French now oppose European Services Directive:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The French government has added its voice to that of the UK in opposing the European Services Directive. Prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has told the French Parliament that he intends to "take every measure" to oppose it. The main concern is how the Directive would impact the healthcare area, given that its "country of origin" principle would allow companies or individuals establishing services in another country to do so according to their own country's laws. The UK and France feel that such a ruling is outside the competence of the EU, since healthcare remains a national issue under EU subsidiarity rules. The Directive is currently before the European Parliament.