The European EMS Congress took place from 2-4 June 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The event was attended by over 1200 delegates from 47 Countries, across 5 continents.
Last held in 2022, the 2025 event was a collaboration between EMS Europe and Region Stockholm with support from HLR Radet, AISAB and FLISA.
Under the EMS Europe ethos “It takes a system to save a life” the sub-theme for the 2025 congress was “Safety for our patients, our people and our communities.”
The congress opened with a keynote from Pelle Gustafson on Patient Safety. Other keynote sessions of importance were the WHO Framework for Emergency Patient Care and the Médecins Sans Frontières presentation on Healthcare in Conflicts, which received a standing ovation from those present.
As ever, the congress supported an abstract competition which showcased over 190 posters. With a renewed focus on sustainability, this year the organisers switched to a digital poster format (using renewable energy) with individual poster presentations.
The 2025 European EMS Championship featured a record 16 teams and showcased the diversity in EMS services globally, with 15 countries represented. After an exhaustive day of preliminaries, three teams were selected to progress to the live final: The EMS Capital Region DK Team (Denmark), Team Ijsselland (Netherlands) and the team from KAGes & Med Uni Graz (Austria).
The Austrian team from KAGes & Med Uni Graz were the Judges’ winners of the championship, with Team Ijsselland taking second place. However, an audience vote was also held, and the winner was The EMS Capital Region DK Team from Denmark.
The championship teams were celebrated in a prize giving ceremony at the Gala Dinner, held in Stockholm City Hall, which has played host to a number of prestigious events, but is most notable for being the venue in which the King of Sweden awards the Nobel Prizes annually.
Day 3 featured the unique ‘EMS Labs’ and delegates were invited to choose between seven high-quality labs and workshops teaching critical thinking and practical skills. Subjects ranged from Maternity and Obstetric emergencies, to climate change and sustainability in EMS.
The final day also saw the return of the innovative ‘EMS Talks’ session in which 10 speakers delivered a 5-minute ‘TED’ style talk to delegates. In 2025, an interactive element was introduced, whereby delegates could vote for their favourite EMS Talk. The winner was Anna Moe Øvstebø from Norway who delivered a short talk entitled ‘The CPR Guarantee Paradox’
Patrik Söderberg, Chief Medical Officer for Pre-Hospital Care in the Stockholm Region and board member for EMS Europe said “The EMS Congress has once again put the spotlight on pre-hospital care. The 2025 high-quality scientific program delivered unique opportunities for learning and collaboration. The congress provided a forum for a diverse range of healthcare professionals from around the world to come together to share ideas and best practice.”
Freddy Lippert, International Chief Medical Officer for Falck and board member for EMS Europe said, “EMS2025 built on the success of our previous congresses, delivering an unparalleled and unique learning experience for delegates, competitors and volunteers. The 2025 congress showcased high-quality scientific research and offered an international dialogue on emerging issues for emergency medical services and pre-hospital care. EMS Europe exists to share learning internationally. to advance the field of pre-hospital care and to improve patient outcomes and experience. We look forward to delivering more opportunities for learning in the future.”
With thanks to our sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers.
