Federico Paoli is a Socio-economic Analyst and Policy Officer at the European Commission, DG SANCO, Brussels, Belgium.
Email: federico.paoli@ec.europa.eu Note: This article expresses the personal views of the author, and does not represent the official position of the European Commission.
Eurohealth OBSERVER
HEALTH SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY:
A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE
By: Federico Paoli
Summary: While health systems are clearly under the responsibility of Member States, the European Union also operates to help them achieve efficiency and sustainability. The EU endeavours to do this in several ways and via different processes. For example, the reform of health systems may be part of country-specific economic assistance programmes. Furthermore, more recently health systems are
assuming a growing importance within the strategies of the EU, including the framework of Europe 2020 and in particular in the activities of the European Semester. Finally, the EU recently started a reflection process on the sustainability of health systems, which explores effective ways of investing in health.
Keywords: European Union, Health Systems, Efficiency, Sustainability
Institutional and legal framework It is often stated that the European Union (EU) does not have a mandate to deal with health systems. In fact, this is true, but not entirely. Article 168 of the Lisbon Treaty affirms that the management of health services and medical care, and the allocation of the resources assigned to them, are responsibilities of Member States (MS).11 The same article also states that the Commission may, in close contact with the MS, take any useful initiative to promote coordination on policies and programmes; such coordination is particularly suggested for initiatives aimed
at the establishment of guidelines and indicators, the exchange of best practice and periodic monitoring and evaluation.
In 2007, on the basis of this mandate to complement national policies on health, the EU adopted its first Health Strategy,EI aimed at delivering concrete results in improving health. The Health Strategy covers the period from 2007 to 2013, and focuses on three strategic objectives, one of which is: "Supporting dynamic health systems and new technologies". Among the actions related to this objective, the Commission was explicitly asked to develop a Community framework for safe, high quality and efficient health services.
Eurohealth incorporating Euro Observer -Vol.18 I No.3 I 2012
