Our priorities
Our work with our European partners currently includes:
- maintaining our role within the European medical community and medical organisations (EMOs) which provide a vital platform to work collaboratively on issues affecting the medical profession and our patients across Europe
- monitoring the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in areas of particular interest – data protection, medical research, labour rights, medical workforce and immigration issues – to patients and the physicians who treat them
- monitoring the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and post-transition Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, which includes securing an uninterrupted post-transition medicines supply from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
- campaigning to influence national governments to amend their domestic legislation to continue recognising UK medical professional qualifications post-Brexit.
Our partners
The CPME (Standing Committee of European Doctors) represents national medical associations across Europe and highlights the medical profession’s point of view to EU institutions and European policy-making through pro-active cooperation on a wide range of health and healthcare-related issues.
The UEMS (European Union of Medical Specialists) represents the National Associations of Medical Specialists in the EU and its associated countries, and which works to set standards for high-quality healthcare practice.
The EJD (European Junior Doctors’ Association) represents junior doctors from across Europe and works to safeguard their interests by improving working conditions, professional mobility and standards regarding the quality of postgraduate medical training.
The UEMO (European Union of General Practitioners) represents GPs across Europe and works to promote the highest standard of training, practice and patient care within this field while defending their role within Europe’s healthcare systems.
European brief - July 2022
Our monthly European brief provides an overview of the key EU legislative and policy developments which impact the medical profession, as well as the work being carried out by the BMA to ensure that those developments align with our members' interests.
Topics discussed in this month's briefing, include:
- Brexit update
- COVID-19 response
- Horizon Europe update
- Monkeypox update
- WHO Report on refugee and migrant health
- MEPs vote for abortion rights
European Forum
The European Forum is a bi-annual meeting that brings together a wide range of UK health stakeholders to consider European policies and initiatives.
It enables the exchange of information about European activities and, when appropriate, will coordinate action to influence EU institutions and the UK Government.
Topics of discussion have previously included the results of the UK’s election to the European Parliament, the implications of Brexit on access to safe medicines and medical devices, and assessing the security of EU citizens' residence and equal treatment rights in the UK after Brexit.
While it is not an official BMA body, the BMA’s European office provides the secretariat. The chair of the forum is elected from within the group and serves for an initial, renewable two-year period.
European Forum constitution
The forum includes both BMA members and external representatives.
Representatives from the BMA include:
- consultants committee
- general practitioners committee
- international committee
- junior doctors committee
- medical academic staff committee
- medical students committee
- public health committee
- staff, associate specialist and specialty doctors committee.
Membership includes two representatives from the international committee and one representative, or agreed alternative, from the remaining committees.
Also, one representative from each of the devolved nations:
- BMA Northern Ireland
- BMA Scotland
- BMA Wales.
The European Forum is open to relevant stakeholders and external organisations on application. If you'd like to enquire about joining the forum, get in touch with the BMA's Europe office. External representatives include:
- BIDA
- British Dental Association
- British Medical Journal
- British Society for Rheumatology
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
- Department of Health
- General Medical Council
- King’s College Hospital – Sexual and Reproductive Health
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- National Pharmacy Association
- NHS European Office
- Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Overseas doctors’ organisations
- Royal College of Anaesthetists
- Royal College of Emergency Medicine
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of Midwives
- Royal College of Nursing
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Royal College of Pathologists
- Royal College of Physicians
- Royal College of Surgeons
- TUC
- UKCC.
All external representatives attend the forum at their own expense.
Please contact the BMA European office for further information about:
- our work in Europe
- our European partners
- the European Forum