The European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations (EFNNMA) is the voice of nursing and midwifery within WHO European Region.Working in partnership and strategically with WHO and other key stakeholders we aim to influence health policy, improve the quality of health services and the health of people across the 53 Member States of the Region. We are passionate advocates of the central and unique contribution that Nurses and Midwives make to individual and population health and well-being across Europe and are committed to ensuring both professions are supported to deliver excellence in their practice. As the nature of care changes we believe that strengthening and developing the nursing and midwifery workforce through the provision of lifelong learning and research delivers excellence in public health and people-centered healthcare.
EFNNMA Annual meeting, March 30, 2021
The aims of the meeting included discussions over the legal registration of the EFNNMA, the new Statutes of the Forum, Internal regulations, new fee structure and elections of executive officers.
EFNNMA was founded in 1996 as a Forum to support the ongoing discussion between the WHO Europe and professional nurses and midwifery associations. The administration of the EFNNMA was under WHO Europe support. The nature of the Forum didn’t require its registration as a legal body. In 2013 the EFNNMA took on the responsibilities for self-administration and was supported by the German Nurses Association that took the role of collecting the membership fees and supporting EFNNMA expenditures. Now, due to financial operations outsourcing, DFBK can no longer provide such a support and there is a need to establishing the EFNNMA bank account, which requires the legal registration of the Forum.
The Portuguese Order of Nurses has kindly agreed to provide all necessary support in registration and opening of an account of the EFNNMA. In collaboration of the EFNNMA Steering Committee and the Ordem Legal department a draft Statutes has been developed. The new format of EFNNMA requested some specific Governing Bodies to be established, such as Executive Board, General Assembly Board, and Fiscal Board as a consequence of legal registration requirements.
The Statutes should become a document, guiding the work of EFNNMA for many years ahead without changes of its content. In day to day practice EFNNMA will be also guided by more detailed Internal regulations that can grow and develop over the time and be changed by the voting of the plenary meeting.
With acceptance of new members it has become clear that the current fee structure being properly used requires us to recheck the GNI per capita amounts and recalculate the fees for many member associations. The Secretariat did so, and as a consequence fees for the many associations would be increased. At a time of pandemic we decided first, not to collect the fees in both 2020 and 2021, and second, to revisit the fee structure to provide more membership opportunities for the low and middle-income countries.
On March 30th members of the EFNNMA discussed the proposed Statutes, Internal regulations, Fee structure and agreed with the proposed changes, including the EFNNMA registration, developing the new Governing system, implementing the new fee schedule. Formal approval the Statutes and the Internal regulations, as well as elections of the Governing Bodies was agreed to take place on April 30 following the internal discussions by members and potential amendments. All EFNNMA member associations were urged to send in thier nominations and potential amendments to the the founding documents of the EFNNMA. The First official General Assembly of the EFNNMA to be held on April 30, 2021 has been agreed.
