The 123rd EFN General Assembly, took place in Vienna, Austria, on 15-16 October 2026. On this occasion, the EFN Members held important discussions on key EU political developments that have an impact on the nursing profession, such as the Skills Portability Initiative, with measures aimed at strengthening the Professional Qualifications Directive, the development of a Common Training Framework for Advanced Practice Nurses (APN), the recognition of qualifications of third country nationals, but also those linked to the European Parliament, with focus on the EMPL-SANT INI Report on the Health Workforce that was voted in September 2026, and tow Own-Legislative Initiatives on Psychosocial Risks and Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare.
Within this broader European political context, the EFN members discussed and approved some key EFN Policy Statements, namely on ‘APN harmonisation in the EU and Europe’; Nurses’ Health and Safety at Work” and on ‘Nursing Students Financial Challenges. Moreover, EFN Members had the opportunity to shared positive national developments in ‘victory sessions’ that were held in the three EFN Committees.
Furthermore, the EFN took this opportunity to collect data from its 38 Members NNAs on the current regulatory developments concerning the different components of the nursing workforce (PQD Nurses, Specialist Nurses, and APNs) and the occupation of healthcare assistants, in order to update the EFN Workforce Matrix 3+1.
The next EFN General Assembly will take place in Brussels, on 15-16 April 2027.