European Parliament Champions for Informal Carers and Eurocarers Call for Greater Policy Attention for Care and Carers Across the EU

Informal carers need more specific EU and national level policies to ensure recognition and support. This was the overriding message of an online meeting “Informal Care in EU Policy: Taking Stock and Boosting Progress,” hosted by the EP Champions for Informal Carers Platform in collaboration with Eurocarers.

The event, taking place on 3 December, brought together Members of the European Parliament, European Commission representatives, national authorities, and civil society organisations to discuss policy developments, national experiences, and – most importantly – future priorities. Discussions highlighted both progress and remaining gaps in recognising, supporting, and empowering informal carers across Europe.

Some of the event’s highlights:

• EU Policy Progress: The European Care Strategy and Work-Life Balance Directive have advanced the recognition of carers, introducing measures such as carer’s leave, flexible work arrangements, and monitoring frameworks. However, implementation remains uneven across Member States.
• National Spotlight – Czech Republic: While new initiatives and legal recognition of carers are emerging, the country lacks a comprehensive national strategy. Opportunities exist to expand services, improve data collection, and strengthen inter-sector collaboration.
• Voices from Policymakers and Experts: MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan stressed the unpredictability and personal impact of informal care, while MEP Kathleen Funchion called for redefining care as a public service and improving conditions for paid carers. Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP presented her idea for a 6-point EU Informal Carers Programme while John Dunne (President, Eurocarers) highlighted the urgent need for structured rights, evidence-based policy, and expanded support services.

Some recommendations for the future were also made. These relate to the need to strengthen recognition and rights of informal carers across Europe and to expand access to support services, including respite care, counselling, and training. Furthermore, data collection needs to be improved to allow for evidence-based policymaking to address gender and employment inequalities. Importantly, carer-friendly work environments need to be fostered and – crucially – carer-friendly measures need to be mainstreamed into the wide range of public policies that have an impact on care. Last but not least, the meeting called for enhancing EU-level coordination and partnerships among Member States, NGOs, and civil society.

The meeting also served to as a first occasion for the EP Champions for Informal Carers platform to meet, reaffirming commitment to collaborative action among policymakers, civil society, and carers themselves.

The discussion will now feed int to the development of a Call to Action which will be endorsed by relevant stakeholders and handed over to the European Commission.