In a recent court ruling, the European Court of Justice concluded that a Member State violated the European Directive on working time. The issue concerned the meaning of working time as defined by the Directive. It appeared that the time an employee is present and available at the workplace, with a view to providing his professional services, had to be considered as working time. That conclusion may affect the organisation of health services in other Member States, such as the Czech Republic.

Erasmus University Rotterdam The Netherlands