The aftermath of the last economic crisis is still ongoing. Public finances are more strained than ever before, social cohesion has been seriously disrupted, and nurses working conditions are worsening in many EU countries. Therefore, this is the time for policymakers and EU stakeholders to re-define a new path towards a new European welfare system, taking into account the nurses’ voice. KMPG organised an event in which high-level speakers from the European Commission and the World Bank expressed the need to reinforcing the social dimension through education, skills and innovation, and how new digital technologies can create more inclusive and participative socio-economic systems. The European Pillar of Social Rights, setting out a series of 20 principles, of which access to healthcare, right to quality and inclusive education, fair wages and right to affordable long-term care services of good quality, are of utmost importance for the nursing community, was also discussed.
Crosscutting the social pillar, the EFN is a strong supporter with the digitalization of healthcare, and hence is involved in two ongoing Horizon 2020-funded projects on Electronic Health Records in the EU (InteropEHRate and Smart4Health). And as end-user, and discussed as at this event, the necessity of achieving real gender equality in future models of welfare is a priority, especially in co-designing end-user requirements, knowing that the nursing workforce, which is mainly composed of women, is in the frontline of gender equality.