February 2026—Following EFPA’s collaboration last year with the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), the European Commission’s recently released Final Report on The Applicability of Existing Union Legislation to Telemedicine Services assesses how existing EU legislation applies to telemedicine across the EU/EEA, with particular attention to mental health services, the healthcare workforce, and digital health tools.
Key findings include:
- Telemedicine, including telepsychology, is effective for common adult mental health conditions and improves access and flexibility of care.
- Fragmented national regulations (and the lack of a coherent European level frame to situate them within) create uncertainty for psychologists and services users around licensing, liability, reimbursement, and cross-border practice.
- There are gaps in quality assurance and ethical oversight, especially for rapidly growing digital mental health tools.
The report helps support EFPA’s work, aligned with EuroPsy (the European Standard in Psychology set by EFPA), in advocating for harmonised EU standards while still respecting varying national systems, cultivating strong professional and ethical standards, and highlighting recognition of psychologists’ expertise in digital mental health.