Ref. Ares(2020)1846536 - 31/03/2020
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY
Resource management and better regulation
SANTE.A.1/RMR
Only by email to: ask+request-
xxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Reply to request for information – EU policies on medical negligence
Dear Mr De,
We refer to your email sent on 23 March 2020 and registered on 26 March 2020 under
the reference number “Ares(2020)1782594”.
In your email you request information on the “policy which enables the EC to offer
guidance in matters of medical negligence”. You qualify your request as an access to
documents request.
However, please note that your request is treated as a request for information in
accordance to the Code of Good Administrative Behaviour1, as in your request you do
not make any reference to specific documents.
Information request
After an internal consultation with the relevant Directorates-General, we regret to inform
you that we have not identified any specific EU policy or initiatives on medical
negligence.
DG SANTE deals with policies on patients’ rights. In 2015, a
mapping exercise2 of
patients’ rights linked to the Cross-border Healthcare Directive was carried out. Financed
by the Health Programme, an upda
ted manual for EU patients’ rights3 has been recently
published. In these two documents, you may find useful information linked to your
request for information.
In case you want to submit a request for specific documents, you are invited to submit a
new request indicating your full postal address. In order to enable us to identify the
1
https://ec.europa.eu/info/about-european-commission/service-standards-and-principles/ethics-and-good-
administration/good-administration/code-good-administrative-behaviour-and-complaints_en
2 https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/cross_border_care/docs/2018_mapping_patientsrights_frep_en.pdf 3 https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/cross_border_care/docs/2019_ncptoolbox_manualpatients_en.pdf Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
concrete documents you seek to obtain, please provide us with a clear description and a
detailed information on those documents, such as references, dates or periods during which
the documents would have been produced.
You may, of course, use the following electronic form for entering your request:
http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/index.cfm?fuseaction=fmb&language=en
Yours sincerely,
Carmen GARAU
Head of Unit
2
Electronically signed on 30/03/2020 18:50 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563