NeLP is the Network of Low HIV-Prevalence Countries in Central and South East Europe.The initiative for NeLP came from the HIV/AIDS programme of HCLU, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program of Foundations Open Society Institute provided funding for the Budapest meeting and the NeLP website (www.nelp-hiv.org) with additional support from EATG, the European AIDS Treatment Group and International HIV Partnerships.

Participants will include NGOs, working in the field of HIV/AIDS and patients’ rights, patients’ organizations, patients’ rights representatives and MEPs or health politicians from national parliaments/ministries. The meeting will be conducted in English.

Background of the meeting:
On 2 July, 2008 the Council accepted a proposal for the directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care. The proposal is mainly about the possibility of the use of healthcare in another member state and the rules of the refunding of the expenses paid for these services. However, the directive does not command about the way patients’ rights, which are secured in different ways and to different extents in different member states, prevail in case of health services used in another member state. At the same time the directive tasks the member states to provide the possibility of the use of plaint and remedy in case the patient is done a disservice during health care. The Council will also work out directives with the member states about the different questions arising in connection with cross-border health care.

The aim of the workshop is to formulate principals that could be used by national governments and also the European Council when working out directives.

The participants will have the chance to exchange experience in the three topics of the workshops and find best and worst practises in the Member States involved. After the meeting a joint level statement will be published about the minimum standards concerning patients’ rights in cross-border health care which can be communicated towards national governments. The aim of the minimum standards is to contribute to the above mentioned directives. After the implementation of the directive, regular annual or semi-annual meetings would be organized to report on practises, and how these minimum standards are being added to the national directives.

As of the 1st of May 2008, Katalin Sós is the full time coorditator who will be responsible for the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union in Budapest. HCLU is joining the network as the Program's institutional partner in Hungary.