Faced with economic crisis and ageing population European countries are burdened by complex questions of how to keep their social protection systems financially sustainable. While the issue of pensions financing was addressed at the conference in June 2007, this conference will focus on how health systems’ financing can be reformed to ensure the most efficient resource allocation.

The main question that the conference will seek to answer is to what extent the use of market mechanisms and competition are effective for better containing cost and improving health systems performance.

More specifically, the conference will explore following sets of questions:
  1. How efficiently do markets function in the health sector (health services and products, health professionals, health insurance)? What problems or deficiencies are they expected to solve? What is their potential to deliver on overall health system objectives (cost-effectiveness, quality, choice and responsiveness, accessibility and social justice, etc.)? What alternative options and incentives are there for increasing accountability and transparency?
  2. What are the possible trade-offs linked to increasing market competition in health systems? What type and level of regulation is needed to harness health systems against undesired effects of market behavior? What is the role of governments in competition-driven health systems?
  3. Does EU integration push Member States to make their health systems more market-based and choice-driven? How do EU internal market and competition rules apply to and impact on health systems? How can regulation required for preserving general interest be justified under EU law?