European Commission announces European Care Strategy for caregivers and care receivers

On September 7, the European Commission presented the European Care Strategy to ensure quality, affordable and accessible care services across the European Union and improve the situation for both care receivers and the people caring for them, professionally or informally. The Strategy is accompanied by two Recommendations for Member States on the revision of the Barcelona targets on early childhood education and care, and on access to affordable high-quality long-term care.

Long-term care

The Commission recommends that Member States draw up national action plans to make care in the EU more available, accessible and of better quality for all, for instance by:

• Ensuring that long-term care is timely, comprehensive and affordable, allowing a decent standard of living for people with long-term care needs;
• Increasing the offer and mix of professional long-term care services (homecare, community-based care and residential care), close territorial gaps in the access to long-term care, roll-out accessible digital solutions in the provision of care services, and ensure that long-term care services and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities;
• Ensuring high-quality criteria and standards for long-term care providers;

• Supporting informal carers, who are often women and relatives of care receivers, through training, counselling, psychological and financial support; and
• Mobilising adequate and sustainable funding for long-term care, including by using EU funds.