On February 20, 2024, Pascale MATHIEU, President of the CNOMK and President of EurHeCA, accompanied by Carolina MARTINEZ BERGANZA GARCIA, Vice-President of EurHeCA and representative of the General Council of Pharmacists of Spain, Rien MARINUS, Secretary General of EurHeCA and representative of the Belgian Order of Pharmacists, and Serge CAILLER, member of EurHeCA and representative of the French Order of Pharmacists, met with MEP Catherine AMALRIC (RE, France).
During this meeting, the EurHeCA representatives presented the association, its members, its objectives and its work.
The following points were then highlighted by the representatives of the association:
Catherine AMALRIC, a hospital pharmacist by profession, a former member of the French order of pharmacists, elected member of the ENVI Committee and the SANT Subcommittee of the European Parliament, was very interested in the information presented by the EurHeCA representatives. She particularly stressed the need to put the patient at the centre of health policies by guaranteeing a homogeneous quality of care within the European Union.
The members of EurHeCA and Mrs. AMALRIC wish to continue their discussions. EurHeCA sent the MEP specific details on the dysfunctions observed in practice concerning the tools provided for in the Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications following this meeting.
This March 31, 2023, in Madrid, took place the board of directors and the general assembly of EurHeCA (European health professional competent authorities), an association chaired by Pascale Mathieu, which brings together the competent authorities of the health professions and whose The objective is in particular to create a new dynamic in favor of the quality of care and patient safety in Europe.
During this day, numerous points were discussed, notably on the main developments at European level concerning the subjects of interest of EurHeCA and the current initiatives linked to the directive relating to the recognition of professional qualifications.
Two new members joined the association during this general assembly: the Order of Spanish Physiotherapists and the Order of Portuguese Physiotherapists.
This general assembly was also an opportunity to elect the second vice-president of the association. Carolina Martinez-Berganza, director of international affairs at Farmaceuticos, the national council of the Spanish order of pharmacists, was elected vice-president of EurHeCA, alongside president Pascale Mathieu, vice-president Philippe Laurent and from secretary Rien Marinus.
The members of the association were also able to discuss the question of the rehabilitation of sanctioned professionals, their proposals for action at European level for EurHeCA, the invitation of new institutions to join the association and the question of compulsory vaccination. health professionals in different countries.
At the end of the day, the presence of Pascale Mathieu in Madrid was the opportunity to organize a discussion meeting with the president of the Catalan Order of Physiotherapists, Ramon Aiguadé, also a member of the executive committee of the Spanish Order of Physiotherapists and the general director of the Spanish Order of Physiotherapists, Javier Porrero Soriano, with whom the Order of Masseurs-Physiotherapists is linked. Indeed, in 2017, a partnership agreement was signed in order to act jointly with European institutions with the aim of promoting physiotherapy concerned with patient safety. This meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of this partnership, but also to discuss the actions of each of the Orders in the prevention and fight against sexual violence and against violence against health professionals.
Mrs. Pascale MATHIEU, President of the National Council of the Order of Masseurs-Physiotherapists, went with Mrs. Sophie DI GIORGIO, General Treasurer to Krakow in Poland at the invitation of the Polish Order of Physiotherapists (KIF) where she The board of directors and general assembly of EurHeCA (European health professional competent authorities) were held on September 14 and 15.
The association, chaired by Pascale MATHIEU, brings together the competent authorities of the health professions of European countries.
Representatives of the French, Maltese, Bulgarian and Belgian Orders of Pharmacists, the French Order of Midwives, the Spanish, Portuguese and Polish Orders of Physiotherapists and the General Pharmaceutical Council of Spain also participated in this general assembly.
The objective of EurHeCA is in particular to create a new dynamic in favor of the quality of care and patient safety in Europe.
Thus, during this general assembly the competent authorities represented were able to exchange and share their feedback on several specific points relating to the recognition of professional qualifications and the mobility of health professionals. More specifically, a round table discussion on the processing of applications for a European Professional Card (CPE) made it possible to highlight certain good practices. Questions of diploma authentication, use of the IMI module and the difficulties encountered were also the subject of feedback, as were nationality issues for holders of European diplomas of non-European nationality.
A detailed presentation of legislative developments in Portugal concerning the supervision of regulated professions was also shared with all the members of the association who were able to compare these provisions with those in force in the different Member States represented.
This general assembly finally represented an opportunity to take stock of European news on subjects of interest to EurHeCA (work of the public health subcommittee of the European Parliament, European Health Data Space, consultations on recognition professional qualifications) and the next electoral deadlines at European level (June 2024).
Mrs. Pascale MATHIEU, very committed to the fight against anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination, went with Mrs. Sophie DI GIORGIO to the concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz – Birkenau in which more than 1, 1 million men, women and children, mainly Jews, were exterminated in five years.
On September 8th, 2020, the members of the European association of Competent Authorities of healthcare professions, EurHeCA, met online. This meeting enabled to provide an update on the consequences of the health and economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic in each of the countries and for the different professions represented within the association.
The main objective of this online meeting was to discuss the evaluation of the implementation of the Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Member states, published by the European Commission in May 2020.
The members of the association continued the discussions started at the previous meeting on June 3rd, 2020 and adopted their position on this evaluation.
EurHeCA would like to highlight the following elements:
The members of the association will therefore promote this position in their interactions with European decision-makers in the coming weeks. Another meeting is scheduled for December 2020 to continue to deepen discussions on this topic but also on other points of interest for EurHeCA at European level such as the launch of the EU4Health programme.
Position paper - EurHeCA
This association EurHeCA (European Health Professionals’ Competent Authorities) has been created in 2011 and consists of European health professionals’ competent authorities.