Wide MEP support to our joint call for investigation into COVID-19 mismanagement in the long-term care sector

There is mounting evidence from several EU countries that a large proportion of infections and deaths related to COVID-19 in Europe have occurred in residential services for older people, persons with disabilities and other social service facilities. Together with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Disability Forum (EDF), we denounce the lack of consideration given by public authorities to staff and residents of long-term care facilities, which led to a very poor and delayed management of the outbreak in the sector in many EU countries.

In a joint letter to the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, the presidents of the political groups, and the chairs of the Employment (EMPL) and Petitions (PETI) Committees, we called for an urgent inquiry into the mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic in long-term care facilities across Europe to make sure lessons will be drawn.

> Read EPSU-EDF-AGE joint press release

Our call has been endorsed by large numbers of MEPs expressing their commitment to “ensuring that the European Parliament has the will and the strength to discover and reconstruct what has happened, strengthen attention on these facilities, find alternatives of group housing and avoid other mistakes and tragedies.”

> Read MEPs letter of support

For more information, you may contact Borja Arrue: borja.arrue@age-platform.eu