Before we all take a well-deserved Christmas holidays and stay in our small bubble for end of the year “celebrations”, the EFN takes a moment to say thank you for all your support in 2020! Looking back at this very difficult COVID-19 year for everybody, and especially for the frontline nurses and allied healthcare professionals and workers, we can just wish that 2021 will be a better year, that we can all go back to “normal”.
2020 was a year to celebrate nurses and the nursing profession, being the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”, as declared by the World Health Organisation, marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all, but it also showed how important the nurses are. EFN therefore continued lobbying, based on key EFN reports on COVID-19, the EU Institutions, and in particular the European Commission DG EMPL, DG Santé, DG CONNECT, and DG ECHO, to make sure all EU nurses are protected when taking care of citizens, in the most difficult situations. EFN is therefore very grateful we all EU nurses received the 2020 Women in Europe Awards, an Award recognising for nurses committed frontline work.
Within this pandemic, we did not forget the other key topics for the nurses in the EFN policy agenda as the modernisation of Annex V of Directive 2013/55/EU, the digitalisation of healthcare, vaccination hesitancy, mental health, climate, and many other political topics.
The EFN would like to take this opportunity to wish you all our sincere appreciation for generously giving of your time, expertise and wisdom to drive the work of EFN forward. All this would not be possible without your continuous support towards EFN and the EU nurses.
We hope that you and your families remain well and stay safe in 2021, as we respectfully reflect on all our beloved colleagues, friends and families lost. We live in the hope that the new year and the many lessons learnt will bring significant change and an optimistic future. Looking forward to working with you all in 2021.
We wish you and your family a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.