Agreement between the Commission and the Italian Authorities on access to National Health Insurance Scheme
Following a recent decision by PMO, there is a plan to abolish the Italian National health card altogether for staff residing in Italy. Affiliates of the Joint Health Insurance Scheme residing in Italy are all entitled to coverage by the Italian National Health Service, as Article 32 of the constitution and downstream legislation that provides no pejorative treatment for EU officials.
All employees in Italy are compulsorily enrolled in the national scheme. Since civil servants and agents are workers, nothing distinguishes them from other Italian or foreign employees in Italy.
Fortunately, some Italian regions have decided to stop this disputable plan which would have catastrophic effects on our colleagues, pensioners and their families in Italy who will be denied coverage of the public health system. Moreover, this will generate enormous additional costs for the Joint Sickness Insurance System, undermining the possibility to increase the ceilings for all affiliates.
The staff is in disarray. After many years of hesitation, the time has come to ensure legal certainty and to finally find a solution that is both legally correct and economically viable for the EU budget and the JSIS affiliates.
Union syndicale and the other unions in Ispra and in the various places of work in Italy have mobilised staff. They urge the Commission to intervene at the level of the Regions and ASLs in order to re-establish the full SSN coverage to all staff whose Italian national card has been illegally cancelled or refused due to informal agreement with PMO.
Union Syndicale calls for a quick and definitive clarification of the scope of the rights concerning the SSN for both active and post-active officials and agents of the European institutions residing in Italy as well as Italian officials assigned elsewhere than in Italy.
Also consult usf-ispra
