Our work programme

The MHE Annual Work Plan for the year 2008, entitled "Working together in the EU – Enhancing communication, collaboration and commitment in the fight against poverty and social exclusion of people with mental health problems" (supported by the European Commission PROGRESS Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity 2007-2013), has the overall goal to develop and strengthen MHE’s capacities and that of its member organisations, including people with mental health problems, who are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, to inform and influence employment and social policy and processes at the local, national, regional and European level with a view to better reflecting the needs of people with mental health problems.

Under this overall goal, the main thematic emphasis is given to the upcoming review of the renewed Lisbon Strategy and the National Strategy Reports on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008-2010.

As part of this process, MHE closely monitors and follows-up the Commission Communications on active inclusion and on social services of general interest, as a means to promote the active and social inclusion of people with mental health problems who are amongst those furthest from the labour market. MHE contributes to the renewed Social Agenda as well as to other reflections on the EU and its future missions.

In order to reach these thematic targets, MHE is investing in 2008 in three overarching objectives:

1. improve the organisational capacity and management of MHE;

2. reinforce the European social dimension of the renewed Lisbon strategy for Growth and Jobs to better respond to the challenges and needs of people with mental health problems;

3. continuous exchange and dialogue with EU Institutions and other stakeholders on designing future policies in employment and social fields to better reflect the needs of people with mental health problems.

About the PROGRESS PROGRAMME

PROGRESS is the EU’s new employment and social solidarity programme. Working alongside the European Social Fund (ESF), it started in 2007 and will run until 2013. This programme replaces the four previous ones that ended in 2006 covering actions against discrimination, equality between men and women, employment measures and the fight against social exclusion. The EU opted for a single programme to rationalise and streamline EU funding and concentrate its activities to improve the impact.

The EU set up PROGRESS to accompany Member States efforts to promote more and better jobs and equal opportunities for all. The public are looking to the EU to strengthen social Europe so that it can deliver growth and more jobs and fight poverty and social exclusion. Member States have set targets as part of the European Employment Strategy and explained the paths they will follow to achieve them in their national action plans.

The EU carefully designed the new programme to support this policy development and its delivery in five areas:

1. Employment, 

2. Social inclusion and protection,

3. Working conditions,

4. Non-discrimination,

5. Gender equality.

PROGRESS has six general objectives. These are:

1. To improve the knowledge and understanding of Member states situation through analysis, evaluation and close monitoring of policies;

2. To support the development of statistical tools, methods and common indicators in the areas covered by the programme (broken down by gender and age group where appropriate);

3. To support and monitor the implementation of Community law and policy objectives in the Member States to assess their effectiveness and impact;

4. To promote networking and mutual learning and identify and disseminate good practice and innovative approaches at EU level;

5. To enhance stakeholder and general public awareness about each policy area;

6. To boost the capacity of key EU networks to promote, support and further develop EU policies and objectives. 

To read further information on the PROGRESS Programme, click HERE