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EU Commission Launches Action Against Slovakia over Health Insurers Act
Friday 20 November 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Brussels, November 20 (TASR) - The European Commission has started legal proceedings against Slovakia because of the Health Insurance Providers Act amendment, spokesman Oliver Drewes for the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Charlie McCreevy told TASR on Friday.
On the basis of a complaint received in 2008, the European Commission decided to send a letter of formal notice to Slovakia.
"It seems that the imposition of an absolute prohibition on privately owned public health insurance providers from using their profits for anything other than the provision of public healthcare in Slovacia constitutes an unjustified restriction of the freedom of capital movement," Drewes said.
The formal notice represents the first step in an infringement case that will seek to establish whether Slovakia has breached EC legislation.
Slovakia has two months to respond to the letter and fully clarify its legal obligations. If Brussels does not find the response satisfactory, the second step will entail sending a 'reasoned opinion'. Again, the recipient state in question will have two months to respond. If this response isn't accepted by the European Commission either, the country will be brought before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
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