Thomas Evans is Steadfast’s honorary member. European Charter of Fundamental Rights is ineffective.

Thomas Evans is Steadfast’s honorary member.

European Charter of Fundamental Rights is ineffective.

In recent days, Steadfast Onlus has given to Thomas Evans the title of Honorary Member of the organization. Through one of its collaborators, Steadfast, on a visit to the Evans family, gave the award. This visit follows another visit carried out in the immediacy of little Alfie’s death in which Thomas and our President Emmanuele Di Leo have started planning the next actions to continue the defense of the life of the most vulnerable, like little Alfie, so that similar cases do not happen anymore.
For this purpose Steadfast Onlus is working on several fronts:
– Humanitarian: continuing to support families with similar experiences, providing also legal, medical, diplomatic and communicative support;

– Medical-ethical: to involve hospitals to agree on an ethical medical protocol divided into nine points that must be applied in situations in which the relationship doctor/patient is in crisis and to support for families is lacking;

– Political: asking for the active participation of representatives of the European Parliament and national Parliaments of several countries. First of all the Italian one, so a clear change of unfair laws can start, and that families can be sure of offering their children the best care/medical support in order to see their life or their idea of ​​care saved, ensuring the not exclusion of life supports, avoiding possible obligations to end their lives.

Steadfast has confirmed to the Evans family its full support to elaborate a proposal of “Alfie’s law” really effective, so could be clear and incontrovertible with refear to the British legislation, without margins of interpretability in which the judges can find spaces to bypass it .

Meanwhile, in the last days of June, the European Commission‘s response to the parliamentary question presented with the support and support of Steadfast when little Alfie was still alive.
We thank the commitment of Hon. Mara Bizzotto MEP, Hon.Elisabetta Gardini MEP,  Hon. Patrizia Toia MEP, Hon. Silvia Costa MEP and many others European parliamentarians who represented our requests to save little Alfie and the many childrens who daily live similar dramas.

EU Commission responds to the questions. With its spokesperson Hon. Vera Jourová MEP, the EU Commission replies: “The child’s right to protection and care is a fundamental right enshrined in Article 24 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. However, the Union does not have general powers to intervene in the Member States on fundamental rights. According to Article 51 (1) of the Charter, the provisions of the Charter apply to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law. Pursuant to Article 168 (7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, “the definition of their health policy” and “the organization and provision of health services and medical care” fall within the competence of each Member State. Furthermore, while the directive on cross-border healthcare (Directive 2011/24 / EU) defines certain patients’ rights in cross-border situations in general relating to the reimbursement of costs of care received in other Member States, recital 7 clarifies that: “The present Directive respects and does not prejudice the right of each Member State to decide on the type of health care deemed appropriate. Nothing in this Directive should be interpreted in such a way as to undermine the fundamental ethical choices of the Member States.”

Emmanuele Di Leo: “With this answer it is clear and evident that the European Charter of Fundamental Rights is completely ineffective. From the words reported by the Hon. Jourová on behalf of the EU Commission, despite the explicit request (as their right) of two parents to have their sick child transferred from the English hospital Alder Hey to the Italian hospital Bambin Gesù in order to continue the treatments, the English courts repeatedly denied parents and the patient this possibility. Hence despite the clear violation of the European Convention on Human Rights: from the intangibility of life to the freedom to do family choices, from freedom of care to freedom of movement within the European territory of its citizens; Europe fails to enforce what has been launched by its member states. It is inconceivable a similar response from the Union and immediately we demand the utmost commitment of the political forces to enforce the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, because otherwise it is a piece of paper that is worthless”.