European Union and Health Policy
Résumé
RESUME EN ANGLAIS
How do EU-driven objectives and policies affect the health sector, which is under exclusively national competency ? How can the many variations and contradictions be explained, as well as the different responses and non-responses to European pressure? The contribution comprises three parts. The first discusses theories and conceptual tools. Both 'Europeanization' and 'health policy' are stretchable concepts. The paper shows how the different conceptions of health and health policy interact with the different conceptualisations of Europe and Europeanization. The second part provides empirical evidence from various areas of health policy. These field studies document European intervention, national implementation and feedback effects in a wide range of subjects, from market regulation of pharmaceuticals and other medical goods to political and public health issues, such as food safety, drug abuse, blood safety, and bio-ethics. The third part focuses on the results and draws conclusions: The Europeanization process is a move away from medical issues and problem framing, towards consumer and trade interests and conflicts. The multiple facets of European health policy integration result from an indirect impact, deriving from other Community provisions and policies, rather than from a direct Treaty-based impact. Three distinct sources of change and pressure for Europeanization are identified: market integration and compliance; public health 'crisis' and urgency; and policy diffusion and discourse. European health policy should be understood as an intersection between health policy and other policy fields; it develops as an issue-specific policy arena and as an incremental process.
How do EU-driven objectives and policies affect the health sector, which is under exclusively national competency ? How can the many variations and contradictions be explained, as well as the different responses and non-responses to European pressure? The contribution comprises three parts. The first discusses theories and conceptual tools. Both 'Europeanization' and 'health policy' are stretchable concepts. The paper shows how the different conceptions of health and health policy interact with the different conceptualisations of Europe and Europeanization. The second part provides empirical evidence from various areas of health policy. These field studies document European intervention, national implementation and feedback effects in a wide range of subjects, from market regulation of pharmaceuticals and other medical goods to political and public health issues, such as food safety, drug abuse, blood safety, and bio-ethics. The third part focuses on the results and draws conclusions: The Europeanization process is a move away from medical issues and problem framing, towards consumer and trade interests and conflicts. The multiple facets of European health policy integration result from an indirect impact, deriving from other Community provisions and policies, rather than from a direct Treaty-based impact. Three distinct sources of change and pressure for Europeanization are identified: market integration and compliance; public health 'crisis' and urgency; and policy diffusion and discourse. European health policy should be understood as an intersection between health policy and other policy fields; it develops as an issue-specific policy arena and as an incremental process.