Brussels, 28/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - One year after it was launched on 1 June 2004, over 30 million EU citizens now hold their European Health Insurance card. This figure could reach 50 million this summer. The card, which replaces the E111 form, aims to simplify access to medical care when travelling in the EU. Nineteen countries are taking part in the system to be followed by: Lithuania (as of August 2005), the United Kingdom (from September on), and the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Malta, Cyprus, and Hungary (as of 1 January 2006). A transitional period was wanted by these States which do not benefit from any health insurance forms, Katarin von Schnurbein, spokesperson for Commissioner Spidla, said. According to a Commission press release, over 14.5 million cards and 2 million provisional replacement certificates (PRCs) were issued during the six months after the card was launched. Latest information shows that the largest number of cards issued was for Italy, followed by the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Belgium. Some countries have made a special effort to disseminate the card. The Czech Republic has issued a card to every insured person and also recognised it as a national card. Italy has announced it intends to distribute 58 million cards before the end of December 2005, and the United Kingdom has brought forward the date of its launch of the card from December to September 2005. Ordering the card has been made easier in some countries as in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway, where it can now be ordered online.