madam president mr messerschmidt is right
this was dumped on us by the court of justice but i welcome it and i want to compliment ms grossetête for producing an excellent report because with this directive patients will benefit from complete and transparent information when they resort to healthcare abroad
it is very clear what is in this
patients with rare diseases will be able to benefit from cross-border expertise and diagnosis so long as the treatment is unavailable in their member states
the directive is intended to offer patients a choice which is based on their needs not their means and which is informed and not made under duress so i think it is very positive indeed
finally it allows cooperation between member states
i welcome the fact that it outlaws completely something which could be abused and that is the whole area of medical tourism
so to me it is another step in the right direction it is another step in strengthening cooperation between the member states and bringing about greater cohesion within the union
i think that it is a good day for the patients of europe
