Freedom of movement and healthcare rights in the European Union: EU framework and daily challenges

The recognition of transnational healthcare rights of mobile EU citizens is a precondition for the exercise of free movement within the Union, the cornerstone of EU citizenship. Since the creation of the European Economic Community by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, different coordination mechanisms and procedures have been developed and refined to regulate access to sickness benefits for mobile EU citizens moving across Member States. Yet, significant obstacles in accessing healthcare for mobile EU citizens have been frequently reported, revealing the existence of bureaucratic and administrative barriers that affect the realisation of this right at the everyday level. This descriptive report provides an overview of the EU rules regulating access to healthcare for EU citizens who move to another MS, delving in their content and main challenges.