European Conference of Medical Chambers (CEOM)

In 1971, when it became clear that the directive on the “freedom of establishment and provision of services and mutual recognition of diplomas” would be passed by the EU Council of Ministers, Chambers of Physicians within the EU and physicians’ organisations with similar functions organised themselves into an ”international conference“.  Since this time, the aim of the body has been to coordinate the necessary procedures within the Member States of the European Union to effect the implementation of this directive with respect to the medical profession. The current Chairman is Dr. Pedro Nunes.

The body deals mainly with the professional codes of the medical profession and physicians’ migration. Its activities facilitated the drafting of a European Professional Code in 1987, which lays down the fundamental principles of ethical practice for physicians within Europe. The ”international conference“, renamed the European Conference of Medical Chambers CEOM in December 2003, has since become a source of up-to-date information on the situation regarding the free movement of medical professionals within the European Union. In addition to organisations from Member States, Switzerland (since 1995) and Rumania (since 2001) also regularly send observers to advise the Conference. Representatives from Croatia and Albania attended the meeting in December 2004 for the first time, with Lithuania attending for the first time in 2005.