Luxembourg held to account for failing to meet training hours for nurses

After years of negotiations with the Luxembourg Government, the Luxembourg National Nurses’ Association (ANIL), a member of EPHA member the European Federation of Nurses, made a complaint with DG Internal Market of the European Commission in December 2007, against Luxembourg for non compliance with the Directive 2005/36/EC.

In 2008 and 2009, several meetings were organised with the related Ministries (National Education, Health, and Higher Education), after the European Commission sent letters of formal notice. Luxembourgish legislation required 3.600 hours and their training lasts 25 months, which was the shortest training period in Europe. ANIL maintains that training in Luxembourg was always of a good quality, but more training hours were necessary.

The Luxembourg Government had to react and its Council decided, in its meeting of 26 February 2010, to increase the training of nurses from three to four years of study and the theoretical hours with 10%, excluding the student study time, to get close to the hours fixed by the directive.

The European Commission sent a formal request to Luxembourg to amend its legislation on the training requirements for nurses so that it fulfils the minimum requirements laid out in the the Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC). ANIL filed a complaint with the Commission due to the fact that Luxembourg’s training for nurses was shorter than the minimum requirements, this may have compromised the automatic recognition of their qualifications throughout the EU.

Now, the training of nurses will fulfil the provisions of Directive 2005/36/EC, in particular as regards the 4.600 hours of theoretical and clinical training, the duration of the theoretical training representing at least a third (1.534 hours) and clinical training at least one half of the minimum duration of training (2.300 hours).

Please contact Mr. Paul de Raeve, General Secretary of the European Federation of Nurses Associations for more information.

Email: efn@efn.be - Tel: +32 2 512 74 19 - Web: www.efnweb.eu

Further information:

 National Nurses Association of Luxembourg (ANIL) ;

 Conseil de gouvernement – summary of meeting 26/02/2010;

 Directive 2005/36/EC;

 EFN Policy & Position Statements on Synergy between Directive 36, Bologna & European Qualifications Framework.

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