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European Commission adopts Green Paper on the European Workforce for Health

10 December 2008

On 10 December 2008, the European Commission adopted the Green Paper on the European Workforce for Health. The Green Paper identifies and highlights the common challenges facing health systems in Europe, such as Europe’s ageing population and new and re-emerging threats to health. It hopes to provide a better basis for considering what can be done at EU level and identify where further action can be taken.

During the launch, the Commission indicated that the most complex issues to solve would be the mobility of health workers and the mutual recognition of professional qualifications across the European Union (EU). The Green Paper mentions both Healthcare Professionals Crossing Borders (HPCB) and the HPRO Card as initiatives linked to the mobility of health professionals, aimed at improving access to information between EU member states.

By looking at the benefits and challenges arising from the free movement of health professionals, the Green Paper identifies a number of influencing factors and possible areas for action. It stresses that the challenges caused by increased mobility should not be addressed through the introduction of legal restrictions on the free movement of students and workers, but “through appropriate policies and in a coordinated manner with EU authorities and other member states”. Recommended areas for action include encouraging cross-border agreements on training and staff exchanges and promoting the ‘circular’ movement of staff (staff moving to another country for training and / or to gain work experience, and then returning to their home countries).

The Green Paper forms the basis of a public consultation, open until 31 March 2009. Stakeholders are invited to give their views on the issues identified in the Paper, including the mobility of health workers, public health capacity, training and technology. The outcome of the consultation will inform the development of EU policies to support member states in tackling current and future challenges in the health workforce. The first EU legislative proposals on health workforce are expected in 2010.

The Green Paper can be viewed on the European Commission website at http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_systems/docs/workforce_gp_en.pdf