Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-14-Speech-2-266"
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"en.20030114.8.2-266"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the institutions of the European Union and of the Member States need to pay special attention to health care and in particular to care for the elderly, because health is a fundamental human and social right recognised in international and national legislation. So it is important to give absolute priority to policies and measures based on an integrated approach which aim to promote health, ensure primary prevention, eliminate health risks, include a high level of health protection and which define and implement sectoral policies designed to eliminate health inequality.
It is also worth highlighting the close relationship between socio-economic measures and health, particularly in the fields of employment, housing, education, transport, income distribution and social welfare. The emphasis placed on monetary policies, on giving priority to nominal convergence and on maintaining the blinkered criteria of the Stability Pact is leading to restrictive social policies and being used to justify such policies, and it is having a negative impact on public health policies and on health care for the elderly, as has become clear in Portugal.
The Commission communication on this subject, which the report welcomes despite some occasional criticisms, is indicative of the contradictions in social policies. Despite statements about defending the quality and accessibility of health care, too much weight is given to the objective of achieving financial viability with a view to establishing an internal market in health services and products. This could lead to the liberalisation and privatisation of an essential public service, which health certainly is, whilst ultimately jeopardising equality of access to high-quality health services. This is an untenable position and it is the main reason why we intend to reject the report before us if it is not revised on this key point, and if the amendments that we are tabling are not approved. These amendments advocate better quality health services, security and solidarity, and propose new means of financing statutory retirement schemes with a view in particular to extending social welfare contributions to all income, at a rate identical to that levied on wages and salaries.
The challenge here therefore remains that of achieving some coherence amongst those who say that they are committed to defending health care and care for the elderly."@en1
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