Harnessing Talent Platform Working Groups in-person meeting

On 11 October 2024, the European Commission’s DG REGIO hosted partners of the Harnessing Talent Platform, a knowledge-building and experience-sharing initiative aimed at fostering dialogue among relevant stakeholders at the European, national, and regional levels. Since the establishment of four working groups in autumn 2023, focusing on Digital, Health, Research & Innovation, and Territorial issues, eleven issue papers have been published. These papers identify the scope of the challenges and propose actionable outputs.

This meeting brought together representatives from all working groups to discuss key issues, short- and long-term outcomes, and potential synergies within the platform and with other EU initiatives, such as the Pact for Skills, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, and the Rural Revitalisation Platform.

In his opening remarks, François Gallaga (DG REGIO) emphasised that the competitiveness of the European economy depends on its ability to address current and future skills gaps. Following parallel meetings of the working groups, participants identified cross-cutting issues, reflected on external synergies, and discussed the next steps to deliver outputs in line with the work plan.

HOSPEEM is part of the Health Working Group, which focuses on the subtopic of improving service models and working conditions.

Learn more

HOSPEEM participates in the panel discussion during European Week of Regions

On 10 October 2024, Olena Horlach represented HOSPEEM at a panel discussion organized by the European Committee of the Regions’ Interregional Group on Health and Well-being, the European CoR’s Commission for Natural Resources (NAT), and EUREGHA – the reference network for European Regional and Local Health Authorities on the topic of “Strengthening Europe’s Healthcare Workforce: Attracting and retaining talent in a regional context” as part of the European Week of Regions.

Staff shortages, working conditions, and skills mismatches are having a significant impact on access to care and performance of healthcare system. Attracting and retaining talent across Europe’s regions is a key strategy to address this issue. This interactive session explored the difficulties and potential solutions for strengthening Europe’s healthcare workforce and increasing the sector’s attractiveness, in line with existing EU initiatives such as the Harnessing Talent Platform and the Pact for Skills.

HOSPEEM acknowledged that the main challenges include ageing population, work migration and working conditions amongst others. The EPSU-HOSPEEM Updated Framework of Action on Recruitment and Retention examines various remedies to these issues, while considering the 24/7 operational nature of the healthcare sector. Meanwhile, the EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct on Ethical Recruitment and Retention enables social partners in the hospital and healthcare sector address inequalities and promote ethical recruitment practices at European, national, regional and local level.

10 October 2024, 1143: Strengthening Europe’s Healthcare Workforce: Attracting and retaining talent in a regional context
Belgium – Brussels – October 2024
© European Union / John Thys

John Delamere speaks at online seminar of the cross-sectoral social partners on working time

HOSPEEM Vice-Secretary General John Delamere participated in a seminar of the cross-sectoral social partners on the topic “Shaping working time: role of collective bargaining” which explored the perspectives of social partners and addressed key priorities, including sector-specific needs related to working time, as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with working time organisation. The goal of the meeting was to promote mutual learning on policy initiatives and practical actions taken by social partners in this area.

During the seminar, John Delamere emphasised the challenges of hospital and healthcare employers in relation to the Working Time Directive and the organisation of working time in Europe, given the healthcare sector’s continuous operational nature, which often cannot align with rigid working time limits. Alongside other representatives of public service employers, John Delamere highlighted the difficulties in offering working time reductions in sectors experiencing labour shortages and an ageing workforce. The continuity of care and the need for timely emergency responses require a re-evaluation of rest periods and shift patterns, while also considering workers’ well-being and avoiding staff overburdening.

HOSPEEM Study Visit to SPEKTER

On 12-13 September 2024, a HOSPEEM delegation visited Oslo to engage in a valuable meeting with its Norwegian member organisation, SPEKTER. The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration and share knowledge on key healthcare workforce issues on national and European level.

The HOSPEEM delegation led by Secretary General Marta Branca and joined by Vice-Secretary General John Delamere and Secretariat members Leonie Martin and Olena Horlach, explored SPEKTER’s core activities. In particular, Tore Eugen Kvalheim gave general overview of SPEKTER organisational structure, Thomas Brown presented the Norwegian model for wage settlements, and Kim Hannisdal explained state of health in Norway.

As part of the visit programme, the delegation visited Sunaas Rehabilitation Hospital, a renowned institution for rehabilitation services, and AHUS – Akerhus University Hospital, one of Norway’s leading university hospitals. These visits highlighted the innovative practices and healthcare models that are shaping patient care and workforce management in the Norwegian healthcare sector.

Marta Branca at the Eurofound/ILO event on job quality for essential workers

On the occasion of the publication of the Eurofound policy brief on essential workers, HOSPEEM Secretary General Marta Branca participated in the social partner panel hosted by Eurofound and ILO, on 10 October 2023. She emphasized the importance of the developing Social Dialogue to address issues such as staff shortages, mental health and attractiveness of jobs in the healthcare sector.

European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit highlighted the importance of key workers. The presentation of the ILO and Eurofound experts pointed out the challenges and possible solutions across the sectors of essential workers. At the beginning of the year HOSPEEM participated in the interview for the Eurofound policy brief. Read more. 

The Eurofound policy brief

ILO Report World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work

HOSPEEM signs SGIs Network Joint Declaration for the Tripartite Social Summit of 22 March 2023

Brussels, 22 March 2023

HOSPEEM – European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association is a signatory of the the services of general interest (SGIs) Network Joint Declaration for the Tripartite Social Summit of 22 March 2023.

The SGIs Network gathers associations representing providers and employers of services of general interest (SGIs) and public services.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the energy prices crisis highlighted that SGIs are a cornerstone of the EU social model and democratic societies. They have a central role in ensuring the citizens’ quality of life, contributing to informed citizenship, supporting the development of European businesses, and boosting the EU’s growth and competitiveness.

With the green and digital transition transforming the daily lives of citizens and enterprises, the quality and access to essential services such as education, energy, healthcare, public service media, postal services, public transport and railways, as well as services provided by local and regional governments will remain instrumental to the realisation of our shared objectives. With this statement, the signatories put forward some critical messages for consolidating the EU Single Market, focusing on its green and fair dimensions.

Ensure easy and stable access to EU funds and financing

With growing national debts and budget cuts, EU funds and financing are critical for SGI providers. EU support remains vital in addressing SGI providers’ sustainability and digitalisation challenges. Investments in SGIs are essential for the European Green Deal to deliver on its strategic objectives, including decarbonisation and social justice.

State aids must evolve from “enforcement of fair competition” to “active policy tools” to channel productive investments for the benefit of competitiveness and sustainability.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is at the heart of the EUR 800 billion NextGenerationEU recovery plan for Europe. While we appreciate the EU’s efforts to support economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge Member States to ensure that these funds are used to strengthen public services and address the pressing challenges of climate change and digitalisation. The SGI Network calls for a quicker implementation of all investments and reforms pledged, particularly in the new frame of the recently approved RePowerEU.

Moreover, the SGI network calls for the upcoming review of the EU economic governance to cater for the need for SGI providers to guarantee the continuity of public services, to relaunch public investments and provide quality services for all citizens.

Address skills mismatches and labour shortages

The provision of SGIs is crucial to citizens’ well-being and the EU’s overall social and economic resilience. However, the ability of SGI providers to digitalise, decarbonise and fulfil their mission is threatened by significant staff and skills shortages.

Labour and skills shortages hinder SGI providers and put additional pressure on labour markets. As a growing number of enterprises depends on a shrinking number of workers, fierce competition for talent contributes to higher labour costs. In many Member States, the number of unfilled positions exceeds the vacancy levels observed over the last decade.

In the context of the EU Year of Skills, the SGI Network call on the Commission and Member States to emphasise improving the interconnection between the labour market and education and training while developing quality frameworks for skills forecast, intelligence and development. We, therefore, call on systematically improving, with the support of Social Partners, common knowledge and understanding of skills’ needs and anticipating mismatches, in views of promoting inclusive and tailor-made and lifelong learning for all. In that regards, European Social partners can play an essential role in better anticipating the skills’ needs in the future, ensuring a better match between skills’ and jobs’ needs and supporting enhanced workers employability.

Rethink the Single Market on its 30th anniversary

In 2023, the EU will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Single Market. Established on 1 January 1993, the Single Market allows goods, services, people, and capital to move around the EU freely. It has led to an unprecedented market integration between Member States’ economies while accelerating the economic development of Member States that joined the EU in the last 30 years. Considering the core importance of SGIs to the daily lives of citizens and enterprises, the Single Market and the EU social market economy should grant them a specific recognition.

Critical policy choices are needed as the twin transition reshapes our society and economy. With the Green Deal Industrial Plan (GDIP), the EU has a roadmap to preserve its competitiveness in a competitive geopolitical environment, addressing short-term challenges without sacrificing long-term prospects. Enabling the Green Deal, the GDIP will also have to deliver services of general interest and public services through increased flexibility, predictability, and simplification. For SGIs, it will be crucial to guaranteeing a level playing field for all actors across the EU, private and public, including for access to finances. Equal treatment for all enterprises must be a cornerstone of the Single Market and, ultimately, will foster cohesion across the EU.

Ensure the success of a fair green transition

The SGI Network recognises the urgent need to accelerate the energy transition to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change. SGI providers are committed to promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly services. We call on policymakers to create a conducive regulatory environment that incentivises innovation, investment, and the adoption of clean energy technologies.

To become carbon neutral by 2050, the EU requires major changes in the whole energy value chain: the goal is first to consume less energy and then consume low carbon energy, based on a long term vision. Safeguarding this goal, electricity will have a key role to play along-side with low-carbon technologies, renewable and decarbonised gases district heating systems (wherever economically feasible) as well as a new hydrogen market.

Carefully reconsidering the electricity market design will therefore be necessary as present objectives of the Electricity Internal Market are mostly different and no longer fully reflect the current challenges. Energy prices and market distortions lead to rising energy bills on SGIs, ranging from public transport to postal services. This leads to higher prices of electricity in comparison to fossil fuels, running against the goals of the European Green Deal. SGI providers believe that the newly revised market design must offer consumers stable prices of low-cost and low-carbon sources and anchor this change at the root of the needed evolutions. Every measurement taken when revising the Electricity Market Design (EMD) must address the security of supply in the energy sector so as not to harm consumers and the economy across the European Union.

Avoid dominance of digital platforms

The SGI Network raises awareness of the impact that large digital platforms have on SGI providers in terms of additional costs and limiting access to valuable data. A dominant position could lead to an increase of the profits of digital platforms at the expense of public service budget due to rising costs. In addition, limits on data access will prevent SGI providers to better understand user and customer needs, trends and adapt the services provided accordingly. As such, it is critical to ensure a level-playing field between platforms and SGIs to provide improved services as our societies become more digitalized.

The signatories:
SGI Europe
CEMR – Council of European Municipalities and Regions
CER – Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies
EFEE – European Federation of Education Employers
HOSPEEM – European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association, UITP – International Asssociation of Public Transport

Download the Joint Declaration in Pdf

*** SGI Europe also published the Joint Declaration ***

The year 2022 at a glance: HOSPEEM activity report

2022 has been a year rich in achievements and fruitful exchanges for HOSPEEM. The HOSPEEM EPSU Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention was revised. Social partners signed the updated framework, re-commiting to initiatives that can strengthen the resilience of the health workforce.

Several HOSPEEM representatives shared their expertise by actively representing members’ views. For example, the Joint HOSPEEM-EPSU Technical Seminar the Digital Health Transformation of Integrated Care in Europe in November 2022 welcomed presentations from employers in Belgium, Czech Republic and Cyprus.

HOSPEEM spoke at various EU fora, for instance, at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). HOSPEEM has also been selected for one of the two new bodies that advises the European Commission Service, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).

This report presents key information on HOSPEEM and the Social Dialogue activities carried out during 2022.

Download the 2022 report

All annual reports available here

Marta Branca speaking at the EESC Hearing on The European Care Strategy

On 7 December 2022, HOSPEEM Secretary General, Marta BRANCA delivered comprehensive remarks to a European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) public hearing on “The European Care Strategy: challenges and the way forward”.

07.12.2022 hybrid EESC hearing

“Longterm care is important to the smooth-running of the hospital sector. Different challenges await but funding and social dialogue are important everywhere” stated Marta Branca.

After the European Commission published a proposal for a European Care Strategy on 08 September 2022, the Council adopted the Care Strategy on 08 December 2022. It consists of a communication, accompanied by (1) a proposal for a Council Recommendation on long-term care as well (2) a proposal for a Council Recommendation to revise the Barcelona targets. The Council recommendation focuses on access to affordable high-quality long-term care and asks Member States to improve adequacy of social protection, increase and develop quality long term care services, ensure fair working conditions, and strengthen professional standards addressing the challenges of skills needs and occupational health and safety. Member States are recommended to communicate to the European Commission a set of measures taken or planned to implement within 18 months of adoption.

Read the full-speech (pdf)

HOSPEEM October Newsletter is published

In this October 2022 Newsletter edition, you will read about the newly HOSPEEM-EPSU updated Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention, as the social partners are encouraging initiatives across Europe to strengthen the health workforce.

You will find also more information on:

  • EU Social Partners Cross-ectoral Work Programme 2022-2024
  • EC European Care Strategy
  • Prevention of third-party violence and harassment in the heath sector
  • Upskilling and reskilling the European healthcare workforce
  • International recruitment of health staff (UK)
  • Guidance to access health data (DK)

This newsletter also includes events and publications relevant for hospital employers:

4 October 2022: HOSPEEM Newsletter 2022 – Issue 3

The year 2021 at a glance: HOSPEEM Activity report

2021 has been a busy year ensuring that hospital and healthcare employers’ views are being heard at the highest level in the European institutions. HOSPEM spoke at various EU fora (EESC, EC, Eurofound, SGI Europe, WHO…) HOSPEEM also responded to several consultations. In 2021, HOSPEEM helped build the capacity of the hospital sector social partners disseminating across Europe the HOSPEEM-EPSU project outcomes on strengthening social dialogue.

The HOSPEEM Activity Report 2021 presents the main activities in the field of occupational safety & health, skills development for the health workforce (page 3,4,5) as well as relevant information on the structure and membership of HOSPEEM.

Download the report 2021