(12 May, 2025) EPSU hosted a meeting of the WHO-Europe Nursing Action project in Brussels on 5 and 6 May 2025. Participants from a range of backgrounds discussed the growing crisis of nurse recruitment and retention during the World Health Organization led workshop. The meeting was particularly timely, taking place as Trump’s return to US presidency calls global health cooperation into question.
Held ahead of key impact assessments and national dialogues, the meeting brought together representatives from the WHO, the European Commission’s DG Santé, the European Federation of Nurses (EFN), the European Public Service Union (EPSU), and various national nursing associations and experts. Exchanges emphasised the urgent need to align national realities with Europe-wide strategies. The presence of both policy officials and frontline professionals ensured that discussions remained grounded in the lived experiences of nurses across highly diverse health systems.
The timing of the gathering was critical. Coming out of the pandemic, health systems remain fragile. Coupled with ongoing geopolitical shifts and workforce aging, the nursing profession is at a tipping point. With upcoming meetings in Copenhagen on June 4 and 5, the workshop laid essential groundwork for coordinated responses.
Among the main topics addressed were strategies to improve nurse retention and attract new professionals. Participants called for better leadership development, more robust mentorship programs, and practical solutions to excessive overtime and burnout. Safe staffing levels, one of the core concerns, were debated in terms of their legal frameworks and practical implementation. Despite existing regulations in some countries, many nurses remain exposed to unsafe workloads without proper support. The need for a clearer, adequate and enforceable definition of “safe staffing” emerged as a key priority as well as the acknowledgement of intersected discriminations on the sector, with many workers being women and some migrants.
EPSU’s contributions focused on improving the quality of employment. Through collective bargaining, social dialogue, and policy reform, EPSU and its affiliates aim to strengthen protections for nurses.
The outcomes of this meeting will feed into a series of learning cycles. Each learning cycle will focus on different facets of workforce development and policies chosen through discussions and impact assessments made at national levels. The WHO is expected to publish its final impact assessment, following country-level reporting and a deepened round of policy dialogues. The EU, through initiatives like HEROES and BeWell, will support this momentum with data, curricula, and technical resources. But the success of this process will depend not just on institutions, but on meaningful engagement with national partners who can carry these strategies into practice.
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