UK takes Presidency of the Standing Committee of European Doctors
July 2007
Dr Michael Wilks, former Chair of the Representative Body, was elected on behalf of the BMA, as President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME). His two year term of office commences in January 2008.
The Standing Committee of European Doctors, or “Comité Permanent des Médicins Européens”, is an umbrella organisation which aims to act as the “voice” of the whole profession in Europe. It was established in 1956 by the medical organisations of the six countries which signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957 (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands), and increased in size as other countries joined the European Community. Its membership has now been extended to cover the countries of the European Economic Area, and medical associations from other European countries may be associate members. At present it has 28 members. Its current terms of reference are as follows:
a) to study and promote the highest standard of medical training, medical practice and health care within the European Union;
b) to study and promote the free movement of doctors within the European Union;
c) to represent within this framework the medical profession in the member states of the European Union to European Union authorities and any other authority and/or organisation dealing with questions directly or indirectly concerning the medical profession.
An organisation representing medical doctors may become a member of the Standing Committee with voting rights if it is the most representative non-governmental national medical organisation of one of the countries of the European Union or one of the signatory countries of the European Economic Area agreement.
The BMA is therefore the member organisation for the UK, and appoints delegations which represent the major “crafts” and other interests. Representatives of other organisations also attend the CPME general assembly as part of the UK delegation if particularly appropriate.
The General Assembly of the CPME can accept as Associated Members (non-voting members), national medical associations of a European country bound to the European Union by a contract of association or the national medical association of any other European country which applies. Associated Members do not have voting rights.
The CPME currently has the following main subcommittees:
- Medical Training, Continuing Professional Development and Quality Improvement;
- Ethics and Professional Codes;
- Organisation of Health Care, Social Security, Health Economics and the Pharmaceutical Industry;
- Public Health, Prevention and Environment
Each member organisation holds the presidency for a period of two years on a rotating basis. The Luxembourg Medical Association holds the presidency until Dr Wilks takes over. There has been a permanent CPME office, managed by a permanent Secretary General, in Brussels since 1992. This was set up to improve links with European institutions, increase awareness of the CPME’s activities, aid continuity and provide a permanent point of contact for interested organisations.
Further information about the CPME can be found on its website at www.cpme.be