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European Federation of Public Service Unions

EPSU

The European Federation of Public Service Unions represents 6.9 million workers across healthcare, administration, and utility sectors.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Lynn Boylan (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Dec 2025 · Environmental Protection and Deregulation Agenda

Meeting with Anthony Smith (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Nov 2025 · Inspection du travail en Belgique

Meeting with Valentina Schaumburger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné)

4 Nov 2025 · Exchange of views on the upcoming revision of the Public Procurement Directives

Meeting with Lucilla Sioli (Director Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

29 Oct 2025 · AI at the workplace

European Public Service Unions Demand Strong Services to Combat Poverty

21 Oct 2025
Topic — EU's first comprehensive strategy to reduce poverty and social exclusion.
Message — EPSU calls for adequately financed public services including healthcare, social services, and public administration to prevent and address poverty. They urge alignment with social rights principles, progressive taxation, and stronger minimum wage protections. The strategy should reject austerity and deregulation measures.123
Why — This would protect their members' jobs and working conditions in public services.45
Impact — Wealthy individuals would face higher taxes and limits on excessive pay.6
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EPSU demands strong public services and rejects austerity in EU Social Rights plan

11 Jul 2025
Topic — Review of the EU's Action Plan implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Message — The federation demands adequately financed public services with sufficient staffing, exclusion of public services from austerity measures, and protection from budget cuts. They call for a social rights impact test of country-specific recommendations and mainstreaming public services in future EU policymaking.1234
Why — This would protect their members' jobs and working conditions from budget cuts.56
Impact — Citizens lose access to quality public services and social protections during crises.78
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Meeting with Dirk Van Den Steen (Acting Head of Unit Health and Food Safety) and European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association

4 Jul 2025 · Introductory meeting following recent organisational changes at SANTE C3: overview of main workforce challenges for health sector employees

Public service unions call for mandatory LGBT+ training across EU institutions

24 Jun 2025
Topic — EU strategy to combat discrimination against LGBTIQ people through 2030.
Message — The federation requests mandatory and well-resourced training for public service workers on LGBT+ inclusion. They urge recognition of trade unions as key stakeholders in shaping national and EU LGBTIQ strategies. They call for legal recognition based on self-determination and harmonised protection against hate crimes.123
Why — This would strengthen their role as partners in policy-making and workplace equality.45
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Public Service Unions Demand Collective Bargaining for AI Deployment

4 Jun 2025
Topic — A European Commission initiative to accelerate industrial AI adoption and improve public services.
Message — Trade unions must be central to AI implementation through social dialogue and collective agreements. They demand European public cloud services and sufficient staffing instead of AI-driven efficiency cuts.12
Why — This protects jobs and ensures workers maintain influence over new workplace technologies.34
Impact — Private tech firms lose contracts as unions oppose outsourcing public services to them.56
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Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament) and Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft and

13 May 2025 · Public Hearing on volunteer firefighters

Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Apr 2025 · Volunteers in emergency services

Meeting with Anthony Smith (Member of the European Parliament) and EUROCADRES - THE COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL AND MANAGERIAL STAFF

26 Mar 2025 · Inspection du travail en France et en Europe

EPSU demands mandatory social criteria in EU procurement rules

7 Mar 2025
Topic — Evaluation of three EU directives governing public procurement and concession contracts.
Message — EPSU calls for eliminating lowest-price criteria to stop the race to the bottom. They demand mandatory social clauses to protect collective bargaining. The union also proposes stricter subcontracting limits and excluding tax evaders.12
Why — Increased legal certainty would prevent responsible bidders from being undercut by rivals.3
Impact — Non-EU bidders with low standards and companies avoiding taxes would lose out.45
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Meeting with Axel Hellman (Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall) and Bundesarbeitskammer Österreich

7 Mar 2025 · EU Water Resilience Strategy

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

6 Mar 2025 · public procurement

EPSU demands public ownership to ensure the right to water

4 Mar 2025
Topic — A multi-annual plan to achieve water resilience and security across Europe.
Message — The federation calls for a rights-based approach prioritizing clean drinking water over industrial uses. They demand that water services remain under public control and excluded from market liberalization. Public bank financing should be restricted to public entities rather than private companies.123
Why — Public ownership ensures better working conditions for staff and protects the common good.4
Impact — Private investors lose profit opportunities as the proposal rejects market-based water management.5
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Meeting with Piotr Müller (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European & International Booksellers Federation

25 Feb 2025 · Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

Meeting with Pierre Jouvet (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Union des entreprises de proximité

18 Feb 2025 · marchés publics

Meeting with Leila Chaibi (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Jan 2025 · EMPL related issues

Meeting with Roxana Mînzatu (Executive Vice-President) and

14 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views on the social justice and quality jobs crisis Europe is facing Necessary initiatives to deliver quality jobs Improved working and living conditions in the European Union

Meeting with Jonas Sjöstedt (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Dec 2024 · Ukraine

Meeting with Hanna Gedin (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Dec 2024 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Anthony Smith (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Oct 2024 · Questions des droits des travailleurs en Europe

Meeting with Rudi Kennes (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Sept 2024 · Workers' rights

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

19 Feb 2024 · The social partners agreement on digitalization of central public administration

Meeting with Iratxe García Pérez (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Jan 2024 · The situation of Public Services in the EU

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion)

19 Oct 2023 · Social dialogue

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and industriAll European Trade Union and EUROGAS

2 Oct 2023 · Skills

Meeting with Marc Botenga (Member of the European Parliament) and Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) and Confédération française démocratique du travail

14 Sept 2023 · Conditions travail pompiers

Meeting with Stella Kyriakides (Commissioner) and European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association

8 Aug 2023 · Exchange of views on ongoing EU actions relating to the healthcare workforce

Response to Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct)

12 Jul 2023

EPSU, the European Public Service Union, welcomes the Commissions objectives to support and deepen cross-border administrative cooperation and enhance the European Administrative Space with a view to better tackle the green and digital transitions, citizens needs and make a good use of EU funds including via the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Ahead of the EU elections next year, the initiative is timely as it is not just citizens trust in public institutions and administrations that is at a low point but also trust in the EU project. The EU should be more visible in its efforts to improve the quality and transparency of and access to public administrations, including the EU administration, to help reconnect citizens to the EU. It is by showing the Commissions commitment to universal and accessible public services that it can win back peoples hearts, restore trust and roll back populism, which feeds on peoples frustrations in the face of growing wealth and income inequalities and a shrinking welfare state. Therefore, the Commissions ambition to anchor its forthcoming Communication in common values and principles of quality administration is welcomed, as well as its focus on cross-border exchanges and training of civil servants and support on digitalisation, artificial intelligence and greening public administration. In our view, however, the Commission could better rely on existing principles and values for a good administration as enshrined in the EU treaties and EU charter of fundamental human rights, which would indeed require to be made operational. The first guiding principle of all should be the right to good administration, alongside access to public documents, neutrality regarding ownership (of public administrations or public services) and ensuring financial and economic conditions to carry out public service missions. The treaties also provide for a high level of quality, safety and affordability, equal treatment, the promotion of universal access and of user rights, and organising public services as closely as possible to the needs of the users. There is also growing consensus about the necessary transition to a sustainable development model and low carbon-emission economy in order to be able to tackle and mitigate the impact of climate change on the longer run. This, rather than a narrow competitiveness and growth agenda, should guide the initiative on good administration. As EU social partner, we would have hoped to see some mention of the role of national and EU social dialogue as part of good governance and good administration. Indeed, together with the employers in the EU social dialogue committees for local, regional and central governments, we have reached, over the past decade, consensus positions and social partner agreements, not least on training, digitalisation and AI as well as on principles of good administration. We also consider that trade union rights, effective social dialogue, decent pay and working conditions and sufficient staffing levels in public administrations should be put on an equal footing with the principles for a good administration. Indeed, the right to good administration cannot be implemented without a sufficient number of valued, well-trained workforce. Therefore, while welcoming the call for evidence, it should not replace a fully-fledged consultation of EU social partners for public administrations, namely the central government administrations (CGA) and the local and regional governments (LRG). This would be in line with the Commission Communication and Council recommendation on strengthening social dialogue recently adopted as well as the EU public administration Ministers Strasbourg declaration of March 2022. We attach a more detailed contribution based on trade unions and employers expertise and consensus positions on matters addressed by the call for evidence and look forward to further engagement with social partners.
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Response to List of essential services that critical entities provide

28 Jun 2023

EPSU represents workers in many essential services including health and social care, energy, water and waste and public administration at all levels. The CER Directive has few specific references to the workforce (A.13,14) or to public finance and control (A. 10) but these are fundamental to ensuring the aims of the Directive. Without the necessary financial and human resources the aim of the Directive will be compromised, In the follow-to the CER and the Delegated Act we see a link also with Protocol (26) on Services of General Interest and Article 14 TFEU (that articulates the principles that should apply to essential services and that go beyond the resilience of the Single Market) as well as social dialogue. In particular the EU social dialogue committees for the services listed in the Delegated Act should be consulted and involved in the work of the CREG.
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Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Director-General Climate Action) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

28 Apr 2023 · FF55; Net Zero industrial plan; Climate risk assessment

Response to EU Talent Pool

16 Mar 2023

EPSU is the European Public Service Union representing 8 million workers in central, local, regional governments, health and social care, energy and water. Health and social care is one of the EU Talent Pools targeted sectors. As this sector is a large part of our membership - a large majority of whom are women, and many of non-EU origin- we have a vested interest in responding to the call for evidence, as a complement to the ETUC critique. We underline that to support or not the EU talent pool is not about being pro or anti-migration but about the design, governance and objectives of labour migration. EPSU calls for an EU comprehensive, long-term, rights-based labour migration policy for all workers and skills, the regularization of undocumented migrants, the recognition and validation of diplomas and experience gained abroad and equal treatment at work and opposes the detention and criminalization of migrants. As it stands, the EU Talent Pool has many drawbacks and cannot be supported: First, in terms of EU governance, the Commission fails to uphold its obligation to consult EU social partners. In our view, the EU sectoral dialogue committee for healthcare should not only be formally consulted but invited to shape labour migration in their sector. The same applies to the EU sectoral social dialogue in local and regional authorities, who play a critical role to facilitate and support the inclusion of newcomers in society. We urge the Commission to involve these EU sectoral social partners in future decisions over the Talent Pool( for more information see position paper enclosed). While the Commission recognises that migrant workers are more likely to be subject to labour exploitation and discrimination, it fails to promote the role of trade unions in defending, organising migrant workers in the country of origin or of destination and striking better deals for all workers. Second, the Talent Pool is designed and led only by companies, allowing them to pick and choose the employees they need, with little or no consideration for the latters social, family bonds, educational, housing and healthcare needs. While being selected by an employer has the advantage of providing the job seeker with a job, there is no guarantee for labour protection, that a high skilled worker will not be recruited on a lower skilled wage, on a short-term period only not engaging any long-term cost. Such schemes allow the employers to reap the benefits from immigration in the short term, with no investment in training. This contributes to treating workers as commodities, which is banned by the ILO. Third, the Commission takes a narrow focus on the causes and solutions to labour shortages which are not necessarily related to a lack of skilled workers. Indeed, labour shortages in healthcare are mainly due to poor pay and working conditions and years of underinvestment, as was revealed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is rather simplistic to think that labour shortages can be fixed by recruiting nurses or other healthcare professionals from abroad. It is worth noting that the European Labour Authoritys 8 recommendations in a recent report on how to respond to labour shortages , including in healthcare, do not include migration. While it finds that migration can alleviate labour shortages, it concludes more research is needed. Instead, it recommends employers to invest more in its labour force, including by upskilling it and, with public authorities, making the jobs more attractive. Fourth, health and social care is a highly feminized sector and we expect a more gender sensitive approach to labour migration. Finally, the implications the battle for brains has on the sending countries need to be addressed, not least the extent to which targeting nurses or doctors can hinder their capacity or ability to invest in public education and form the next generation of healthcare workers.
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Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

16 Mar 2023 · CMRD6

EPSU urges public control and worker safety in wastewater reform

14 Mar 2023
Topic — Revision of EU rules protecting the environment and health from urban wastewater discharges.
Message — The union advocates for free public sanitation and strict adherence to the polluter pays principle. They demand systematic workforce planning and safety standards to address critical staff shortages. Furthermore, they support exempting public investment from debt rules to prevent water service privatization.123
Why — This would allow workers to maintain influence over their working conditions and pay.45
Impact — Large pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies would face new financial burdens for polluting.6
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Meeting with Thor-Sten Vertmann (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson) and Friends of the Earth Europe and

28 Feb 2023 · Cost of living crisis

EPSU Urges EU Directive on Workplace Mental Health Risks

15 Feb 2023
Topic — This consultation explores a new comprehensive EU strategy for mental health policy.
Message — They demand a directive setting minimum standards against psychosocial risks at work. They also urge increased public funding to address low staffing in healthcare.12
Why — Binding standards would reduce burnout and improve safety for public service workers.3
Impact — Employers would be required to overhaul work organisation and meet new compliance costs.4
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Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

7 Feb 2023 · Asbestos at work directive - APA only

Meeting with Tilly Metz (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Jan 2023 · Health Care Workers

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

10 Nov 2022 · Asbestos at Work directive

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Nov 2022 · European Health Data Space

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Nov 2022 · Covid 19: lessons learned and recommandations

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Nov 2022 · Covid19

Response to Strengthening social dialogue

20 Oct 2022

The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) representing 8 million public service and utilities workers and civil servants from 39 countries, reaffirms the importance of timely and meaningful social dialogue at all levels: cross-sectoral, sectoral and workplace levels. Social dialogue plays a central role in balancing the interests of workers and employers and ensuring that social, green and digital transformations benefit society as a whole. Social dialogue (including collective bargaining) is based on representative social partners that can regulate frameworks conditions of all workers/employers, which is especially relevant at sectoral level. It that spirit that EPSU in the social dialogue committee for central government administrations struck an agreement with the employers on digitalisation earlier this year. This agreement is a concrete contribution to one of the key objectives of the EU sectoral social dialogue: to produce EU minimum social standards that apply to all workers across the EU member states that best fits the interest of a given sector of the economy. There is much research that underpins the value of social dialogue/ collective bargaining and provides the EU and Member States with unambiguous evidence of its value. To cite just one, the recent ILO study in cooperation with the Commission "Enhancing social partners’ and social dialogue’s roles and capacity in the new world of work." This study examines how the social partners in 34 European countries are adapting to the changes in the world of work, driven by technological innovation, demographic shifts, climate change and globalization. The study underlines the importance of representativeness and mutual recognition. See https://www.ilo.org/brussels/press/press-releases/WCMS_737621/lang--en/index.htm. There are many other such studies (e.g. from Eurofound) that highlight the benefits of social dialogue and structured industrial relations systems and labour markets. These secure fair treatment for European workers and a stable and predictable framework for employers. As other social partner organisations, EPSU has provided many inputs in support of actions to strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining, including during the present review. Together with 39 other social partners we addressed in November 2021 a joint letter to the Commission regarding the review of social dialogue. We agreed a joint position with the European Trade Union Federations (ETUFs) in March and have contributed to ETUC positions (see attached document). A robust framework with clear rules that promote and support EU Social Partner Agreements and collective bargaining at national level are two sides of the same coin actions to support both reinforce each other. It is more than timely therefore that the EU seeks to address current challenges to industrial relations systems and to strengthen social dialogue. Indeed, given the ILO and Treaty obligations on the EU and Member States the value of such action is self-evident. EPSU echoes the ETUC position that the Better Regulation rules should not apply to social dialogue and that the Call for Evidence is not necessary. The EU and Member States should forge social dialogue into the DNA of how the EU and its institutions and Member States respond, develop and implement policies and actions to strengthen social dialogue / collective bargaining .
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Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

8 Jul 2022 · European Care Strategy.

Response to Proposal for a Council Recommendation on long-term care

29 Mar 2022

EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Workers. It is the representative European trade union federation in social services, representing care workers from across Europe in the public, private and non-profit sectors. It is hoped that the upcoming European Care Strategy will propose measures for public investment in care. However, it should not make any proposals that would promote the commercialisation of care. The view that there is an inevitable trend towards privatisation, marketisation and transnational provision of formal long term care services is incorrect, as has been proven in several countries. For example, Norway and Sweden, have brought these services back under municipal control and ownership. Strengthening public provision of care is key to implementing the right to care, as defined in the European Pillar of Social Rights. Furthermore, recent cases and scandals have shown how several for-profit care providers have prioritised profit and share-holder dividends over the rights and conditions of care workers and care recipients. Again, this hinders the implementation of the right to care. For these reasons, the strategy must: - Focus on building robust public social protection systems, including long-term care, elderly care, home care, child care care etc - Strengthen public investment for care services - Reform the Stability & Growth Pact fiscal rules so that member states have more flexibility to invest in care services and care workers – this must be seen as an investment, not a cost - Ensure that profit made through care provision is directly reinvested into the sector to improve the accessibility and quality of care and to ensure good working conditions - Make funding conditional on providers abiding by safe staffing ratios and good working conditions, negotiated through collective agreements. - Take a human rights centred approach, not an market-centred approach To support our position, we have included extracts from key reports in the attached document: Pages 1-23: The Center for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, Fédération CFDT Santé-Sociaux and Fédération Santé Action Sociale CGT report: ORPEA: Caring for People or for Profit Pages 24-42: The Center for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research report: Darkness at Sunrise: UK Care Homes Shifting Profits Offshore? Pages 43-67: The Center for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research report: Caring for Growth, Australia's largest non-profit aged care providers Pages 68-74: Case study - The effects of commodifying care in Belgian care homes, as part of the European Network of Corporate Observatories project: Caring for Profit Pages 65-80: Case study - Even after the Covid pandemic, ever more public money for the private care sector?, as part of the European Network of Corporate Observatories project: Caring for Profit Pages 81-84: Extracts from the EPSU report: Resilience of the Long-term Care Sector: Early Key Lessons Learnt from the COVID-19 Pandemic Pages 85-88: Extracts from the EPSU report: Public and Private Sector efficiency Pages 89-90: Article: Grey gold — The billion Euro business of elder care, from the Investigate Europe investigation into for-profit elder care Pages 91-94: Article: Cashing in on care — the UK and Europe, from the Investigate Europe investigation into for-profit elder care
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Response to Protection of workers from risks related to exposure to asbestos at work

21 Mar 2022

EPSU is the European Federation of Public Services Unions and represents 8 million workers across Europe, including firefighters and emergency services. Considering this, we believe that we need a binding legislative initiative at EU level and we urge the European Commission to move forward with a comprehensive legislative package. This matter must be treated urgently and considering the different angles. Therefore, we call for a directive on protecting asbestos at work, included in a broader legislative package (a framework directive that would include registers; a proposal on occupational diseases; on asbestos screening before renovation and on screening before renting or selling). We remind the Commission that according to the latest scientific medical research and recommendations, there is no threshold under which asbestos fibre air concentration is harmless and protection of any worker coming into contact with asbestos fiber is of a vital matter. Therefore, we call for a comprehensive but precise package that would legislate on and for: - all activities in which workers are or may be exposed in the course of their work to dust arising from asbestos or materials containing asbestos; this includes firefighters and emergency services that are called to intervene on sites that may be contaminated or exposed to asbestos. This must not be limited to operation areas and for the length of the operation but include decontamination in the fire stations. - to provide access to firefighter and emergency services to asbestos databases - to include all at-risk professions, including renovation and demolition workers, waste managers, miners and firefighters, in the national implementation of that Directive; - workers can be contaminated not only by breathing but also by ingesting and via skin absorption. The legislation must include minimum standards for protection but also decontamination, both for equipment and infrastructure. Records of exposures must be stored for at least 40 years. - reduce the occupational limit value of 1 000 fibres/m3 (0,001 fibres/cm3)
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Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

21 Mar 2022 · European Care Strategy and social dialogue for the social services sector.

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

17 Mar 2022 · Skills and Talent Package, help for Ukrainian refugees.

Meeting with Margrethe Vestager (Executive Vice-President) and

8 Oct 2021 · Meeting with Dansk Metal, a Danish member of EPSU on Platform work

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice-President) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

1 Jun 2021 · Fit for 55 Package

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

1 Jun 2021 · Exchanges on the Fit for 55 package.

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

11 May 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the renewable energies ecosystem sector.

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and Eurelectric aisbl and

11 May 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the renewable energies ecosystem sector

Response to Social Economy Action Plan

24 Mar 2021

The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) underlines three points that we'd like to see reflected in the Action Plan, regarding: 1) Workers’ rights in the social economy All workers in the social economy deserve trade union protection and decent pay and working conditions. The EU action plan should strengthen fundamental workers’ rights to organise, bargain collectively and to strike. It should ensure that all employers in the social economy apply relevant sectoral collective agreements as a minimum, and that they inform and consult workers properly. Any loopholes must be closed. 2) The supportive role of public services EPSU highlights the important role that public services play in supporting the social economy. Everyone benefits from quality public administrations, environmental protection agencies, labour inspectorates, public employment services etc. All benefit from quality public services such as childcare and early childhood education, elderly care services, public transport, or education. Member States and the EU need to invest in their administrations and public services – to appropriately staff them, to invest in digitalization and in social dialogue in order to deliver the Green Deal, Just Transitions, Circular Economy and Social Fairness. It is not correct that the EU can consider promoting the social economy, but not public services. We demand a holistic approach. 3) Protecting the specific nature of the social economy The public sector and its workers are key economic actors in their own right. Many public services, not least healthcare, education, social care, utilities, are provided directly by municipalities or other public bodies. There should be no pressure - or incentives- to outsource public services for (short-term) cost benefits. The public mission of public services must be protected, indeed improved. The State remains responsible for meeting human rights obligations regarding access and affordability of public services. As the pandemic has underlined: strong public social protection systems play a crucial role. Rather than compete with the public sector (and with other economic actors) the social economy should have its own dynamic. Actions to promote the social economy must take care not to protect the 'not-for-profit' nature and social purpose of the social economy. Public funding, including through public procurement contracts, should be subject to social and environmental conditionality. Social economy organisations should be fully transparent, including about how they re-invest any profits and regarding taxation.
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Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

16 Feb 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the representatives of the health sector

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

16 Feb 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the representatives of the health sector.

Response to Evaluation of patient rights in cross-border healthcare

10 Feb 2021

EPSU and HOSPEEM on Cross-border healthcare – evaluation of patients' rights (Directive 2011/24) As recognised European sectoral social partners, forming the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the hospital and healthcare sector, the European Public Service Union (EPSU) representing 8 million public service workers across Europe with the large number of them in the health and social services Sectors and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association (HOSPEEM) representing the interest of employers active in the state or regionally controlled hospital sector and the private health sector, present the following view with regards to the evaluation of the Directive 2011/24 on patient's rights in accessing cross- border healthcare, henceforth called "the Directive". HOSPEEM and EPSU were active in the process leading to the establishment of the Directive, which regulates parts of the fundamental cornerstones of Member States' health systems, such as the capacity to plan for the current as well as future needs within their respective systems. Reiterating the main messages from our joint letter from 15 December 2010, we would like to take the opportunity to underline that the Directive should aim to contribute to the quality and accessibility of patients' care. Equal access to health care is a fundamental human right, which must be facilitated – to the extent possible – in the proximity of patients' living surroundings or directly at the patient's home, including through the use of digital solutions. It is paramount to support Member States to strengthen their national health systems, address the existing challenges and identify opportunities to create resilient health systems to improve patients' cross-border healthcare access: This includes investment in health workforce and healthcare infrastructure comprising investment in working conditions to address health workforce shortages and medical deserts, access to continued professional development and life-long learning, coherent occupational safety and health prevention practices and guidelines as well as to reinforce equality in the access to healthcare between Member States and within them, taking into account the concept of integrated care. Only by delivering on those challenges quality and timely access to healthcare for patients in cross border arrangements and patients, in general, can be provided. The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the need for investment in Members States health systems, among others through joint actions and creation of synergies and the need to enhance cross border solidarity in delivering health services. In terms of health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a greater need for improved coordination of hospital services in border regions, allowing better allocation of patients and provision of care, which could be included in the Early Warning and Response System of the proposed regulation on cross-border health threats. Existing tools and mechanisms need to be better implemented to provide patients with a clear overview of available services. One example is the role of the National Contact Points established by the Directive allowing patients to make well-informed decisions about receiving treatment in other EU countries and improving the system of prior authorisation with the principle of delivering healthcare in the proximity of patients' living surroundings. Considering the arguments mentioned above, HOSPEEM and EPSU do not consider the need to revise the Directive, instead strengthening the implementation of existing tools and initiatives within the Directive.
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Meeting with Andrea Nahles (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund and

12 Nov 2020 · Social dialogue

Meeting with Stella Kyriakides (Commissioner) and

11 Nov 2020 · Meeting with EU Social Partners on the Pharmaceutical Strategy and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan

Meeting with Andrea Nahles (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and industriAll European Trade Union and

2 Oct 2020 · Social dialogue

Meeting with Andrea Nahles (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit)

14 Sept 2020 · Preparation of a report on Social Dialogue

Meeting with Giorgos Rossides (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides)

17 Jul 2020 · EU4Health and coordination and preparedness of health care systems

Meeting with Ana Carla Pereira (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

15 Jun 2020 · European trade unions’ call for swift action on worker involvement rights

Meeting with Ana Carla Pereira (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit)

4 Jun 2020 · Social dialogue in social services

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

6 May 2020 · To discuss the role of the public sector in the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis, the importance of social policies in the Circular Economy Action Plan and access to water in the context of the new Drinking Water Directive.

Meeting with Dubravka Šuica (Vice-President) and

29 Apr 2020 · Social Services in Europe, Statutory Duties of Public Social Services, Explanation, Impact & challenges of COVID-19, Elderly, Role of the EU, Rights of persons with disabilities, social dialogue & cross-sectoral social dialogue

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

29 Apr 2020 · Videoconference meeting on social support care service and COVID-19

Meeting with Stella Kyriakides (Commissioner) and SGI Europe and

29 Apr 2020 · VC meeting on the Impact of COVID-19 on Social Services and the risks for persons in vulnerable situations

Meeting with Kim-Tobias Eling (Cabinet of Commissioner Janez Lenarčič)

23 Mar 2020 · Covid-19

Meeting with Anne Bucher (Director-General Health and Food Safety)

8 Feb 2019 · Patient Safety

Meeting with Marianne Thyssen (Commissioner) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

23 Nov 2018 · Collective rights

Meeting with Pierre Moscovici (Commissioner) and BLUE STAR STRATEGIES SAS and UGGC AVOCATS

9 Apr 2018 · The campaigners came to expose certain features of McDonalds corporate structure that may be linked to tax avoidance strategy

Meeting with Karmenu Vella (Commissioner) and

30 Jan 2018 · Human Right to Water and Sanitation

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (First Vice-President)

30 Jan 2018 · Meeting with regard to the European Citizens Initiative Right2Water

Response to Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive

16 Nov 2017

European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) views are that in response to the European Citizen’s Initiative on the human right to water that collected nearly 2 million signatures (www.right2water.eu), the European Commission announced that the debate about water at European level had completely changed after it. We notice however the same old logic on water issues that gives shape now to the fitness check. The documents and methodology fail to acknowledge the issues raised by the ECI nor the reports by the European Parliament or the Economic and Social Committee on the subject. The Water Framework Directive and its 'daughters' fitness check does not mention once the European Citizens Initiative on the Human Right to water and sanitation. This raises doubts about the Commission’s engagement towards citizens participation and listening to the voice of European people. It goes against the Communication on the ECI of the Commission and the report of the European Parliament on the ECI (2015). As the Water Frame Directive has a well established participative process this is all the more concerning. The Human Right to water and sanitation as defined by the United Nations needs to be implemented via legislation in the EU. The European Commission can't hide behind the 'excessive cost' or 'difficulty' as this fitness check invites to do. The starting point should be the UN Resolution, the Sustainable Development Goals as agreed by the European Union and the ECI right2Water. The WFD review offers an opportunity to recognize the Right2Water and Sanitation in EU legislation. The WFD offers the flexible and participative framework for its implementation and monitoring in the Member States. The work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation has established how this can be done taking account of the specific situations in each country. For more information: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pages/SRWaterIndex.aspx The criteria for the public consultation of 2018 and to select the keynote speakers of the announced conference should be know in advance and civil society should be part of the decision making process.
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