What changed

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

P10_TA(2026)0312

on anAn EU health workforce crisis plan: sustainability of healthcare systems and employment and working conditions in the healthcare sector

(2025/2062(INI))

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Committee on Public Health

PE776.849

European Parliament resolution of 17 September 2026 on an EU health workforce crisis plan: sustainability of healthcare systems and employment and working conditions in the healthcare sector (2025/2062(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Sustainable Development Goal 3 of the UN resolution entitled ‘Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (2015),

– having regard to the WHO Europe resolution on the framework for action on the health and care workforce in the WHO European Region 2023-2030, adopted on 26 October 2023,

– having regard to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe publication entitled ‘Report on the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development – rethinking policy priorities in the light of pandemics’ (August 2021),

B. whereas, in line with Principle 16 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, everyone should be able to exercise the right to timely access to affordable, preventive and curative healthcare of good quality; whereas health and care labour supply functions as a strategic public good;

✦ Formal Replaces the decimal point with a comma in the figure for the estimated shortage of doctors, nurses and midwives.

C. whereas healthcare workforce shortages are among the most pressing strategic challenges for the resilience and quality of healthcare systems in the EU; whereas the EU Member States had an estimated shortage of approximately 1.21,2 million doctors, nurses and midwives in 2022 to attain universal coverage; whereas the WHO expects a shortfall of 950 000 healthcare workers in the EU by 2030; whereas the healthcare sector is consistently ranked among the top three sectors with widespread and severe labour shortages across the Member States, according to the European Employment Services (EURES) and the European Labour Authority; whereas the retirement cohorts in relation to the current declining enrolment in health-related studies and inflows of new graduates highlight a widening future gap in the healthcare workforce in several countries; whereas the WHO report on the healthcare workforce in Europe (2022) shows that 30 % of medical doctors and 18 % of nurses are aged 55 or older, with 12 EU countries reporting 40 % of physicians aged 55 and over in 2022;

D. whereas unmet demand for the healthcare workforce in the EU is increasing owing to multiple factors, including demographic changes with rising long-term care and societal support needs, the growing incidence of mental health issues, cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the continuing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and persistent risks from pandemics and other public health emergencies, including the health impacts of environmental degradation and extreme weather events;

I. whereas underserved regions, including mountainous, rural, suburban, remote, depopulated, outermost or island areas, face significant challenges in covering health structures with suitably qualified staff; whereas the closure of hospital wards and healthcare facilities is reducing patients’ ability to access services, with pregnant women having to travel over 100 km to reach a maternity ward in some regions of the EU;

✦ Formal Replaces the decimal point with a comma in the percentage of people unable to access medical examination or treatment.

J. whereas in 2024, 3.63,6 % of people aged 16 year or older in the EU who needed a medical examination or treatment reported being unable to access it due to financial constraints, long waiting lists, or excessive distance from healthcare services; whereas community and primary care workers are too often covered through precarious contracts, undermining continuity, quality and retention; whereas needs-based planning must go hand in hand with high-quality training and fair remuneration;

K. whereas budgetary constraints in recent years have placed significant pressure on healthcare systems; whereas the housing and cost of living crises have contributed to the shortages seen in the healthcare workforce;

✦ Formal Replaces the decimal point with a comma in the figure for the annual cost of antimicrobial resistance.

L. whereas every euro invested in prevention can yield a return of EUR 14 through avoided healthcare costs and increased productivity; whereas NCDs cost the EU over EUR 700 billion annually; whereas every year, higher health expenditure and reduced workforce productivity due to the growing pressure of AMR on healthcare systems cost EUR 11.711,7 billion in the EU;

M. whereas responsibility for the organisation and management of health systems and for health personnel planning lies mainly with the Member States; whereas the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated structural and systemic problems and weaknesses in healthcare systems including shortcomings related to healthcare workforce planning, working conditions, remuneration of the healthcare workforce, attracting and retaining talent, and the need for more cross-border mobility and cooperation within the EU; whereas EU measures in this field should focus on support for the Member States, on improving cooperation, on reducing administrative burdens and on increasing the availability of comparable statistics, in full respect for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality; whereas according to the 2023 WHO/Eurohealth report, nine out of ten nurses across Europe considered quitting their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic; whereas the OECD report ‘Ready for the next crisis?’ identifies healthcare workers as an essential component of all efforts to boost resilience while healthcare systems across Member States remain under-resourced, with insufficient staffing levels, infrastructure and operational capacity, which undermines overall health system resilience and poses serious risks to health security, emergency preparedness and the ability to respond effectively to public health threats;

N. whereas early-career healthcare workers constitute both the foundation and the future of Europe’s health systems, yet face the most challenging working and training conditions, including excessive working hours, unpaid overtime and inadequate supervision, which undermine their well-being and compromise patient safety; whereas healthcare workers such as nurses or healthcare assistants have increasingly taken on additional responsibilities and complex tasks, while their wages have largely remained stagnant, reflecting a growing imbalance between workload and remuneration;

✦ Formal Replaces the decimal point with a comma in the figure for lives lost per year to cardiovascular diseases.

O. whereas all future EU health strategies or initiatives should address the needs of the EU healthcare workforce, also in view of the growing impact of major high-burden diseases including cardiovascular diseases which account for 1.71,7 million lives lost per year and 22 % of all hospital admissions, with significant consequences for both the healthcare workforce and healthcare systems;

P. whereas low pay is one of the main drivers of labour shortages; whereas fair wages and benefits play a significant role in job retention and attracting new talent to the healthcare sector; whereas effective social dialogue and collective bargaining systems are essential to improve wages, working conditions and retention in the healthcare and care sectors; whereas countries with higher collective bargaining coverage generally face fewer staff shortages and lower turnover; whereas EU action should also support capacity-building for social partners;

Employment, working conditions and the safeguarding of mental health

✦ Formal Replaces the decimal point with a comma in the figure for the estimated EU-wide healthcare workforce deficit.

1. Calls on the Commission to urgently develop a comprehensive and long-term European healthcare workforce strategy to increase the healthcare workforce by at least one million professionals over the next seven-year MFF (2028–2034), covering the estimated EU-wide healthcare workforce deficit of around 1.21,2 million; calls for this strategy to be aligned with demographic, technological and epidemiological trends, to focus on addressing shortages, working conditions, employment mobility, skills gaps, education and training, improved data collection, and innovation, to help Member States ensure sustainable, accessible and patient-centred healthcare systems that guarantee high-quality healthcare for all and provide good, safe and motivating working and training environments; for this purpose, calls on the Commission to monitor labour shortages across health professions and across regions; calls furthermore on the Commission to consult on this strategy with the EU social partners and professional organisations;

2. Reiterates that any EU action in this field should respect the principle of subsidiarity, national competences and the autonomy of social partners;

32. Encourages fair labour mobility of the healthcare workforce within the EU facilitated by the Professional Qualifications Directive; stresses in particular the importance of ensuring that qualifications obtained in the EU are recognised in the same way, in line with the principle of equal treatment as set out in Article 14(5) of the directive, and in Commission Recommendation of 15 November 2023 on the recognition of qualifications of third-country nationals (C(2023)7700), Chapter VI, point 51, also in view of mobilising all potential;

✦ Adds the International Labour Organization to the bodies with which a coordinated approach to monitoring the flow of healthcare workers is needed.

33. Stresses the need for a coordinated approach by the,the ILO, the WHO and the EU to monitoring the flow of healthcare workers, promoting ethical rules for international mobility and preventing brain drain; stresses that, where international recruitment is needed, it should not be considered the only tool for the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems, and should be regarded as a complementary measure, and must comply with ethical principles as set out in the WHO Global Code of Practice, so as to prevent creating or exacerbating workforce shortages in countries of origin and to improve relevant monitoring; recalls that such recruitment should also be carried out in full respect of national health systems and workforce sustainability; welcomes the inclusion of certain categories of healthcare professions in the list of EU-wide shortage occupations as part of an array of measures addressing labour shortages in the EU, in the context of the recently adopted EU Talent Pool Regulation;

34. Calls on the Commission to review the Professional Qualifications Directive in order to include the recognition of qualifications awarded in a digital format, increase the number of professions covered and allow for true portability of qualifications, skills and roles, including in the area of long-term care and improve mutual recognition, including through better common minimum requirements and improved comparability of the education and training of the healthcare workforce across Member States;

64. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The European Union is facing a profound health workforce crisis, which endangers the resilience, sustainability, and quality of its healthcare systems. The present report seeks to provide a comprehensive, coherent, and forward-looking response to this pressing challenge, with the overarching objective of ensuring that every citizen of the Union has access to safe, equitable, and high-quality healthcare.

The shortage of doctors, nurses, carers, and other healthcare professionals is deepening and increasingly structural in nature. It is driven by demographic change, population ageing, rising demand for chronic and long-term care, and the widespread burnout that has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2030, the Union is projected to face a shortfall exceeding four million health and care workers. Without urgent and coordinated measures, this situation will undermine healthcare delivery, jeopardise patient safety, and weaken public health systems across the Union.

This report builds upon the framework of the European Health Union, the Council conclusions of June 2024, and the Bucharest Declaration of March 2023, while responding to the call of the President of the Commission for stronger global health resilience. It sets out concrete measures structured around six central pillars:

1. Employment, working conditions and safeguarding of mental health.

Healthcare professionals are among the most overstretched occupational groups in the Union. The report underscores the need to improve working conditions, remuneration, career prospects, and protection against violence and harassment. It emphasises the importance of enforcing occupational health and safety legislation, developing robust mental health support mechanisms, and enabling family-friendly work arrangements. Particular attention is devoted to addressing gender inequalities, given that women constitute the majority of the healthcare workforce but continue to face structural disadvantages in terms of pay and career progression.

2. Tackling regional inequalities in access to healthcare.

The emergence of “medical deserts” poses a growing risk of widening territorial and social disparities in access to care. The report proposes measures to attract and retain healthcare professionals in underserved regions through targeted incentives, such as housing schemes, scholarships, and enhanced career opportunities. It also promotes the use of telemedicine and the strengthening of community pharmacies as complementary and accessible solutions.

3. Recruitment, mobility and training.

Professional mobility within the Union is a key element of the Single Market, yet it must remain fair and sustainable. The report calls for a better implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive to simplify recognition procedures and promote mutual trust, while preventing brain drain from Member States and from third countries with vulnerable health systems. It advocates for a significant expansion of education and training pathways, including scholarships and upskilling opportunities, with the objective of increasing the Union’s health workforce by at least one million professionals over the next seven years, enabling the financing of an EU plan by authorising the use of ESF+ and cohesion funds for the training of young people, and of cohesion funds to support national implementing plans.

4. Digital transformation.

If deployed responsibly, digitalisation can substantially reinforce the health workforce. The report calls for the deployment of secure and interoperable telehealth solutions, and continuous training in digital, biotechnological, and AI-assisted tools. It underlines that technology must complement, rather than replace, human care, while alleviating administrative burdens and enhancing efficiency.

5. Financing and strategic planning.

Sustainable financing and prudent governance are indispensable to deliver effective health workforce reforms. The report stresses the need to optimise the use of existing Union instruments, including EU4Health, Horizon Europe, the European Social Fund Plus, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, with particular attention to regions experiencing acute shortages. It also underlines the importance of forward-looking workforce planning and monitoring, in close cooperation with the OECD and the WHO.

6. Ethical and sustainable labour models.

The report recalls the essential role of general practitioners and primary care providers in prevention and integrated healthcare. It further insists that all reforms must respect the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, while encouraging the coordination and exchange of best practices at European level.

In conclusion, the report presents a balanced approach that combines urgent remedial measures with long-term strategic reforms. By focusing on sustainability, decent working conditions, mental health, territorial cohesion, digital innovation, and ethical recruitment, it aims to ensure that the Union is equipped with a resilient and future-proof health workforce. Investment in this workforce is not only a moral obligation but also a prerequisite for sustainable healthcare systems, social cohesion, and Europe’s preparedness for future health and security challenges.