The EAN General Assembly 2026 will take place in Naples on 5–6 May, bringing together members, partners and key stakeholders from across Europe. The meeting will focus on the future of long-term care, including funding, workforce, digitalisation and European policy developments, combined with networking opportunities and a study visit.

Registration for all events is mandatory.

Basic Information

Event: EAN General Assembly Meeting

Date: 5–6 May 2026

Location: Naples, Italy

Contacts: Karel Vostrý info@ean.care; Elena Weber weber_elena@aol.com; Lina Paduano linapaduano@residenzagiana.it 

Registration (mandatory): https://forms.gle/JGhhUSuowt9xroBWA

List of registered participants: https://shorturl.at/m9iWb 

Documents & materials:

Programme Overview

Tuesday, 5 May 2026 – Study Visit & Networking

15:00 – Bus transport from Hotel RAMADA to RSA GIANA
16:00 – 18:00 – Visit to RSA GIANA

  • Facility visit and presentation of services
  • Introduction to the social services system in the Campania region
  • Address: Via Ugo Foscolo 68, Qualiano – Napoli

18:00 – Transfer to Naples city centre

19:15 – 20:15 – Guided walking tour - The Legends of Naples

20:30 – 22:30 – Joint dinner of EAN members & partners

Wednesday, 6 May 2026 – General Assembly

Venue: Congress centre of the Hotel RAMADA NAPLES
Via Galileo Ferraris 40, 80146 Naples, Italy

08:30 – 09:00 – Registration
09:00 – 12:30 – General Assembly – Part I
12:30 – 13:00 – Buffet lunch
13:30 – 16:15 – General Assembly – Part II
16:15 – 17:00 – General Assembly – Part III (Workshop)

Agenda 

Part I (09:00 – 12:30)

  1. Welcome address by EAN president J. Horecký and member of Executive Board Mrs. E. Weber together with Mr. Nicola Galdiero, member of the General Assembly and host in Naples
  2. GA Agenda proposal
  3. Welcoming of new EAN members and guests + introduction roundtable session of all participants
    1. New members: COPAS (Luxembourg), DemenTalent (The Netherlands),  Workforce Edge Consulting Inc. (Belgium / Canada), Anume s.r.o., Clementas (Czech Republic), Cyprus Third Age Observatory, Senior Care Service Kft. (Hungary),  INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SUPPORT (Poland)
  4. Minutes from the last GA meeting – Lisbon 10/2025
  5. WG on Funding – Presentation of the Final Report “Towards a Framework for Sustainable, Equitable and Responsible Funding of Elderly Care in the European Union”                   A. Koster
    1. Funding models of social services in Europe
    2. Public and/or private providers
    3. Ways for sustainable funding of long-term care in Europe
    4. Recommendations for the Governments and takeaway messages
  6. RESPONSIBLE RECRUITMENT OF SKILLED CARE WORKERS CAN MITIGATE STAFF SHORTAGES IN THE EUROPEAN LTC SECTOR (30 min)
  • ​Ms Roseline K. Njogu - Principal Secretary, State Department for Diaspora Affairs, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya
  • Mr. Salvatore Petronella, Associate Director, Policy & Public Affairs, Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP)
  1. EU affairs                                                                                                          M. Smeets
    1. European Care Strategy – update and implementation
    2. Quality Jobs Roadmap
    3. Resilience and Preparedness of the Long-Term Care (LTC) Sector
    4. Digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity                                            
  2. AGE Platform Europe (20 min)                                                                        Marine Luc (AGE Platform)
    1. Introduction of the organisation
    2. AGE task forces – together for accessible long-term care in EU
  3. Next Congresses and Events
    1. 2027 GAN LTC CONGRESS in Prague (7-8 September 2027)
    2. Call for the EAN congress 2028 or 2029
  4. Digitalization of long-term care                                                                          V. Husáková, M. Smeets
    1. NIS2 impact to social services
    2. EHDS impact
    3. WG Digitalization 2.0 – expectation and needs of the sector, conclusions

Coffee break at 10:30 – 11:00

Buffet lunch at 12:30 – 13:30

Part II (13:30 – 16:15)

  1. ALLIAX White Paper                                                                                           Elena Weber
  2. EU projects with EAN involvement
    1. WELL CARE  - well-being of caregivers
    2. EldiCare 2.0 – VET training of care staff
    3. Care4Skills – skills development of care workers
    4. Care4Elders – improving dementia care and workforce skills
    5. Vaccination Hesitancy project (MSD) – reducing vaccination hesitancy among older persons
    6. EAN Project team
  3. WELL CARE PROJECT - well-being of caregivers (30 min)                           Marco Socci (IRCCS INRCA)
    1. General project information
    2. Main focus, activities and WP2 outputs
    3. Q&A
  4. Financial matters
    1. Financial balance 2025
    2. Auditors report 2025
    3. Budget 2026
  5. Housing and Living Environment of older people
    1. New WG on Living Environment                                                                 D. Sapy, M. Smeets
  6. Global Ageing Network
    1. Chart of Rights for older persons
  7. European Social dialogue in Social services                                                               
    1. Federation of European Social Employers (FESE) introduction                  Sylvain Renouvel
    2. ELA activities on Long-term care
  8. Social Services Europe updates                                                                         A. Koster, M. Smeets
    1. General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) for Social Services
    2. Public Procurement Directive in LTC
  9.  Updates from Europe – short reports from members on national situation
  10. Miscellaneous & Discussion
    1. Next General Assembly meeting  in Warsaw – autumn 2026

Part III (16:15 – 17:00)

  1. ​Workshop: In Times of Crises – AI & Preparedness as a Solution

This workshop will explore how AI and digital tools can support long-term care in times of crisis. Participants will gain practical insights and share experiences from different care settings.

Coffee break at 15:00 – 15:30

 

Accommodation

Participants may book accommodation individually. Recommended options:

• Hotel Ramada Naples (venue of the GA meeting): https://ramadanaples.it/en/
• Hotel Terminus – https://www.starhotels.com/en/our-hotels/terminus-naples/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=glocal
• Hotel Neapolis – https://neapolis.hotelsnaples.net/it/

• Gold Tower hotel - https://www.goldtowerhotel.it/
• Various B&B options in the city centre