Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 1 Subject matter and scope

1. This Directive provides rules for facilitating the access to safe and high-quality cross-border healthcare and promotes cooperation on healthcare between Member States, in full respect of national competencies in organising and delivering healthcare. This Directive also aims at clarifying its relationship with the existing framework on the coordination of social security systems, Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, with a view to application of patients’ rights.

2. This Directive shall apply to the provision of healthcare to patients, regardless of how it is organised, delivered and financed.

3. This Directive shall not apply to:

(a) services in the field of long-term care the purpose of which is to support people in need of assistance in carrying out routine, everyday tasks;

(b) allocation of and access to organs for the purpose of organ transplants;

(c) with the exception of Chapter IV, public vaccination programmes against infectious diseases which are exclusively aimed at protecting the health of the population on the territory of a Member State and which are subject to specific planning and implementation measures.

4. This Directive shall not affect laws and regulations in Member States relating to the organisation and financing of healthcare in situations not related to cross-border healthcare. In particular, nothing in this Directive obliges a Member State to reimburse costs of healthcare provided by healthcare providers established on its own territory if those providers are not part of the social security system or public health system of that Member State.