mr president i would like to thank the rapporteur for his well-prepared response to the commission
we are all aware that it is member states individual responsibility to decide on the organisation and delivery of their health services and medical care
however this should not mean that they neglect serious health cooperation at eu level
there are a wide range of health issues such as the prevention of pandemics and the movement of patients or health professionals where member states cannot act effectively in isolation and where action at eu level is necessary
eu action can be valuable in creating pan-european networks of expertise which permit exchange of best practice in fields such as e-health nanotechnology rare disease treatments or centres of excellence
the eu in partnership with member states has made important progress in protecting health for example in the area of legislating on tobacco advertising in the area of blood products and indeed in the launch of the european centre for disease control
we need to strengthen action to reduce health inequities across the eu twenty-seven in particular through exchange of best practice and through better public information on citizens cross-border health-care rights
we need to legislate in this area quickly and not let ecj judgments be the patients <unk> guide around europe
we need to respond with proper legislation
furthermore comprehensive health impact assessments and evaluation on all legislation across the board should be carried out in order to provide a platform for joined-up thinking and better enable decision-makers to assess the real cost to human health of any policy initiative
this should be done in the same way that environmental impact assessments are now taken for granted as a way of informing legislators and are a prerequisite for the formulation of most eu policies
even with the backdrop of the economic and financial crisis today health is our ultimate wealth
