E/E/11. The Role of the European Union in Health and Healthcare

The EU is more involved in making and influencing health and health-related policy than is generally realised. There are many different mechanisms through which the EU can affect health and healthcare and, though the EU is not as dominant in health as some other policy areas, its influence is growing. As the EU develops there is an increasing impact on the NHS that policymakers and managers will not be able to overlook. The purpose of this paper is therefore to brief all health managers and policymakers on the development, current competence and remit of the EU in health and healthcare, likely future developments within this arena and the potential effects on healthcare systems and policy. Analysis of all the health implications of EU policy is beyond the scope of this paper; focus is given to two areas of increasing impact - the SEM and the public health programme. Interpretation and analysis points are drawn throughout, and this paper highlights that public health is only part of EU involvement in health and healthcare, that there is currently a conflict between economic and health concerns in this involvement and argues that there is thus a need for a coherent EU health policy through this analysis.