European Care Strategy - presentation by Commissioner Dalli - 12.9.2022

The FEMM Committee welcomed Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, who presented the European Care Strategy adopted by the Commission last week. As reminded in the joint EMPL-FEMM resolution on Common European Action on Care adopted last July by the Parliament, the formal care workforce is 6.3 million people and the estimated informal carers around 45 million, with a vast majority of women. Urgent action is needed to address the issues of the understaffed and underfunded care sector, and to recognise a right to care that fulfils quality standards for both carers and receivers. These challenges became even more visible during the Covid-19 and followed by the wave of refugees from Ukraine. FEMM Members debated with Commissioner Dalli on the announced Strategy and its two Council recommendations on childcare and on long-term care.