Translating the European Parliament EMPL-SANT Joint INI on the Healthcare Workforce into real frontline change
In March 2025, CPME, EFN and PGEU published a joint statement calling on EMPL and SANT MEPs to integrate within the Joint Own-Initiative Report (INI) on the EU Healthcare Workforce, the healthcare professionals’ recommendations Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience (the 3Rs) for an EU Healthcare Workforce Strategy.
More than a year later, the European Parliament Plenary has now voted on the final text of the INI Report. The undersigned organisations, representing over 5.5 million European doctors, nurses, community pharmacists, and dentists, welcome the final INI Report vote as an important first step in tackling the health workforce crisis and congratulate the Rapporteurs and Shadow Rapporteurs for all their commitment and hard work.
The undersigned organisations are pleased to see the final INI Report address the 3Rs: on Recruitment, the INI calls for the full implementation of the Directive 2005/36/EC, updated by the Directive 2013/55/EU & Annex V. Upholding high standards of education and training of healthcare professionals is critical, and any reduction in minimum requirements will negatively impact the quality and safety of patient care in the EU. The report also calls for greater support for mentorships for both students and early-career professionals, and it emphasises that international recruitment is not a solution to the shortages of healthcare professionals. It is key for Member States to develop their own health workforce.
On Retention, the INI Report calls for better and safer working conditions and fair remuneration, including via the implementation of existing EU-legislation, and a strengthened Social Dialogue; furthermore, it calls for Council Recommendations on Safe Staffing Levels; and on implementing concrete measures to address violence against healthcare professionals.
On Resilience, the INI Report calls for the allocation of sufficient and sustainable national and EU funding, including in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), to support recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals.
However, the undersigned organisations, while welcoming the INI Report as an important starting point, now call on the Commission and the Council to move towards translating the INI recommendations into a concrete strategy of policy and legislative measures needed to urgently address the ongoing worsening of the shortages of frontline healthcare professionals. The Joint EMPL-SANT INI on the Healthcare Workforce must now move beyond its diagnostic phase, and be followed by tangible implementation at EU level. Without a coordinated legislative response, the EU risks continued reliance on fragmented, ad hoc measures that have proven insufficient to address the scale of the challenge, to the detriment of patients and citizens, and at the cost of a missed opportunity to strengthen the resilience of health systems.
The CPME-EFN-PGEU Joint Statement on the European Parliament EMPL-SANT Joint Own-Initiative Report on the European Healthcare Workforce is available here.
The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) is a European not-for profit association representing 36 national medical associations across Europe, giving voice to over 1.7 million doctors.
The European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN) is a European not-for profit association representing 38 national nurses’ associations and as such representing over 3 million nurses.
The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) is the organisation representing over 500,000 community pharmacists in 33 European countries.
The Council of European Dentists (CED) is a European not-for-profit association, composed of 32 national dental associations from 30 European countries, representing over 350,000 dentists.