CESI event in the European Parliament: Strengthening Europe’s nursing workforce

Hosted by MEP Nicolás González Casares, Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health and former nurse himself, the event brought together European policymakers, healthcare professionals, trade union representatives and patient organisations to discuss the future of nursing in Europe and the urgent need to strengthen healthcare systems through investment in skills, autonomy and sustainable working conditions.

The conference took place in the broader context of the European Health Union and ongoing debates surrounding the European Parliament’s report on a European plan to address Europe's health workforce crisis. Throughout the discussions, speakers repeatedly underlined the relevance of CESI's PillACT project, which promotes stronger social dialogue and worker participation in shaping fair and sustainable labour market reforms across Europe. The challenges facing healthcare workers – particularly shortages, burnout, ageing and insufficient recognition of qualifications and responsibilities – clearly demonstrate why coordinated European action and meaningful involvement of workers’ representatives for nurses are essential.

Opening the event, MEP Nicolás González Casares stressed the central role nurses play in ensuring accessible, high-quality healthcare systems. Drawing on his own professional background as a nurse, he highlighted the need for stronger European support for the profession and for policies capable of addressing the structural crisis affecting health care services across the EU. "Today, on International Nurses' Day we bring together voices from the European and health care sectors to defend an urgent priority: improving the working conditions of nursing professionals, strengthening staffing levels, and combating precariousness", he said.

In his introductory remarks, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger placed the discussion within the wider European policy framework, referring to the upcoming Quality Jobs Act, the European Parliament’s initiative report on the health workforce crisis plan and CESI's PillACT project. He emphasised that strengthening health care systems requires not only investment in infrastructure and training, but also genuine social dialogue and worker participation to improve working conditions, retention and professional recognition in the sector.

José Luis Cobos, President of the International Council of Nurses, underlined the strategic importance of advanced practice nurses (APNs) for sustainable health systems worldwide. He explained that APNs already contribute significantly to improving access to health care, prevention, chronic disease management and the reduction of pressure on overstretched health care systems. However, despite clear evidence of their added value, their full potential remains underused in many European countries due to fragmented regulation, insufficient recognition and a lack of supportive frameworks, he noted.

Margrieta Langins, Nursing and Midwifery Policy Advisor at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, presented the latest evidence on the positive health outcomes associated with advanced practice nursing. Her intervention highlighted how co-governance models involving healthcare professionals, patients and institutions contribute to more people-centred and resilient health care systems. She also stressed the important role APNs can play in addressing workforce shortages and improving continuity of care across Europe.

Paloma Repila, Chair of CESI’s statutory Expert Commission “Health Services”, provided a detailed overview of the uneven development of advanced nursing practice across European health care systems. She pointed to key barriers including fragmented legal frameworks, limited professional autonomy, insufficient career pathways and underinvestment in facilites and equipment. At the same time, she stressed the need for stronger European cooperation, improved recognition of qualifications and reinforced social dialogue to support nurses and improve health care delivery.

Joost Veldt, Vice-President of CESI’s Expert Commission “Healthcare Services”, presented in absentia (via Powerpoint) the Dutch experience as a successful example of advanced practice nursing. He demonstrated how strong professional training, supportive regulation and task-shifting have enabled over 6000 nurses in the Netherlands to assume greater clinical responsibilities, improving both patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. His intervention highlighted the importance of workforce planning and social dialogue in making such reforms successful and sustainable.

Paloma Calleja Toledano, Advisor to the Cabinet of the Spanish Secretary of State for Health, focused on how Spanish policies and regulatory frameworks are strengthening nurses’ professional autonomy and role in clinical decision-making. She explained that clearer competences, supportive legislation and institutional trust are essential for empowering nurses and ensuring more responsive health care systems.

Bringing the patient perspective into the debate, Pedro Carrascal Rueda, General Director of the Platform of Patient Organizations (POP), highlighted the importance of community nursing and personalised care outside hospital settings. He emphasised the need for stronger coordination of services, better support for informal caregivers and more patient-centred healthcare models capable of improving quality of life and autonomy for patients.

In her concluding remarks, Laura África Villaseñor Roa, President of the Spanish Nursing Union SATSE, called for continued European commitment to strengthening the nursing profession and ensuring sustainable health care systems capable of responding to future challenges.

The discussions demonstrated that Europe’s health care workforce crisis cannot be addressed without investing in the health care workforce, strengthening their professional autonomy and ensuring better working conditions.

Following the conference, CESI’s Expert Commission “Health Services” continued discussions at CESI's headquarters and then the Vox Box of the European Parliament, focusing in particular on the impact of the forthcoming Quality Jobs Act and the latest developments concerning the European Parliament’s work on a European health workforce crisis plan. On this special celebratory day the CESI’s expert commission “Healthcare Services”concluded by adopting a declaration to flag the need for better employment and working conditions of nurses across Europe.

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