The European Commission has delayed publication of a controversial healthcare plan that would enable people to travel abroad more easily to seek medical treatment.
A commission spokesman said the delay was due to "agenda reasons", but MEPs accused the EU executive of trying to cover up sharp political disagreements over the shape of the plan.
The draft health services directive would entitle Irish and European citizens to refunds on treatment they received abroad without the need to apply for pre-approval from their home state. It would also ensure access to medical records overseas, enable prescriptions to be made up in other EU states and create a sound legal framework to protect patients' rights when they seek medical services in other EU states.
The proposals are proposed by health commissioner Markos Kyprianou as a consumer-friendly approach to dealing with EU citizens' health concerns. But there is major opposition to the plan from the trade union movement and from politicians in several EU states, including Britain and Germany. The European Federation of Public Services Union said it welcomed the postponement of the proposal, which was "unacceptable to health workers, professionals, managers, interest groups and particularly to patients."
There is also opposition to the draft directive within the EU executive, with commissioner Margot Wallstrom urging caution in the presentation of the directive. She warned it could cause similar problems to those caused by the services directive, which galvanised opposition to the EU constitution in France. This could present problems for ratification of the reform treaty, she told The Irish Times.
Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle, who is a member of the European Parliament health committee, said she believed the delay was due to to political reasons. She said she was in favour of the directive, which would help Irish patients.