Last updated: 1st June 2007

Editorial

Dear EFN Members and Colleagues,

In May, I had the opportunity to participate in the annual conference of our Greek colleagues and in a conference organised by the Portuguese Nursing Students. Both events were an enormous success, bringing respectively 3.400 and 5.000 nurses and nursing students to discuss future nursing developments. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues for their efforts and successful outcomes.

It was a pleasure for me joining you all in your national activities, providing me  a better understanding of the context in which you have to operate in. This information is very helpful in my daily lobby process.


Paul de Raeve
EFN General Secretary

 

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1st June 2007


News from EFN


Information to Patients – CHES meeting

The EFN General Secretary participated in the CHES Roundtable held on 2 May 2007, in Brussels, on “Information to Patients”, to discuss the European Commission consultation on information to patients. The Industry present in the meeting presented a proposal for a television channel on Patient Information (with of course their products) which received a lot of criticism from patients organisations and EFN, as the system promoted, in our opinion, an old fashion way of services provision to patients and we questioned the human right perspectives and accessibility to medicines, especially in the new Member States. What will happen if patient see on the television what is all available in the European market, while in their context the medications are not available. It was also underlined by the patient organisations that health professionals, especially nurses, are the primary source of health information, particularly on treatments and medicines.

 

Update


General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting (GAERC)

The European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN), Action for Global Health, and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) sent a joint letter to the EU Development Ministers, on 14 May 2007, in order to address them the European health organisations concerns about the EU Programme of Action on the critical shortage of health workers in developing countries (2007-2013) and asking that their EU strategy paper promotes action in both development cooperation and employment practices and conditions of the EU health sector.

To read the conclusions of the meeting, click here.

 

Update

News from the EU

European Commission is asked to take action on health services

The European Parliament adopted, on 23 May 2007, the report on ‘The consequences of excluding health services from the Directive on Services in the Internal Market’, from which the controversial amendment 172 of Toine Manders (ALDE) asking to reintroduce health services into the Services Directive (to which EFN and other Healthcare organisations reacted. See EFN Website) was excluded. The call for a separate Directive on Health Services was also rejected and the European Commission is asked to propose appropriate tools to codify the European Court of Justice case law on EU citizens’ right to seek healthcare in other Member States, with costs covered by their own health system. For further information, click here.

 

Update

Bologna Summit Outcomes

The Higher Education Ministers from the 45 European countries participating in the Bologna Process, met in London on 17-18 May 2007, to review the progresses made since the Bergen meeting in 2005. The result is that there have been good progresses in relation to: 3 cycle degree system (Bachelor, Master and Doctorate); quality assurance; recognition of degrees and study periods; and, strengthening links between higher education and research sectors. However, some students unions believe that the European governments are only implementing the higher education reforms that fit their national agenda, and are urging the Member States to implement the commitments of the Bologna process, to create a European Area of Higher Education by 2010.

For further information, click here.

 

Update