Brussels, 13/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, 13 May, the European Court of Justice reached a decision on the legality of refusing reimbursement for certain healthcare provided for patients outside their own Member State for insurance, without preliminary authorisation from their insurance scheme (Müller Fauré/Van Riet C-385/99). The Court distinguishes between hospital care, for which its jurisprudence is confirmed in the Smith & Peerboom ruling (12/7/200-C-157/99) where demands for preliminary authorisation in cases of hospital care dispensed in another Member State is justified and non-hospital care where its jurisprudence is underlined by its opposition to demands for such authorisation. Welcoming this decision, which is "potentially significant for the organisation of healthcare systems in Europe", Anna Diamantopoulou, stressed that it would "draw a clearer line between organisational demands of public healthcare services in Member States and the right to provide healthcare in the EU".