Strengthening the nursing workforce in the European Health Union

CONFERENCE IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN BRUSSELS FOLLOWED BY THE CESI EXPERT COMMISSION ‘HEALTHCARE SERVICES’
AGENDA

Venue: online Zoom & in Brussels
Languages: EN-ES (more depending on registrations)

Strengthening the nursing workforce in the European Health Union: professional competence, autonomy and sustainable care systems
International Nurses’ Day at the European Parliament, room 5G1
Hosted by MEP Nicolás González Casares, Member of the Committee on Public Health

Please register here

You are warmly invited to attend an honorary conference on International Nurses’ Day on 12 May 2026 at the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels, or to join us online.

Hosted by MEP Nicolas González Casares, member of the Committee on Public Health, the conference offers a timely opportunity to recognise the vital role of the nursing profession while engaging in a forward-looking policy discussion on how to strengthen nursing careers and healthcare systems across the Union.

This conference is organised in the context of the European Health Union and responds to the growing challenges currently facing health systems across the European Union. Increasing and more complex care needs, combined with adverse demographic trends such as population ageing and declining workforce availability, are placing sustained pressure on healthcare systems and their capacity to deliver high-quality, accessible care. These structural challenges are further compounded by difficult working conditions and persistent difficulties in the recruitment and retention of health professionals, particularly nurses, whose contribution is essential to the resilience and effectiveness of health services.

Against this backdrop, EU policy instruments such as the Professional Qualifications Directive, alongside initiatives on skills development, upskilling and reskilling, play a key role in workforce planning and professional mobility. The European Parliament’s own-initiative report on a European plan to address the health workforce crisis further underlines the need for coordinated, long-term EU action, notably on working conditions, professional development and professional autonomy.

Drawing on MEP Casares’ professional background as a nurse, the conference will contribute to evidence-based policy discussions on addressing the health workforce crisis and reinforcing the sustainability of European health systems.

The programme will focus on professional competence in nursing specialties and advanced nursing practice, highlighting the evolving role of nurses as key intermediaries between health services and the population. Central themes will include professional autonomy, health promotion and disease prevention, community-based intervention, and co-governance in health. Through these perspectives, the conference will highlight the capacity of nurses to act as effective bridges between institutions, communities and individuals, thereby supporting more integrated, preventive and participatory approaches to healthcare delivery.

Agenda (tbd – as indication):

1. 09:00 – Opening and welcome remarks
   Nicolás González Casares, Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Committee on Public Health
2. 09:15 – Setting the stage and key issues
   Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General
3. 09:20 – Skills development of nurses worldwide and their contribution to sustainable health systems
   Jose Luis Cobos, President of the International Council of Nurses
4. 09:35 – Health outcomes of advanced practice nursing in Europe: new healthcare models of co-governance with the User
   Margrieta Langins, Nursing and Midwifery Policy Advisor, WHO Regional Office for Europe
5. 09:40 – Situation analysis of advanced practice nursing in Europe
   Paloma Repila (SATSE), Chair of the CESI Expert Commission ‘Healthcare Services’
6. 09:50 – Success stories of advanced practice nursing in the Netherlands
   Joost Veldt (CNV Connectief), Vice-President of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Healthcare Services’
7. 10:00 – Policies and regulations to promote professional autonomy and decision-making by nurses in Spain
   Paloma Calleja Toledano, Executive Coordinator of the Care Committee and Advisor to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Health
8. 10:15 – Community nursing interventions from the perspective of patients and their caregivers
   Pedro Carrascal Rueda, General Director of the Platform of Patient Organizations (POP)
9. 10:30 – Open discussion with other members of the European Parliament and participants
10. 10:50 – Looking to the future of the nursing profession: closing remarks
    Laura África Villaseñor Roa (SATSE), President

Following the conference, discussions will continue at the CESI premises with the meeting of the CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Healthcare Services’.

1. 11:30 – Opening of the meeting of the CESI Expert Commission on ‘Healthcare Services’
   Klaus Heeger, Secretary-General of CESI
2. 11:35 – The Quality Job Act and its impact for healthcare workforce
   NN, European Commission, Cabinet of the Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills
   NN, Policy Advisor, CESI
3. 11:55 – Way forward? Latest developments concerning the European Parliament report INI 2025/2062 on the European health workforce crisis plan
   NN, European Parliament
4. 12:05 – Any other business and decision on the date of the next meeting
   Paloma Repila (SATSE), President of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Healthcare Services’

13:00 – 13:30 Light lunch