CHAPTER IVCOOPERATION IN HEALTHCARE

Article 10Mutual assistance and cooperation

1.

Member States shall render such mutual assistance as is necessary for the implementation of this Directive, including cooperation on standards and guidelines on quality and safety and the exchange of information, especially between their national contact points in accordance with Article 6, including on provisions on supervision and mutual assistance to clarify the content of invoices.

2.

Member States shall facilitate cooperation in cross-border healthcare provision at regional and local level as well as through ICT and other forms of cross-border cooperation.

3.

The Commission shall encourage Member States, particularly neighbouring countries, to conclude agreements among themselves. The Commission shall also encourage the Member States to cooperate in cross-border healthcare provision in border regions.

4.

Member States of treatment shall ensure that information on the right to practise of health professionals listed in national or local registers established on their territory is, upon request, made available to the authorities of other Member States, for the purpose of cross-border healthcare, in accordance with Chapters II and III and with national measures implementing Union provisions on the protection of personal data, in particular Directives 95/46/EC and 2002/58/EC, and the principle of presumption of innocence. The exchange of information shall take place via the Internal Market Information system established pursuant to Commission Decision 2008/49/EC of 12 December 2007 concerning the implementation of the Internal Market Information System (IMI) as regards the protection of personal data36.