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MEP welcomes EU-wide healthcare card
February 14, 2002 12:00 AM
London's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, Baroness Sarah Ludford, is welcoming proposals unveiled this week by the European Commission for all EU citizens - including Britons - to carry a card guaranteeing them the right to free medical care across the 15 countries that are members of the EU.
She said:
"The card would be much simpler to get and carry in a purse or wallet than the existing bureaucratic E111 form, which the card would replace.
"With British people making over 40 million visits to other EU countries a year, especially to top tourist destinations like Spain, Greece, and France, it would be a step forward to make it easier for them to access free healthcare whilst abroad.
"Eurosceptic conspiracy theorists who see in this 'freedom card' some Euro-plot, in this case to introduce ID cards, are completely off-beam as usual. Brussels, I'm glad to say, has no such power, and this is purely an initiative to simplify travel and free movement.
"Thanks to the EU, we enjoy opportunities to work, study, live, and retire as well as travel in any of the 15 EU Member States. This is another excellent way in which we can make it easier for people to make the most of the freedom Europe confers."
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