MHE key activities and events in the field of Mental Health Promotion and Prevention of disorders

MHE is involved on an ongoing basis in public consultations and debates at the EU level to advocate for the promotion of positive mental health.

• From the Green Paper to the European Pact on Mental Health and Well-being

Since 2005, MHE has followed closely the process related to the European Commission Green Paper ‘Improving the Mental Health of the Population: Towards a Strategy on Mental Health for the European Union '. MHE took an active part in the open consultation launched by the European Commission in order to contribute to the development of an EU-Strategy on Mental Health. After an internal consultation with member and third party organisations, MHE sent a response on the Green Paper to the European Commission in May 2006. In its response , MHE welcomed the objectives of the Green Paper and strongly supported the need to develop a comprehensive strategy on the mental health of the EU population. In particular, MHE stressed that it is fundamental to ensure a public health approach to positive mental health for all in the European Union.

MHE has being actively engaged in the working process towards the launch of the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being, as well as in the current implementation phase. Following the Commission's decision on December 2007 not to have a European strategy on Mental Health, MHE put its efforts to ensure that the European Pact would adopt a wide-ranging approach to promoting good mental health and well-being, and addresses the society as a whole across key settings. Together with other relevant experts and organisations, MHE contributed to the Commission's preparatory work for the High-Level Conference on Mental Health  (Brussels, 13 June 2008), which addressed the priority themes of the Commission's future work on mental health. In particular, MHE provided expertise for the drafting of thematic Consensus Papers on mental health in youth and education, mental health in older people and social exclusion issues.

MHE has expressed its support to the Pact as it believes that it is fundamental to take its recommendations forward and implement coordinated actions at all levels. In its official statement of support for the European Pac, MHE highlights its commitment to contribute to its actual implementation at EU and national level. In line with this, the MHE members have been engaged in promoting the Pact's priorities and lobbying their national and regional authorities to achieve mental health sensitive policies that meet the real needs of the population.
On the EU level, MHE has strengthened its partnership with the EU Institution and other organisations, by providing strategic advice and participating in relevant events around the Pact , such as the Round Table on Reducing the Psychosocial Impact of the Financial and Economic Crisis (Brussels, 27 April 2009); the thematic debate on Mental Health and Gender (Brussels, 13 May 2009) and the conference on Destigmatisation and Improving the Quality of Care in Psychiatry (Prague, 28 - 29 May 2009 ).

More recently, MHE contributed as key expert to the organisation and implementation of the high-level thematic conference on "Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being of Children and Young People - Making it happen", held on 29-30 September in Stockholm. The conference was organised by the European Commission and the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency.

MHE work with the European Parliament

• Follow-up of the legislative work of the European Parliament

MHE is engaged in the formal and informal dialogues that are continuously taking place between the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs ) and relevant stakeholders.
In the field of public (mental) health in particular, MHE follows the legislative process and the activities of the European Parliament Committee for Health and Environment (ENVI) . MHE is also involved in the work of the European Parliament Special Interest Group on Carers, which was launched in June 2007 with the aim of ensuring that the issues of carers are taken into account in the EU policy and decision making process.The mental health and well-being of the population has received growing attention and has been recognised as a key policy issue by the members of the European Parliament's Committee for Health and Environment.
On 19 February 2009, the European Parliament voted on the motion for a resolution on Mental Health and the report was adopted unanimously. MHE was invited to contribute and give its comments on the EP mental health report by Evangelia Tzampazi MEP, rapporteur for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and by Frieda Brepoels MEP, shadow rapporteur for the same document.

MHE welcomed the initiative of the European Parliament and is satisfied with many issues highlighted in the report. In particular, MHE is pleased that the Parliament encourages the establishment of a multi-stakeholder consultative Platform to implement the European Pact, and that it calls on the Member States to support the strengthening of organisations which represent service users and carers in order to facilitate their participation in the formulation and implementation of policy and in all stages of research into mental health.

The final text of the resolution is available on the European Parliament website