LA TUTELA DELLA SALUTE TRA COMPETENZE DELL\u2019UNIONE EUROPEA E DEGLI STATI MEMBRI

1. Introduzione. \u2013 2. Le competenze dell\u2019Unione europea e il \u201cnocciolo duro\u201d dei poteri degli Sttai membri in campo sanitario. \u2013 3. Le misure dell\u2019Unione europea di sostegno, coordinamento e completamento dell\u2019azione degli Stati membri a protezione della salute umana. \u2013 4. La competenza concorrente in ordine a \u201cproblemi comuni di sicurezza in materia di sanit\ue0 pubblica\u201d. \u2013 5. Basi giuridiche per l\u2019armonizzazione normativa in materia sanitaria da parte dell\u2019Unione europea. \u2013 6. La giurisprudenza della Corte di giustizia sulla competenza dell\u2019Unione europea ad adottare atti di armonizzazione in materia sanitaria. \u2013 7. La protezione della salute alla luce dell\u2019art. 35 della Carta dei diritti fondamentali. \u2013 8. La (limitata) rilevanza dell\u2019art. 35 della Carta a sostegno di pretese individuali. \u2013 9. Il riferimento a norme di diritto primario diverse dall\u2019art. 35 della Carta nel riconoscimento di spazi di tutela della salute per i singoli individui. \u2013 10. La salute come bene pubblico e il suo bilanciamento con altri diritti e libert\ue0 sanciti dal diritto primario dell\u2019Unione europea.The aim of this article is to show the relevance of healthcare in current EU Law and Policy. Various provisions of the TFEU make explicit reference to healthcare, reflecting the potential impact of EU actions in this field. Nevertheless, public health is a matter essentially reserved to national policies, especially for what concerns the choices relating to the management of healthcare systems. This study points out different legal bases that allow the EU to adopt either harmonizing acts or \u2018incentive measures\u2019 to Member States\u2019 actions in order to protect and improve human health. Within this framework of complementary (and overlapping) competences, it is worth examining to what extent individual needs are taken into consideration in the ECJ\u2019s case-law, particularly in light of the specific provision of healthcare in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Art. 35). So far, the Court has not made reference to the fundamental individual right \u2018to have access to preventive health care and to benefit from medical treatment\u2019 as set out in the first sentence of Art. 35. Indeed, this study highlights the Court\u2019s recent attitude towards relying extensively on the objective of attaining a high level of protection of human health (Art. 35, second sentence of the Charter), in connection with public policy interests. While dealing with the proportionality of restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms stemming from EU or Member States acts aiming at the protection of health, the Court often strikes a balance with the other rights at stake, acknowledging the primary role of human health among the interests protected in EU Law