I. whereas the draft Commission Regulation on the authorisation and refusal of authorisation of certain health claims made on foods and referring to children’s development and health provides for the health claims set out in its Annex I to be added to the Union list of permitted health claims annexed to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006,

5. Without prejudice to points (a) to (c) of paragraph 6, the Member State of affiliation may not refuse to grant prior authorisation when the patient is entitled to the healthcare in question in accordance with Article 7, and when this healthcare cannot be provided on its territory within a time limit which is medically justifiable, based on an objective medical assessment of the patient’s medical condition, the history and probable course of the patient’s illness, the degree of the patient’s pain and/or the nature of the patient’s disability at the time when the request for authorisation was made or renewed.

Given that the Member States are responsible for laying down rules as regards the management, requirements, quality and safety standards and organisation and delivery of healthcare and that the planning necessities differ from one Member State to another, it should therefore be for the Member States to decide whether there is a need to introduce a system of prior authorisation, and if so, to identify the healthcare requiring prior authorisation in the context of their system in accordance with the criteria defined by this Directive and in the light of the case-law of the Court of Justice.

The law decriminalising the voluntary termination of pregnancy, if the woman chooses to do so in the first ten weeks of pregnancy, in a legally authorised health establishment, was finally adopted.

However, the Commission shall authorise the same applicant to submit more than one application to the Agency for that medicinal product when there are objective verifiable reasons relating to public health regarding the availability of medicinal products to health-care professionals and/or patients, or for co-marketing reasons.

Where it is evident that products authorised by or in accordance with this Regulation are likely to constitute a serious risk to human health, animal health or the environment, or where, in the light of an opinion of the Authority issued under Article 10 or Article 22, the need to suspend or modify urgently an authorisation arises, measures shall be taken under the procedures provided for in Articles 53 and 54 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.