After a well-deserved summer break, we are now full of energy to face the challenges of this second semester. Following up on the very positive meetings we had during the first half of the year, the EFN will continue working on its key objectives, making nurses, the nursing profession and nursing leadership drive change in any health and social care ecosystem throughout the EU. The EFN will also continue focussing on driving the principles enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights to inform fit-for-purpose EU policies, including education, workforce and quality and safety – with digitalisation as a cross cutting item to achieve better outcomes for health and the nursing profession, and guaranteeing better access to healthcare for all EU citizens/people, in parallel with creating better working conditions for the 3 million nurses throughout the EU.
Challenges for the healthcare systems all over Europe cannot be underestimated, namely in this very difficult times we are leaving in for already a year and a half due to COVID-19 pandemic. The EFN and its Members are committed and determined to ensure that EFN EU policy agenda priorities on education, workforce, quality and safety, remain high on national and EU political agendas, and will continue lobbying the national governments and the EU institutions to make sure the nurses’ voice is heard and taken into account in any of the key health developments. The EFN will also continue focussing on the EU projects it is involved in, bringing the nurses’, as end-users, views to the development of fit-for-purpose deliverables.
The EFN Members will have the chance to discuss these ongoing political challenges during the EFN General Assembly that will take place on 14 October. This is an important meeting to ensure we reflect EFN Members’ opinions, priorities, expertise and ideas to inform and shape the EFN lobby actions towards the EU Institutions in co-designing health and social policies that impact positive on citizens, patients and nurses.