By Eamonn Fitzgerald, President of HOPE
In 1966, hospital associations’ representatives coming from the six founding members of the European Economic Community gathered in Rome decided to meet regularly in order to discuss questions and problems related to hospitals.
After six years, in 1972, this group created the Hospital Committee of the Common Market. The aim of the organisation was further developed, giving the mandate to the Committee to start working as a source of influence. Indeed, the objectives were twofold: promoting the exchange of experiences and information; establishing and maintaining relations with the European institutions.
The year 1981 marked an important historical date as it represented the beginning of one of the organisation’s core activities. An “Exchange Programme” was launched in pursuance of historical objective to promote exchange of knowledge and good practices. This programme, lasting originally three months (now four weeks), was aimed at leading to better understanding of the functioning of healthcare and hospital systems within the EU and neighbour countries, and targeted hospital professionals. Besides the Exchange Programme, over the years there have been multiple bilateral exchanges initiated on specific.
Until 1988, the Committeeplayed a rather reflective and documentary “think tank” role on the European health scene, enabling the exchange of relevant information and accomplishing thematic work. From this time on, the Committee decided to play a more important and active role in the social development of Europe and redefined the scope of action of the organisation accordingly to this new mission: acting as a source of advice and information about hospital affairs to the European Parliament and the European Commission.
At the same time, at the beginning of the 1990s, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the German reunification prompted Member States to strengthen their collaboration with central and eastern European countries. In this context, at the end of 1989 the Committee decided to broaden its work to central and eastern European hospitals through seminars and specific programs.
Since 1973, the organisation also started to enlarge membership to new countries., including Ireland. The period from 1995 to 2013 saw an escalation in the membership of the European Union with the addition of sixteen new countries. Following the accession of their countries to the European Union and the consequent impact of European Union policies at national level, new members joined the Committee in these years.
In 2003, the Committee Central Office moved from Leuven to Brussels, to be closer to the EU Institutions. One year after, during the extraordinary plenary assembly taking place on November 29, 2004 in Berlin, a new statute was adopted modifying the name of the organisation into the actual one: European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE). This change in name and scope was decided in order to be closer to the reality of the organisation’s members, who are not limited to hospitals only and to reflect the work and actions initiated with the HOPE Action Programme in 1989.
From 2004 on, HOPE intensified its representation and lobbying activities. This was motivated by a growing number of issues on the European Union agenda having an impact on the organisation and operation of hospital and healthcare services. –
With 37 members from the 27 European Union members and 3 other European countries, HOPE represents today a perfect example of the diversity of European health systems.
Source of Data: HOPE CEO office
