Last September, EurHeCA’s members gave me the honor to elect me to the Presidency of the association. I first would like to truly and sincerely thank them for their trust. I am aware of the extent of this responsibility and ambition to make this Presidency a useful mandate to the benefit of both our association and the European patients.

My core belief – that I will defend as President of EurHeCA - is that for too long, EU policies related to the free movement of healthcare professionals have been adopted mainly on economic grounds and at the expense of quality of care and patient safety. As competent authorities of health professionals, we are at the forefront when it comes to evaluate the consequences of these developments - and assess the potential risks for patients. It is therefore this conviction, in the form of an alert, that I will strive to bring to the European institutions during the course of my mandate.

I will spread this message with even greater conviction that important deadlines are approaching: the European elections that will take place in May 2019. This deadline comes with potential risk, since the temptations of a vote of rejection of the European project are strong – the European citizens, having often felt that the construction of the EU has been done to their expense. I am convinced that the message of EurHeCA - putting the patient and therefore the citizen at the heart of the considerations when making public decisions - could help to move the lines, and reconcile Europeans with the European Union.

In any case, it is clear to me that my mission as President will only make sense as part of a collective approach, with the members of EurHeCA but also with all the public health partners, and in particular the medical and paramedical corps. I know we share a deep and most sincere commitment to serving our patients and I strongly believe that together we can give a new momentum in favour of the quality of care and patient safety in Europe.

Pascale Mathieu

President of EurHeCA