Sweden criticised for denying EU migrants proper healthcare

Sweden has been criticised by the European Committee of Social Rights for failing to provide vulnerable EU migrants with the healthcare they are entitled to, with the committee ruling that the country’s system indirectly discriminates against the group.

The committee found that EU migrants, many of them Roma, had been denied access to necessary care or charged full costs for services such as childbirth or emergency treatment. It concluded that Sweden had violated the European Social Charter by treating these individuals differently based on their status and regional variations in care access.

“It is completely unacceptable that the Swedish state is violating one of the most fundamental human rights,” said Anna Johansson, secretary-general of Amnesty Sweden. She added that these migrants “fall between the cracks,” as many lack the European Health Insurance Card due to discrimination in their home countries, while others rely on individual assessments by healthcare staff for urgent care eligibility.

The committee’s decision is not legally binding. The Swedish government has rejected the allegations, stating that discrimination is prohibited and that healthcare access rules apply to everyone in the country. In 2023, then-Health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson (Christian Democrats) told SVT that “the law is clear: everyone in Sweden has the right to healthcare.”

The European Committee of Social Rights monitors compliance with the European Social Charter, covering rights such as work, housing, health, and protection from discrimination. Its rulings do not carry the same legal weight as court judgments.