The EFN Members met in Brussels for the EFN 118th General Assembly, which was an opportunity to discuss ongoing developments at EU level, including the Belgium EU Presidency, and on key lobby opportunities for nurses and nursing in the EU.
The EFN members could discuss with the European Commission the strengthening of Directive 2013/55/EU in line with the endorsed EFN Strategic and Operational Lobby Plan (SOLP) 2021-2027, the Delegated Act to the Directive 2005/36/EU put forward in a public consultation to which EFN responded in Q1 of 2024, and its implementation into national legislation and into the nurses’ curriculum.
Next to being informed on the latest developments of the 2 EU projects the EFN is a partner of – BeWell, and KeepCaring (which is about to start), the EFN members discussed key topics as getting nurses education more attractive, newly graduated nurses, social dialogue, safe staffing level, nurse prescribing, and HERA future impact on preparedness, and endorsed key EFN Policy Statements related to it. They then took further the discussion on Advanced Practice Nurses (APN), with developments ongoing within EFN, through its Working Group on APN. The EFN members adopted in 2023 the country-level principles and roadmap for developing APN. Now it is key to go a step further and harmonise those APN developments in the EU and collaborate with the European Commission to advance this file.
Finally, the EFN General Assembly closed with the EFN members providing crucial data on newly registered nurses leaving the nursing profession or not practicing nursing after their graduation. Seen the ongoing shortage of nurses, this is key information for the EFN to lobby the EU institutions for fit-for-purpose policy solutions.
Once again, the EFN General Assembly provided a key opportunity for the EFN Members to share views and discuss the nurses’ contribution to needed actions at EU level to improve the nursing profession. Nurses’ contribution to the EU policymaking is crucial for more resilient health systems and for the patients’ safety and quality of care.