Source: European Parliament
Demographic and societal changes are increasing the need for long-term care (LTC). By 2050, the number of people needing LTC is expected to rise to 37.8 million.
The Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality LTC[1] and the European Care Strategy[2], as well as the Demography Toolbox[3] set out a comprehensive policy framework to drive investments and reforms.
National implementation reports showcase ambitious policy measures, but also challenges, in particular related to availability of services and workforce.
EU initiatives include the State of LTC[4], a reform-assisting tool , an analytical package focused on workforce, technical support and EU funding.
A large-scale partnership under the Pact for Skills[5] contributes to training at least 3.8 million LTC workers by 2030 and a Social Dialogue Committee for social services[6] helps improve working conditions in the sector. A toolkit to support informal carers will be launched in 2025.
The Commission will continue supporting the implementation of the European Care Strategy and work on creating a more coherent framework for addressing LTC workforce challenges, including facilitating the recognition of skills and qualifications, supporting skills development and career progression, and improving working conditions.
The planned social policy initiatives, including Quality Jobs Roadmap, Pillar Action Plan and the Anti-Poverty Strategy, as well as the recently delivered ones, such as Union of Skills[7], will contribute to this objective and strengthen LTC systems.
In 2027, the Commission will prepare a report on the implementation of the Council Recommendation.
- [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52022DC0441
- [2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_5169
- [3] https://commission.europa.eu/publications/communication-demographic-change-europe-toolbox-action_en
- [4] https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2024-10363-50135-75508
- [5] https://pact-for-skills.ec.europa.eu/index_en
- [6] https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-decision-setting-european-social-dialogue-committee-social-services-2023-07-10_en
- [7] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/union-skills_en