06 March 2008
News from EFN
EUNetPaS Project kick off
The EFN participated in the kick off of the European Union Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPaS) project, held on 28-29 February 2008, in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Coordinated by HAS (Haute Autorité de la Santé - France) and financed by the European Commission, the project involves the 27 EU Member States and civil society stakeholders, CPME, EPF, PGEU, HOPE and EFN. Its main objective is to produce European added value of Member States collaboration by mutual support, transfer of knowledge and good practice and exchange of ideas and materials for accelerating progress in Patient Safety; and set up a pan European Network for patient safety involving stakeholders organised around national nodes or coordinators. As associated partner, the EFN will be involved in the Working Packages on “Patient Safety Culture”, “Education and training”, “Field Testing on Medication Safety” and “Evaluation of the project”.
Croatia Accession to the EU
The second workshop on ‘National Nursing and Midwifery Strategy in the Process of Accessing to the EU’, organised by the Croatian Nurses Association and the Technical Assistance Information Exchange Unit of the European Commission (TAIEX), in Zagreb, Croatia, brought together nursing professionals from all over Croatia: principles of medical universities, nursing faculties, governmental officials, employers and, for the first time, nurses and nursing officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The workshop focused on nursing curricula and educational programs in Croatia; the EU requirements on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications; and the National Nursing Strategy as part of the Croatian Health Strategy. These workshops are very important before the Taiex mission start as it brings already together all Croatian nursing decision makers: government representatives, the National Nursing Association, the Nursing Council and the Nursing Union.
The European Commissioner for Health, Markos Kyprianou, has resigned from its current position to take up the role of Foreign Minister in the new Cypriot Government. Mr. Kyprianou successor is Mrs. Vassiliou, who was tipped as a Health Minister for Cyprus in 1999 and has been very active in the environmental field and human rights. She is known for her support to women and their representation in politics and business. EFN would like to thank Commissioner Kyprianou for his hard work under this Commission and would like to offer our warm welcome to Androulla Vassiliou. The current Commission mandates ends in autumn 2009.