Europe is entering a decisive decade for care. Across the EU, the demand for long-term care is rising sharply: by 2030, an estimated 23.6 million people will require long-term support, reaching over 30 million by 2050.^[1] This trajectory reflects the growing share of Europe’s rapidly ageing population, currently amounting to one in five Europeans and expected to rise to one in three by 2050.^[2] The challenges facing ageing populations are exacerbated by persistent workforce shortages, notably among youth and women. In fact, more than seven million women across the EU are currently excluded from the labour market due to unpaid care responsibilities^[3]. Care responsibilities also shape reproductive choices. Recent empirical research in Germany shows that anticipated caregiving responsibilities, especially toward ageing parents, significantly reduce expected childbearing behavior, independently and in combination with employment uncertainty, with stronger effects observed among women.^[4] Last but not least, migrant care workers increasingly fill gaps in long-term care systems, often doing so with limited legal or social protections, all the while navigating cultural differences, language barriers, and other structural inequalities.^[5]

These trends should not be observed in isolation. They reveal the deeply interconnected nature of care with national economies, raising urgent questions not only about equity and economic resilience, but the sustainability of Europe’s social model.

Pursuing Partnerships that drive Innovation & Impact

The European Union has made strides in acknowledging the reality painted by the statistics, articulating an ambitious framework to reduce care-related inequalities and strengthen support for carers. The European Care Strategy, the Work-Life Balance Directive, and the forthcoming Gender Equality Strategy provide a strong foundation for shaping Europe’s ability to support healthy ageing and to strengthen care infrastructure. Yet, policy ambition is just one piece of the puzzle. Delivering on such ambitions relies on a diverse ecosystem of actors – public authorities, employers, civil society organisations, and carers themselves – to translate principles into practice.

Across Europe, public-private partnerships over the last fifteen years have steadily driven initiatives that cultivate awareness and improve access to resources, training, and support. Such work brings together patient and carer organisations, policymakers, researchers, municipalities, employers such as Merck, and many more to test, refine, and replicate solutions that reflect real-world needs. Crucially, these partnerships are piloting models that align closely with EU values and policy objectives. Initiatives like Embracing Carers® are a testament to the versatility of social impact interventions and their ability to harness insights that can inform broader policy conversations.

In Merck Portugal, grassroots engagement through the Movimento Cuidar dos Cuidadores Informais has provided skills-based training, set up peer support groups, which, combined with national advocacy, have elevated caregiving within the national public debate. In Merck Spain, ClosinGAP^[6] has spearheaded research examining the costs of gender inequality, building an economic case for investing in care at the national level. In Hungary, the launch of the first national Carers’ Day in October 2025 united civil society, decision-makers, artists, and the private sector in a successful and touching showcase that demonstrates how even symbolic recognition can catalyze broader policy momentum. The ripple effect of these efforts extends well beyond carers, helping shift mindsets, influence policy decisions, and strengthen support structures over the long term.

In our work across Europe, Merck has observed the importance and necessity of intersectional, carer-informed approaches. Opportunities such as participatory consultations and structured dialogue become essential puzzle pieces that meaningfully integrate lived experiences into decision-making. Pursuing initiatives that embody an ethos of inclusion and co-creation result in outcomes that are future-proof. Taken together, existing collaborations highlight a crucial point: shaping robust healthcare frameworks goes hand-in-hand with investing in local initiatives. The challenge before us is not whether to invest in care infrastructure, but how quickly, consistently, and efficiently Europe can do so.

Reimagining the Care Economy

When care systems are underdeveloped, absent, or neglected, the consequences extend far beyond the family unit. In continuing to treat care as a private issue, borne disproportionately by individuals rather than governments, the EU’s policy goals will inevitably remain out of reach. However, it is undeniable that care must be understood as part and parcel of Europe’s competitiveness strategy. By recognizing care as core social infrastructure, the EU has an opportunity to align regulation, funding, and partnerships in a way that delivers measurable impact.

Care infrastructure encompasses not only long-term care services and healthcare capacity, but also the skills, workplace practices, data systems, and social protections that enable care to be delivered sustainably over time. Training carers, supporting flexible work arrangements, and strengthening community-based care models are all concrete examples of how care infrastructure can be built incrementally and responsibly. Seen through this lens, caregiving becomes a lever for achieving multiple EU objectives at once: boosting labour market participation, supporting healthy ageing, improving fertility rates, and reinforcing social cohesion.

EU structural funding instruments, such as the newly proposed European Social Fund (ESF) via National and Regional Partnership plans, Catalyst Europe policy loans, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, can be mobilised by Member States to support reforms such as implementing family-friendly workplace reforms and providing free skills-based trainings and certifications for carers. Flexible and long-term financing from the EU and Member States can support existing public-private collaborations, striking a balance between scaling up what already works and being bold to innovate where conventional approaches may have fallen short.

Looking Ahead

As Europe moves from strategy to delivery, the task ahead is collective. By linking ambition with implementation, strategy with partnerships, we can ensure that care becomes a shared public responsibility worthy of investment. Positioning care as a strategic imperative central to Europe’s demographic and economic resilience legitimizes the necessary investments and upscaling needed from national governments, incentivizes innovation from public-private coalitions, and breeds trust and social safeguards in a landscape burdened with inequalities.

Merck remains firmly committed to a vision that embraces nuance and complexity, reflecting the reality of the patients and carers we work alongside. Building an inclusive care ecosystem requires sustained and consistent collaboration with patient and carer organizations and policymakers, alike. As we approach the 10th anniversary of Embracing Carers®, our efforts to elevate the caregiving experience in policy, advocacy, and workplace innovation will continue to ensure carers remain visible, valued, and supported.

About Embracing Carers®

Embracing Carers® is a global initiative founded by Merck, in collaboration with leading carer organizations around the world, designed to increase awareness, discussion, and action about the often-overlooked needs of carers. Given that carers need support and often do not know where to turn for help, Embracing Carers® was created to fill that void. www.embracingcarers.com

References:

[1] European Policy Centre. Gender Equality: Who Cares? Do You? 2022, https://www.epc.eu/publication/Gender-equality-Who-cares-Do-you-4680d4/.

[2] European Commission. Population structure and ageing. 2025.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Population_structure_and_ageing&oldid=408355#:~:text=update:%20February%202026.-,Highlights,-0.1%20years%2C%20respectively).

[3] European Policy Centre. Gender Equality: Who Cares? Do You? 2022.
https://www.epc.eu/publication/Gender-equality-Who-cares-Do-you-4680d4/.

[4] Ramos, V.J., Kreyenfeld, M., Alonso-Perez, E. et al. Future Caregiving Responsibilities, Employment Uncertainties, and Expected Childbearing Behavior: Survey Experimental Evidence from Germany. Population Research and Policy. Rev 44, 48 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-025-09969-9

[5] Eurocarers. Integrating Migrant Care Into European And National Long-Term Care Strategies. 2025. https://eurocarers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Eurocarers-PP-Migrant-Workers.pdf

[6] ClosinGap is a non-profit association created by Merck in September 2018 with the objective of promoting social transformation towards an economy with greater gender equality. It comprises 16 leading companies across various strategic sectors in Spain with the objectives of being a leader in generating knowledge on women & economy, foster innovation in initiatives related to the economy and women & driving social and economic transformation through public-private collaboration.