve communication between care units and to simplify bureaucracy; calls for the implementation and development of the eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure (eHDSI), including a single European digital patient file, which ensures that citizens have rapid access to adequate medical services everywhere in the European Union;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 c (new) 16c. Calls on the Commission to establish a European lists of essential medicines and to ensure their availability and affordability through permanent stocks, joint price negotiations and joint procurement, using EU instruments, including those provided by the cohesion policy;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Subheading 2 Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17.
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the lack of basic infrastructure in certain less-developed regions, upland areas, and rural and remote areas, which hampers equity of access to healthcare, is the main reason health infrastructure remains a priority for many
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Stresses that cross-border healthcare improvements can benefit
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Stresses that cross-border healthcare improvements can benefit patients by enabling equitable access to health services and infrastructure in other Member States, or their bordering regions, including diagnosis and clinical trials, based on the principle of ‘easiest, closest, best and fastest’ access12
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Highlights the importance of the recent cohesion policy measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII), the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus (CRII+) and the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU); further emphasizes that similar measures were taken on board in Regulation (EU) 2021/1060;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Reminds that patients often cannot benefit from healthcare services in neighbouring countries due to diverging systems of cost reimbursement, while frontier workers are faced with confusing taxation and social benefits because Member States follow different social security systems;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Strongly recommends improving and spreading simplified information for cross-border patients and healthcare staff via a manual for patients or cross-border regional contact points;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Acknowledges the existence of the numerous successful health cross-border projects13 across Europe, and that the experience gained from these could be capitalised on with a view to enhancing cross-border cooperation in this area, for the benefit of EU citizens; furthermore, underlines the importance of learning from and further using the potential of success stories of some border regions; _________________ 13
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Acknowledges the existence of the numerous successful health cross-border projects13 across Europe, and that the experience gained from these
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Believes the financial resources available under the European Territorial Cooperation Goal should be employed to create functional cross-border public health services, and not be used single- handedly as an instrument to create disconnected health facilities; stresses, furthermore, that projects under Interreg should have a clear cross-border functionality component; calls on the Commission and Member States to foster the creation of comprehensive joint territorial planning for border areas in terms of healthcare services;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Stresses the importance of cross- border cooperation on health for all European regions and the need to find solutions for cross-border healthcare in particular for border regions, where citizens cross the border on a daily basis; points out that a high level of cooperation between border regions is required to provide the necessary services;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Calls for enhanced focus on patients in the projects to be financed through Interreg programmes in the new programming period and for projects focusing specifically on vulnerable and marginalised groups as well as on gender- related health priorities of the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR);
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the lack of basic infrastructure in
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Acknowledges the importance of health investments in cross-border cooperation programmes which respond to the needs and challenges identified in the border regions as a cross-border governance that is important in emergency situations, as well as health and emergency services covering regions on both sides of the border;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Highlights that some form of cross-border solidarity through Interreg programmes already exists through initial provision of medical equipment, exchanges of medical staff, transfer of patients between hospital facilities and testing and vaccinating centres;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) 18b. Is of the opinion that cross-border health cooperation can build on an intelligent use of existing cohesion policy projects such as INTERSYC, Dolj-Vratsa, TRISAN, or Cerdanya, in order to make more cross-border projects come through;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) 18b. Recalls that Interreg programmes have become an important instrument to resolve problems typical to border areas, to promote cooperation between partners across borders and develop the potential of European border territories;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 c (new) Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19.
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Calls for projects facilitating cross- border health contracts, whereby patients travel and are treated within the framework of contractual agreements and are free to choose their health professional, to be funded;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Calls on the Commission to effectively address existing barriers to seeking and accessing cross-border healthcare including in terms of free movement, information, awareness or perception from patients, different taxation and social security systems, and the recognition of qualifications for healthcare staff and institutions;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Recommends developing a sustainable comparable cross-border database and mapping border and cross- border healthcare operators to make cross-border realities visible and to create new opportunities;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas, under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Member States are responsible for defining their health policy and for organising and delivering health services and medical care; whereas in this context the European Union may support the Member States, but with the utmost respect for their responsibilities in this area;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 b (new) 19b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the existing coordinating bodies will facilitate cross-border treatments based on Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) and to ensure that patients across Europe enjoy equitable access to innovative therapies; calls on Member States to authorize these innovative treatments abroad in an effective and timely manner and to accelerate the reimbursement processes for patients;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Believes that centres of excellence could stimulate and increase cross-border contracting to an even greater extent, and that, as a result, such centres could be of great importance
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Believes that centres of excellence could stimulate cross-border contracting to an even greater extent, and that, as a result, such centres could be of great importance in increasing
Amendment 163 #
20a. Stresses that the causes of various illnesses, especially COVID-19, should be researched and analysed in accordance with Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which states that Union action ‘shall cover the fight against the major health scourges, by promoting research into their causes’;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Recommends improving cross- border supply of healthcare by promoting e-medicine and joint public health and social services in a sustainable and a win- win context;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission to encourage better management of cross- border healthcare, as EU patients still face serious challenges and important barriers in accessing healthcare in other Member States and only a minority of potential patients are aware of their rights to seek cross-border healthcare; considers that appropriate pan-European campaigns should be launched in order to inform the public regarding their rights in this regard;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission to encourage better management of cross- border healthcare, as EU patients still face challenges in accessing healthcare in other Member States and only a minority of
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission to encourage better management of cross- border healthcare, as EU patients still face challenges in accessing healthcare in other Member States and only a minority of potential patients are aware of their rights to seek cross-border healthcare; calls on the Commission and Member States to better disseminate information about the access to cross-border healthcare;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the regions to encourage better management of cross- border healthcare, as EU patients still face challenges in accessing healthcare in other Member States and only a minority of potential patients are aware of their rights
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the remoteness of the outermost regions from the European mainland, reinforced by their insularity or even double insularity (in the case of archipelagos), low population density and fragile economies, impacts on the healthcare provided by these regions;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Calls on the Commission to encourage better management of cross- border healthcare, as EU patients still face challenges in accessing healthcare in other Member States and only a minority of potential patients are aware of their right to seek cross-border healthcare; reiterates the importance of funding for digitalisation and investment in public information and integration of information and data systems to facilitate access and use;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Calls on the Commission to carry out a comprehensive study on the cooperation framework between insurance systems in the EU, looking at potential bottlenecks and shortcomings that patients looking for medical services in the territory of another Member State encounter, as well as administrative barriers that prevent citizens to benefit from cross-border healthcare, and to highlight how the cohesion policy instruments could be used to solve these potential problems;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Stresses that the lack of a coordinated cross-border health insurance system discourages patients to look for treatment across the border in case they cannot afford paying the cost of care in advance before their insurance reimburses them;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Strongly encourages the promotion of specific intermediaries, such as ZOASTs, EGTCs, Health Observatories, or other networks to help coordinate cross-border cooperation in healthcare in collaboration with local and national authorities;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Calls, furthermore, on the Member States and the regions to step up cross- border cooperation on health in an efficient and sustainable way, including in financial terms and without administrative obstacles;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 b (new) Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Believes that exchanging knowledge and scaling-up practices through Interreg will contribute to reinforcing preparedness and response facilities
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Believes that Interreg programmes can supply joint public health services and initiate other cross-border initiatives as promoting such proximity is highly compatible with the objective of green sustainability;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Highlights that several Interreg projects have contributed to cross-border regions’ fight against COVID-19 throughout the EU, for example through the mobility of intensive care patients and healthcare professionals, and the development of medical equipment; notes, however, that border closures affected the mobility of patients and healthcare workers, while information about infection data, vaccinations or conditions for patients’ transfers was not harmonised;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the shortage of human resources needed to develop equitable healthcare, whether due to limits on student numbers or lack of careers, is one of the key issues for the sustainability of European health systems;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Highlights that several Interreg projects have contributed to cross-border regions
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Highlights that several
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23 a. Emphasize the importance of small-scale and cross-border projects in bringing people together and in that way opening new potentials for sustainable local development and cross-border health cooperation;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 b (new) Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 24. Calls on the Member States and on regional and local authorities to make use of the full extent of the flexibility offered by the cohesions policy programmes, defined in Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, as well as of Interreg programmes, to address the current COVID-19 crisis;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Highlights, however, the need for a European legal framework for cross- border public services that can meet the needs of European citizens living in border areas, with a special focus on healthcare given that cross-border cooperation in this regard is particularly relevant in both normal and emergency situations;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Calls on the European Commission and Member States, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, to support, jointly through cohesion policy and the EU4Health Programme, the development of response strategies, protocols and procedures at national and European levels to enable better cooperation in case of future public health emergencies;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Calls on Member States to make better use of bilateral agreements and set up cooperation arrangements to remove barriers to cross-border healthcare;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 b (new) 24b. Considers that cross-border health cooperation under cohesion policy would not be fully possible without the recognition of diplomas and qualifications in the field of medical services across all Member States; calls on the Commission to propose a framework which allows for the automatic recognition of the level of higher education diplomas at European level building on the decision signed in 2015 by the Benelux States;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 2 a (new) — having regard to the Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy ([RR1] Common Provisions Regulation),
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas border regions, especially those with lower density of population, generally perform less well economically than other regions within the Member States;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the right to access quality healthcare, including preventative care is part of the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the standards of healthcare provision in the EU are
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the standards of healthcare provision in the EU are not harmonised, as significant differences exist between Member States and their regions, whereby less-developed regions, which are not able to devote anything close to the amount of resources on healthcare per capita as their more developed counterparts,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas barriers to crossing the border in terms of free movement, information, awareness or perception from patients exist between regions as well as different taxation and social security systems or the recognition of qualifications for healthcare staff and institutions;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to ringfence the budget for healthcare systems and their destination, namely the health of nationals and Europeans alone;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU instruments aimed at compensating for some of these problems are mostly limited to “soft” law resulting in general shortcomings; whereas a more structured Union-level approach complemented by a stronger and more comprehensive legal framework and legally binding means of action is required in this regard in order to enhance cooperation and coordination between Member States, better protect peoples’ health and effectively address the existing healthcare disparities;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU instruments aimed at compensating for some of these problems are mostly limited to ‘soft’ law, which adequately reflects the applicable principles of complementarity and subsidiarity, and respect for Member States’ competence in this area, and is therefore compatible with the Treaties;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU instruments aimed at compensating for some of these problems
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 2 a (new) — having regard to Article 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union which establishes everyone’s right of access to preventive health care and the right to benefit from medical treatment,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to pay closer attention to the healthcare provided in various regions of the European Union, and has exposed the weaknesses of many health services, particularly those in the outermost regions, remote regions and regions with low population density;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the cooperation between EU and the Member States is focusing more on the juridical aspects and not on the direct interest of the patients in the cross-border regions;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) C a. whereas cross-border territories represent 40% of the territory of the EU, and more than one in three EU citizens live in a cross-border region;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the Commission supports cross-border cooperation in healthcare through numerous studies and initiatives, including through Interreg, financed under the structural funds; whereas, in the 2014- 2020 programming period, 169 healthcare-related projects were funded through Interreg programmes; whereas the beneficiaries of these programmes are first professionals and then patients, with few projects aimed at specific subgroups such as precarious or deprived populations;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas cooperation between non- EU bordering states is important in creating state-of-the-art transnational health centres so as to be able to provide health care and treatment for remote border areas;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas public health policies are not an EU competence and must not become one;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas previous analyses have shown that strengthening cohesion policy is necessary in order to reduce disparities between the standards of healthcare
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas previous analyses have shown that strengthening cohesion policy is necessary in order to
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas health spending accounts for almost 10 % of GDP in the EU, with people employed in health-related fields making up 15 % of the EU workforce; whereas significant differences regarding the level of healthcare expenditure and the availability of doctors and healthcare professionals still persist among Member States and their regions;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 2 b (new) — having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and particularly SDG 3 which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, including universal health coverage,
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas the pandemic and the governments’ lack of preparation have significantly undermined hospital systems and caregivers; whereas the health restrictions and vaccine requirements for caregivers are infringements of fundamental freedoms; whereas medical secrecy must be preserved in all situations;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) F a. whereas mass departures from border regions, especially on the part of young people and skilled labour, illustrates the lack of economic opportunities in such regions and even more makes them less attractive in terms of employment in health sector;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas in the last two multiannual financial frameworks
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of advances in e-health, e-medicine and other forms of digitisation; whereas developments in digital technology are a source of new opportunities, but also require equipment appropriate to each specific situation, as well as training for medical staff and patients;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas the inhabitants of upland, remote and rural areas, who are often in border areas, are frequently forced to travel many kilometres, sometimes even to other countries, to obtain basic healthcare and undergo treatment plans;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas the priorities of NextGenerationEU include digitalisation and health system resilience;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G b (new) G b. whereas cross-border healthcare- related cooperation requires the support and involvement of a wide range of partners, medico-social institutions, health insurance entities and public authorities;
Amendment 48 #
Gb. whereas there is continued development in telemedicine and artificial intelligence, which means that remote treatment and healthcare processes are thus reaching cutting-edge levels;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G c (new) Gc. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has shown that health threats know no borders and that a more coordinated European response is necessary; whereas it is important to stress, nevertheless, that health protection is a national competence and that the Member States and regions must continue to be responsible for decisions on health policy;
Amendment 5 #
— having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 11 November 2020 entitled ‘Building a European Health Union: Reinforcing the EU’s resilience for cross-border health threats’,
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G c (new) Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G d (new) Gd. whereas a European Health Union should contribute to and foster closer cooperation, coordination and knowledge sharing on health between Member States and relevant stakeholders and increase the EU's capacity to combat cross-border health threats;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Underlines that the EU’s cohesion policy invests in health as a key asset for regional development
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Considers that instruments such as those provided by the cohesion policy should be used in order to provide equal access to minimum quality standards of medical services across the European Union; calls on the Commission and Member States to work better together and pool their resources to achieve this goal;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Underlines that ensuring healthy lives means providing healthcare to all and guaranteeing adequate and well- trained health workforce, health infrastructure and equipment, equal access to quality health services and EU- wide insurance coverage;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to prioritise the investments in the health infrastructure, personnel training and in the quality of the health services in cross-border regions;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Stresses the crucial role that investments in high quality public services have on building social resilience and coping with economic, health and social crises;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Points out that access to public services is crucial for the 150 million- strong population of internal cross-border areas, and is frequently hampered by numerous legal and administrative barriers; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to maximise their efforts to remove these barriers, especially when related to health services, transport, education, labour mobility and environment;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Underlines that asymmetric information, different taxation and social security systems, and obstacles in the recognition of qualifications for healthcare staff and institutions are serious impediments to a well functioning cross border healthcare system;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Believes that the EU should develop a strategic and integrated approach when it comes to major diseases, by bringing together diverse resources from several funds, including cohesion funds; emphasises the need to replicate the model of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan for tackling other health problems such as mental health and cardiovascular diseases;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 4 — having regard to Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 on the application of patients
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Underlines the rise of mental illnesses and disorders, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic; calls on the Commission to propose a new European Action Plan for Mental Health as soon as possible, using all the instruments available, including cohesion policy, in the form of a comprehensive plan with measures and targets to leave no one behind, on the model of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Believes that the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity to build stronger and more resilient health systems by using the instruments of the cohesion policy; supports the Commission in the creation of a well functioning European Health Union and to unlock the huge potential of health cooperation;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Highlights that certain less- developed regions are a long way from uniformly matching the standards of healthcare provision available in more developed parts of the EU, and that convergence in this sense is unlikely to be achieved without help at EU level, particularly through its cohesion policy; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate in establishing minimal standards in both the health infrastructure and health services and use the European funds for ensuring the standards in all regions, especially in the border areas;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Highlights that certain less- developed regions
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Highlights that certain less- developed regions, particularly rural regions and areas with low population density, are a long way from uniformly matching the standards of healthcare provision available in more developed parts of the EU, and that convergence in this sense is unlikely to be achieved without help at EU level, particularly through its cohesion policy;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Highlights that certain
Amendment 66 #
2. Highlights that
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Highlights that certain less- developed regions are a long way from uniformly matching the standards of healthcare provision available in more developed parts of the EU, and that convergence in this sense is unlikely to be achieved without help
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Recalls the substantial contribution of cohesion policy to health sector planned investments in the last programming period
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Believes that investments in healthcare innovation, public health and the reduction of health inequalities will continue to offer significant improvements to the daily lives of citizens; underlines the need for direct cooperation, actions and projects using cohesion instruments between the Member States for establishing procedures focused on taking the bureaucratic burden off the patient and solve as many of the documents and reimbursement issues as possible amongst the health insurance services in the cross- border regions;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 11 a (new) — having regard to the OECD report entitled ‘Health at a Glance: Europe 2020’ published in November 2020,
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Believes that investments in healthcare innovation, public health and the reduction of health inequalities will
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Believes that investments in healthcare innovation, public healthcare systems, sufficient health workforce and the reduction of health inequalities will continue to offer significant improvements to
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Believes that investments in healthcare innovation, public health and the reduction of health inequalities will continue to offer significant improvements to the daily lives of citizens and increased life expectancy;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the Member States to take due account of the positive contribution of the private health sector and to ensure that in programming of the next cohesion programmes the funds are sufficiently available for private projects in health infrastructure and services;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Recalls that the Treaties require a high level of human health protection in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Recommends that, when defining healthcare policies at regional and national level, t
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Recommends that, when defining healthcare policies at regional
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Recommends that, when defining healthcare policies at regional and national level, there should be a willingness to overcome silo approaches between health, social and economic policies, with the goal of improving dialogue, synergies and planned investments from the structural funds and other relevant EU programmes, which are able to
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Underlines that the European Reference Networks could improve access to healthcare for rare and complex diseases; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure ongoing support and better resources to the European Reference Networks (ERN) and national centres of expertise for rare and complex diseases, and to extend the ERN field of work to other fields such as severe burns and organ transplantation programmes; calls on the Commission to analyse the feasibility of establishing a dedicated fund, under the Cohesion Policy, to guarantee equitable access to approved therapies for rare diseases;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 12 a (new) — having regard to the 2021 study on cross-border cooperation in healthcare commissioned by the Committee on Regional Development9a, _________________ 9a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/STUD/2021/690904/IPOL_STU(20 21)690904_EN.pdf
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the Member States when defining health care policies to take into account the specificities of the cross- border regions and the right to choose of the patient and use the cohesion instruments to develop regional health infrastructure and procedures allowing the patients to choose the medical services in the region from either side of the border regardless of their state of residence;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Suggests that the European Commission create a European Health Advisory Board, involving national, regional and local government authorities and other stakeholders, with the aim of promoting better use of European funds and working to develop effective and harmonised responses to common public health issues;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Calls
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Calls for better synergies and complementarities between cohesion policy programmes to be ensured, with the
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls on the Commission to make full use of its competence in health policy and support national and regional authorities in strengthening health systems, promoting upward convergence of healthcare standards with the aim of reducing health inequalities within and between Member States, and in facilitating the exchange of best practices among Member States, especially with regard to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), including through using, where appropriate, the EU4Health Programme and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+);
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy in tackling gender inequality in healthcare and promoting gender-related health priorities of the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR);
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls for better synergies with the NextGenerationEU programmes focusing on health system resilience, digitalisation and improvements to administrative systems;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Calls on the European Commission to promote the integration of healthcare and medical treatments through health and care strategies, so that the focus is on patients and so that duplication, gaps and lack of care are avoided, particularly in the care of chronically ill patients or the elderly, with lessons to be learned in particular from the experiences of cross-border programmes;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Points out that, while evaluating funded structural projects and benchmarks in the context of health, it is necessary to review the subsequent health outcomes of individual projects, to enable their results to be tracked and ongoing analyses of their effectivenes
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Points out that, while evaluating the overall envelope of funded structural projects and benchmarks in the context of health, it is also necessary to review the subsequent
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 15 a (new) — having regard to Special Report No 7/2019 of the European Court of Auditors, entitled ‘EU actions for cross- border healthcare: significant ambitions but improved management required’,
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Points out that, while evaluating funded structural projects and benchmarks in the context of health, it is necessary to review the subsequent health outcomes of individual projects, to enable their effectiveness and results to be tracked, in order to gauge the extent to which a given project has been successful with a view to further development of a guide of good practice;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Underlines the importance of continuing to build
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Underlines the importance of continuing to build a comprehensive health infrastructure and to reduce the existing disparities to the greatest possible extent; recalls that cohesion policy can make a significant contribution to the building of health infrastructure in every part of the EU, especially in the less-developed regions, upland areas, and rural and remote areas, in order to create resilient healthcare systems throughout the entire EU, which can respond to current and future challenges;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Underlines the importance of
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Calls for the use of cohesion policy funds for the development of specialised centres of excellence for specific diseases across the EU, which would
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Believes that cohesion policy should as well be more geared towards investment in people as border regions’ health sector can be boosted by an effective mix of investments in innovation, human capital, good governance and institutional capacity;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Emphasises that citizens in rural areas and the outermost regions often encounter barriers to equality of access to healthcare that limit their ability to obtain the care they need, especially in the form of basic health infrastructure; stresses that, in order for them to acquire sufficient access, as well as the appropriate healthcare which they need, services must be available and obtainable in a timely manner, in accordance with the principle of territorial continuity, based on the need to redress the structural imbalances brought about by their remoteness and insularity;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Emphasises that citizens in rural and remote areas and the outermost regions often encounter barriers to equality of access to healthcare that limit their ability to obtain the care they need, especially in the form of basic health infrastructure and access to vital drugs; stresses that, in order for them to acquire sufficient access, as well as the appropriate healthcare which they need, services must be available and obtainable in a timely manner;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Emphasises that
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Emphasises that citizens in
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History
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