Table 2.

Legislation and other national/regional regulations about palliative care

	Belgium	England (UK)	France	Germany	Netherlands	Poland	Spain
Laws regarding PC	Law 14 June2002 to ensure the right of access to palliative care	/	Law 99–477 9 June1999 designed to ensure the right of access to palliative care	National level, Social Code Book V (introduced 20. December 1988) and Social Code Book XI (introduced 26 May 1994) § 39a covers in- and outpatient hospice services	/	/	/
				Amendment § 39a deals with special requirements for the care in children’s hospices
				The Statutory Health Insurance Competition Strengthening Act (SHI-CSA), April 2007: Incentives for better coordination of care
			Law 2005–370 of 22 April 2005 concerning patient rights and the end of life
Other regulations concerning PC	Royal Decrees concerning minimum service provision requirements in different PC settings and funding, free medical care for PC patients at home and palliative caregivers leave		Circulars published in 2008 by the French Ministry of Health: Healthcare organisation guidelines for palliative care services	2007, GB-A: new regulations on specialised palliative home care services	Agreement palliative Terminal Care Funding and regulations of specific PC settings	Point in Code of Medical Ethics: obligation for care for patient with incurable diseases and the possibility of resign from intensive care at the end stage of incurable diseases.	1030/2006 Royal Decree, on September 15 defines the fundamental principles to guarantee the availability and equal access to PC