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

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

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 Articles 45-48, 53, 153, 165, 166, 168(1) and 168(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 1 April 2025 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 establishing the European Social Fund + (ESF+) as regards specific measures to address strategic challenges (COM(2025)0164),

– having regard to Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 20025 on the recognition of professional qualifications (Professional Qualifications Directive),

– having regard to the report by the Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of November 2024 entitled ‘Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 – State of Health in the EU Cycle’,

– having regard to the State of the Union address by Ursula von der Leyen of 10 September 2025,

– having regard to the Council conclusions on the Future of the European Health Union: A Europe that cares, prepares and protects, adopted on 21 June 2024,

– having regard to the own-initiative opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 21 September 2022 entitled ‘Health Workforce and Care Strategy for the future of Europe’,

– having regard to the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions of 14 May 2025 entitled ‘Healthcare workforce: regional challenges and solutions’,

– having regard to the EU social partners’ joint policy orientation of 13 June 2025 on creating a resilient hospital and health sector after the COVID-19 pandemic and the updated framework of action on recruitment and retention of 2022,

– having regard to special report 10/2024 by the European Court of Auditors of 1 July 2024 entitled ‘The recognition of professional qualifications in the EU’,

– having regard to the publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) of 14 September 2022 entitled ‘Health and care workforce in Europe: time to act’,

– having regard to the report by Eurofound of 16 August 2023 entitled ‘Social services in Europe: Adapting to a new reality’,

– having regard to the reports by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work of 7 November 2023 entitled ‘OSH in figures in the health and social care sector’, of 15 October 2024 entitled ‘Mental health challenges in the EU health and social care sector during COVID-19: strategies for prevention and management’ and of 5 March 2024 entitled ‘Digital platform work in the health and social care sector: implications for OSH’,

– having regard to the report by the European Labour Authority of 27 June 2025 entitled ‘EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2024,

– having regard to the report by Sauli Niinistö, Special Adviser to the President of the Commission, of 30 October 2024 entitled ‘Safer Together – Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness’ (Niinistö report),

– having regard to the WHO Bucharest Declaration on the health and care workforce of 22-23 March 2023,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the joint deliberations of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Public Health under Rule 59 of the Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Public Health (A100000/2025),

A. whereas healthcare workforce (HCWF) shortages are among the most pressing challenges for the resilience and quality of healthcare systems in the EU; whereas the WHO estimates a shortfall of 4.1 million healthcare workers in the EU by 2030;

B. whereas Eurostat data show disparities between and within Member States in HCWF density;

C. whereas healthcare occupations are consistently ranked among the top three sectors with widespread and severe labour shortages across the Member States, according to EURES and the European Labour Authority, as reflected in the Commission’s EU talent pool proposal;

D. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural weaknesses in HCWF planning, working conditions and cross-border mobility;

E. whereas adequate staffing levels are essential to ensure patient safety and protect the occupational health and safety of healthcare professionals;

F. whereas digitalisation can support the HCWF, relieve pressure on overstretched systems and improve access in underserved regions;

G. whereas, under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the organisation of health services and medical care falls within Member State competence, with EU action subject to subsidiarity and proportionality;

H. whereas the WHO has warned of future HCWF shortages and proposed 10 actions to strengthen the HCWF in the EU and broader European region;

I. whereas the European Court of Auditors concluded that the EU system for recognising professional qualifications is ‘used sparsely and inconsistently’ and called on the Commission to better monitor Member States’ compliance with Directive 2005/36/EC;

J. whereas the European Committee of the Regions has called for data-driven solutions to address medical deserts, enhanced EU4Health prevention efforts, effective qualifications recognition, and a robust cohesion policy for expanded healthcare training;

K. whereas the Commission proposal amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 does not specifically mention funds from the ESF+ going towards the healthcare sector, nor does it mention the sector’s specific challenges;

L. whereas the Niinistö report acknowledges health as a defence issue;

Employment, working conditions and the safeguarding of mental health

1. Considers that the EU should urgently support a comprehensive long-term European health workforce action strategy aligned with demographic and technological trends, and focused on better data, skills and innovation, to help Member States ensure sustainable and patient-centred healthcare systems; calls on the Member States to adopt and regularly update their own national strategies;

2. Calls on the Commission to propose a Council recommendation setting out common principles for safe and high-quality staffing frameworks, anchored in patient safety outcomes and risk-based assessment, while fully respecting national competences and the diversity of health system models; calls on the Member States to adopt national frameworks thereafter, including minimum staffing thresholds and minimum consultation times; recognises, at the same time, that the Member States retain the flexibility to define, implement and regularly review national staffing approaches based on evidence, clinical context and social dialogue, ensuring transparent reporting on quality and safety indicators;

3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address workforce shortages by (i) boosting high-quality education and training pathways, (ii) improving working conditions and pay, career progression and retention, ensuring occupational health and safety including mental health, and protection from violence and harassment, (iii) supporting family-friendly and flexible work arrangements, (iv) tackling gender inequalities and ensuring equal pay for equal work, and (v) investing in upskilling to safely integrate new technologies and task-sharing where clinically appropriate; looks forward, in this regard, to the Commission’s upcoming Quality Jobs Roadmap;

4. Recognises the gender dimension in health work and calls for targeted measures against wage disparities, career barriers and unsafe working conditions for women;

5. Calls for the adoption of psychological support programmes and the recognition of the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the HCWF;

6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the proper implementation of the OSH Framework Directive, considering that one in three nurses and doctors experience mental health challenges; emphasises the need for support programmes to safeguard the well-being of healthcare professionals;

7. Underlines the crucial role of social partners and professional bodies in national and collective bargaining at national and EU level and calls for their close involvement in designing and implementing workforce strategies;

Tackling inequalities in access to healthcare

8. Recommends that the relevant authorities in the Member States coordinate better to develop integrated regional health strategies;

9. Urges the Member States to optimise the use of EU and national funds and to adopt incentives to support housing solutions for healthcare workers, to fund scholarships, research grants and career opportunities, and to attract health professionals to underserved areas, such as mountain, rural, insular, remote, outermost and depopulated regions;

10. Supports the development of telemedicine, including the necessary infrastructure and equitable access, as a complementary tool for in-person care, to address healthcare inequalities;

11. Takes note of the Commission President’s announcement of the new global health resilience initiative to strengthen global health resilience and ensure pandemic preparedness;

12. Urges the Member States to set up national pharmacy workforce strategies to define community pharmacists’ roles in integrated care; acknowledges community pharmacies as frontline, community-based health facilities and essential health infrastructure;

Recruitment, mobility and training of healthcare workforce

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take measures aimed at addressing brain drain and promoting sustainable health workforce planning;

14. Encourages fair labour mobility of HCWF within the EU, facilitated by the Professional Qualifications Directive; considers ethical international recruitment, in line with the WHO Global Code of Practice, as a complementary and temporary measure only, so as not to exacerbate shortages in countries of origin;

15. Calls for the adoption of appropriate measures to implement the Professional Qualifications Directive in order to improve mutual recognition, in particular for general practitioners and nurses;

16. Encourages the recognition of additional qualifications and specialist roles to improve retention and cross-border mobility; supports the mobility of health professionals within the EU;

17. Highlights that reliance on recruitment from outside the EU should be reduced to ensure long-term sustainability; calls for appropriate instruments to close HCWF gaps by 2034;

18. Calls on the Commission to propose a plan to increase the HCWF by at least one million professionals within seven years, ensure access to university and specialist training and enable the Member States to use ESF+ and cohesion policy resources, with the aim of providing an adequate number of scholarships for young people, taking into account family income conditions;

19. Recommends the introduction at EU and national level of incentives for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and other non-medical professionals who complete advanced training pathways, starting with those working in crisis and emergency areas;

20. Calls for a life cycle approach to medical and nursing careers, supporting education and structured progression from initial roles to leadership;

21. Encourages the Member States to assess the possibility of delegating tasks to specialist nurses, building on models already effective in the EU, while ensuring high safety standards; stresses the importance of including nurses and midwives in the development of health policies, in line with WHO Europe recommendations;

Supporting the healthcare workforce through digital transformation

22. Stresses the need for interoperable and standardised data on the mobility of healthcare professionals, the outflow into other sectors, the number of operators, workloads, employment status, statistics on foreign-trained nationals in the healthcare sector and regional disparities in cooperation with the OECD and the WHO;

23. Calls for continuous professional development of the HCWF in digital skills, biotechnology and AI-supported diagnostics;

24. Stresses that digital tools must complement professional judgement, ensuring person-centred care;

25. Supports the digitalisation of administrative processes and the introduction of smart tools to reduce administrative burdens;

26. Stresses the role of secure, interoperable digital health solutions, including telepharmacy and telemedicine in remote or underserved areas, as workforce multipliers; calls for them to be integrated into both legislative and non-legislative initiatives addressing the sustainability of healthcare systems and working conditions; underlines that telepharmacy and telemedicine can contribute significantly to alleviating workforce shortages, improving access to healthcare in underserved areas, and enhancing the efficiency of pharmaceutical services using digital tools; calls for practical EU guidance and standards on digital provision, data security and cross-border interoperability that build on existing frameworks and avoid duplication;

Financing and strategic planning at EU and national level

27. Calls for the Commission and the Member States to be systematically involved in preparedness, prevention, response and recovery measures, building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic;

28. Calls on the Commission to coordinate regular monitoring and forward-looking projections of workforce supply and demand, building on modelling by the Joint Research Centre, OECD reports and WHO initiatives;

29. Emphasises the importance of prudent and sustainable financing, better and transparent governance, the reduction of red tape, and public-private innovation partnerships to create workplaces that are better for patients and safer for healthcare professionals;

30. Recommends the allocation and efficient use of dedicated EU funding (EU4Health, Horizon Europe, European Structural and Investment Funds, Recovery and Resilience Facility, etc.) to support recruitment, training, retention and innovation in the healthcare sector, with particular attention to regions facing acute shortages;

Ethical and sustainable labour models

31. Calls for greater support for general practitioners and primary care staff, recognising their role in prevention and integrated care;

32. Insists that reforms respect the principle of subsidiarity, while promoting coordination and the exchange of good practice at EU level;

°

° °

33. 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.

ANNEX: DECLARATIONS OF INPUT

DECLARATION OF INPUT FROM LOUCAS FOURLAS

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he included in his report input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that he received, in the preparation of the draft report, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that he has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.

DECLARATION OF INPUT FROM RUGGERO RAZZA

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he included in his report input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that he received, in the preparation of the draft report, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that he has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.