Cross-border mobility of health professionals: Contesting patients' right to health

► The study contributes to a broader discussion of the international norms diffusion and the ambivalent role of 'soft law' in their implementation. ► The article traces the translation of the human right principles at the national level in the managerial discourse. ► This transformation is implemented by means of 'soft law' tools (Code of Practice and bilateral agreements), which produce an ambivalent effect.