Strasbourg, 24/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - The large number of roll-call votes on Thursday 23 April did not allow the results of these votes, publication of which covers no fewer than 300 pages, to be obtained within the usual time. Although it is not possible to draw conclusions for a future vote in second reading as the European elections are fast approaching, the final vote (on the legislative resolution) on the amended proposal for a directive on patients' rights in crossborder care (Bowis report) deserves to be analysed. We recall that 297 MEPS voted in favour, 120 against and 152 abstained. Almost all MEPs of the EPP-ED, ALDE and UEN voted in support of the text. Those voting against included four French ALDE members (Mr Beaupuy, Mr Lehideux, Ms Griesbec and Ms Laperrouze), the French and Belgian French-speaking Socialists and the Greens (except for Mr van Buitenen, Ms Frassoni and Ms Hassi who abstained). The rest of the PES abstained.
The 30 million patients suffering from rare diseases and their families know who they can count on after the vote on Amendment 83 of the Bowis report concerning dispensation of prior authorisation for rare diseases: 365 MEPs voted for, 226 against and 7 abstained. Those voting in favour were: ALDE (except for Mr Andrejevs and Chatzimarkakis who voted against and Mr Pikorski who abstained), the GUE/NGL (except for Ms Kaufmann who voted against), the EPP/ED (except for Messrs Belet, Dehaene, Demetriou, Fjellner, Pomes Ruiz, Ulmer and Wohlin and Ms Thyssen who voted against), most of the UEN and Non-Attached members, as well as the three Green members (Ms Frassoni, Mr Jonckheer and Mr Tokes). Voting against the possibility for patients suffering from rare diseases to have access to diagnosis and treatment where these exist were: - the other members of the Greens/EFA Group (except Mr van Buitenen who abstained) and the Socialists (except Messrs Chiesa, Hutchinson, Marini and Pittella and Ms Corbey and Guy-Quint who voted in favour). The elected IND/DEM members voted in no organised manner.
The final vote (390 for, 116 against and 25 abstentions) on the Trakatellis report concerning European action in the field of rare diseases is also interesting. The high number of votes against can be explained by the controversial approval of Amendment 15 encouraging an effort to prevent rare, hereditary diseases via genetic counselling of parents that carry the disease as well as recourse, where national legislation permits and still on a voluntary basis, to the selection of embryos before implantation. The unwavering hard core of 116 (who voted against the whole of the text as they disagreed with this one amendment adopted by 292 votes to 222 and 15 abstentions) are mainly German and Central European representatives from the EPP-ED Group and the Greens (except Messrs Jonckheer, Tokes, van Buitenen and Onesta and Ms Frassoni). (O.J./transl.jl)