Dorette Corbey (PSE). - (NL) I will begin with a word of thanks to Mr Bowis for his very energetic and dedicated efforts on behalf of public health and patient mobility, and I would like to wish him a speedy recovery.

Healthcare is a national competence, but there are points of contact with Europe. Patients are aware of the treatment possibilities in other countries and wish to make use of services in other countries. That is certainly the case for patients in border regions or where there are long waiting lists in their own countries.

There is nothing wrong with seeking care and treatment in other countries, but the practice does need proper regulation. First, there should be no forced health tourism. It should not be the case that insurers pressure patients to go elsewhere to receive cheap care.

Secondly, there must be some minimum quality guarantees. Anyone who has patients treated abroad must provide good information and be sure that the quality is what it should be.

Thirdly – and this is very important – Member States must reserve the right to demand prior authorisation. Health is not a free market. In order to maintain our services, planning is necessary and hospitals must know what kind of patient streams they may expect.

As far as I am concerned, the most important thing is that this directive will contribute to ensuring that it is primarily treatment methods that cross the border. There is great inequality between Member States, but that is not something you can solve by sending patients across the border, but precisely by exchanging treatment, and in this regard, too, this directive can make a contribution.