What if you have Alzheimer’s but live in another EU country?
What happens if you develop Alzheimer’s and lose your ability to exercise your full legal rights? Who can assist you in making decisions? Who can decide if your house must be sold because you need to move to one that's better suited for you or to cover your medical bills? Often, the answer is: your closest family members. And often, they live in the same country as you. But what if they don’t?
Tonight, EU legislators found an agreement on EU rules to sort out the applicable law and the responsible jurisdiction when it comes to protecting or supporting adults who need so.
Context: The rules concern people over 18 who cannot exercise their full legal rights due to an impairment of some kind (think Alzheimer’s, brain injuries or people in a coma). This concerns up to 780,000 people in the EU.
Jana Toom (Estonia/Eesti Keskerakond), the Parliament rapporteur for the text, says: “Today, families are left navigating a maze of different national rules and complex procedures to ensure their loved ones are legally protected. This new EU law tidies up definitions and harmonises concepts across the EU. You’d be surprised how much of a difference clear legal wording can make for distressed family members trying to help elderly parents or life partners incapacitated in another EU country.”
Jana ToomRenew Europe MEP, Estonia
Background: The deal found tonight focuses on legal rights (e.g. who has the power to legally represent an adult, who can administer their property in cross border situations, and also how to ensure automatic recognition of protection measures across the EU) but not social rights (such as who is obliged to look after a vulnerable adult, social security benefits, etc.)