You can find some updates from our Member Associations in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iceland, Netherlands and Sweden in this article.

Looking for upcoming OT events, conferences, and congresses across Europe? COTEC Member Associations are hosting a variety of opportunities to connect, learn, and share knowledge. Check out the list below—and don’t forget, you can find all events on our website calendar for the latest updates! 13th March 2026 – Ergotherapie Jaarcongres (Netherlands) https://info.ergotherapie.nl/congres 20th-21st March 2026 […]

Advocacy remains a cornerstone of strengthening Occupational Therapy’s visibility, recognition, and impact across Europe. In the recent Coffee with COTEC session held on the 9th December 2025, representatives from Member Associations shared experiences, best practices, and ongoing challenges in advocating for the profession across diverse contexts.  

COTEC Vice President Yara Peterko represents COTEC at the European Commission’s HTA Stakeholder Network meetings. She advocates for outcomes that matter most to occupational therapists, including daily functioning, participation, independence, and quality of life, ensuring these perspectives are embedded in future European Health Technology Assessment processes led by the Commission.

The 1st International Occupational Therapy Congress in Kosovo, held in Prishtina on 21–22 November 2025, marked a major milestone for the profession, bringing together nearly 200 participants from Kosovo and abroad. The congress showcased international expertise, research, clinical practice, and advocacy, while highlighting the growing occupational therapy workforce in the country. Keynotes, workshops, panel discussions, and interactive sessions emphasised the profession’s expanding role in health, education, and community settings, and its importance in promoting participation, independence, and wellbeing.

COTEC Executive Committee Member Tiska Ikking attended the 3rd in-person meeting of the Harnessing Talent Platform in Brussels, Belgium

The European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and COTEC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, formalising a shared commitment to advance public health across Europe. The agreement was signed during the 18th European Public Health Conference in Helsinki.

The European Public Health (EPH) Conference is an annually organised scientific conference on public health issues in Europe. EPH 2025 was held in Helsinki, Finland between the 12-14 November, 2025.

You can now re-watch our webinar on our Youtube channel.

During a visit to Brussels on 14 October 2025, Anu Söderström participated in a Euractiv networking event featuring a debate on workplace safety in industrial settings. Discussions highlighted evolving risks linked to new technologies, psychosocial factors, and mental health at work. Emphasising that worker safety and wellbeing are key to competitiveness, the event reinforced the importance of preventive, worker-centred EU policies and the role occupational therapy can play in promoting healthy workplaces.

COTEC was proudly represented at the EU-Safety 2025 Conference in Crete, highlighting the vital role of occupational therapy in fall prevention and community safety. Through a poster presentation, plenary address, and media engagement, COTEC strengthened visibility, fostered interdisciplinary dialogue, and reinforced its commitment to evidence-based safety and prevention initiatives across Europe.

News from our Member Associations in Italy and Poland

The COTEC General Assembly elected Tiska Ikking as a new Member of the Executive Committee during the last meeting in Berlin, Germany

COTEC is an active member of the Harnessing Talent Platform (HTP), particularly contributing to the Health Working Group with its focus on up- and re-skilling the workforce, increasing retention rates, and providing solutions for an ageing population. 

Looking for upcoming OT events, conferences, and congresses across Europe? COTEC Member Associations are hosting a variety of opportunities to connect, learn, and share knowledge. Check out the list below—and don’t forget, you can find all events on our website calendar for the latest updates! 13th March 2026 – Ergotherapie Jaarcongres (Netherlands) https://info.ergotherapie.nl/congres

COTEC held its 13th General Assembly in Berlin, Germany on the 27th September 2025.

The COTEC Executive Committee held its Interim Meeting on 25 September 2025 in Berlin, bringing together all members of the Executive Committee and Director of Operations. The Executive Committee reviewed key developments ahead of the General Assembly and Governance Day. Updates were also provided on upcoming initiatives, such as preparations for the Planetary Health Webinar (30 October) and the “Coffee […]

COTEC is delighted to announce our participation in the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Congress 2026, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand.

The COTEC Executive Committee held its second interim meeting in 2025, online from 24th to 25th of June.

News from our Member Associations in Bulgaria, France and Malta

Looking for upcoming OT events, conferences, and congresses across Europe? COTEC Member Associations are hosting a variety of opportunities to connect, learn, and share knowledge. Check out the list below—and don’t forget, you can find all events on our website calendar for the latest updates!

Ann-Marie Morrissey, Vice President Administration recently represented COTEC at the EuroHealthNet Annual Seminar and General Meeting, held from the 11th to 13th of June 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. 

COTEC President, Anu Söderström met with the National Association of Occupational Therapists in Cyprus – a valuable opportunity to strengthen collaboration, exchange best practices, and highlight strategic priorities for the occupational therapy profession, both nationally and internationally.

Following a 9-year period, the Panhellenic Association of Ergotherapists organised the 8th National Congress in Athens, Greece. COTEC President, Anu Söderström attended as an invited Keynote speaker. 

The inaugural International Congress of the General Council of Occupational Therapy Professional Colleges (CGCTO), held in Madrid from May 22 to 24, offered a platform for professionals, researchers, and students to exchange knowledge, innovations, and experiences aimed at advancing occupational therapy’s societal impact. COTEC President Anu Söderström, delivered a keynote presentation.

The Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists has established a grant award in the name of Inga-Britt Lindström, who has been the president of the organisation in 1970-2008.

As part of the European Public Health Week (EUPHW) 2025, COTEC hosted a powerful and timely webinar titled “Championing Mental Health at Work for Occupational Therapists.” Held on 12 May 2025, the event aligned with EUPHW’s daily theme, “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right,” and brought vital attention to the emotional well-being and resilience of the occupational therapy workforce across Europe.

The ECHOES project aims to develop a digital platform to facilitate the exchange of expertise between healthcare universities across Europe. The platform allows healthcare professionals and healthcare educators to register their expertise and allow universities to find the experts they need.

President Anu Söderström represented COTEC at the EUPHA Health and Care Workforce Section Mid-term Conference – Combating workforce challenges, which was held in Budapest, March 20-21, 2025.

COTEC Vice President Yara Peterko, together with COTEC President Anu Söderström, recently attended the 2025 Annual Congress of Ergotherapie Austria in Salzburg. The event, titled “Occupational Therapy in Digital Times – Together Towards a Successful Transition,” explored how Occupational Therapy can effectively embrace digital transformation.

Looking for upcoming OT events, conferences, and congresses across Europe? COTEC Member Associations are hosting a variety of opportunities to connect, learn, and share knowledge. Check out the list below—and don’t forget, you can find all events on our website calendar for the latest updates!

News from our Member Associations in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Switzerland and United Kingdom

The Icelandic Occupational Therapy Association (IOTA) is happy to announce a training
course for occupational therapists in the use of A-ONE. The course is held in collaboration with
Institute for continuing education – University of Iceland.

ER-WCPT and COTEC have collaborated over the years, there have been joint position papers and reciprocal endorsements of statements and campaigns as well as online meetings regarding the status of rehabilitation professions.  The Memorandum of Understanding is first of a kind between the two organisations and it provides guidelines for future cooperation. It was signed […]

An online meeting of the COTEC Executive Committee took place between the 26th and the 27th of January via Zoom. It was a busy but productive two days with a full agenda of items to work through. Minutes of the Interim Meeting will be available in the Members section on COTEC’s website.

Nearly 50 OTs and OT students from all around Finland participated in the OT Europe congress in Krakow in October 2024. Most did not know each other, and many were new acquaintances also for us at the association.

At the 1st National Congress of Occupational Therapists in Naples, Italy, which took place in December 2024, Yara Peterko, COTEC Vice President, represented the Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries (COTEC) in a high-level round table discussion.

COTEC held a productive online meeting with the Elizabeth Casson Trust in November 2024. This was the first formal meeting between the two organisations with a view of building a symbiotic relationship.

The COTEC 12th General Assembly was held on the 20th October 2024 in Krakow, Poland. It was a very well attended meeting with meaningful discussions and the approval of COTEC New Strategic Plan for 2025-2028 amongst many others.

COTEC was pleased to meet so many people on our stand at the 1st Occupational Therapy Europe Congress in Krakow, Poland. Various activities were organised everyday for those who visited. Thank you for joining along and don’t forget to continue tagging us on social media whenever you’re using any of our branded merchandise!