Message from the Director

Dear readers,
We hope the New Year started well for all of you.
The Mental Health Europe team sends you its best wishes for a happy, healthy and most of all mentally healthy 2006.
The MHE team is now composed of:

• Benoit Broekmans, accountant
• Mari Fresu, project co-ordinator
• Fanny Muller, trainee
• Sogol Noorani, project co-ordinator
• Christine Terlaeken, administrative assistant
• Mary Van Dievel, director

and our volunteers:

• John Henderson, Senior Policy Adviser
• Josée Van Remoortel, Senior Policy Adviser
• Xavier Van Quickenborne, administration.

The year 2006 will again be a year full of challenges for MHE: there is the consultation on the Green Paper on Mental Health “Improving the mental health of the population; towards a strategy on mental health for the European Union” in which we actively participate, the election of a new Board, the preparation of our conference 2007, the various projects to start or to bring to a good end, the preparation of 2007 “Year of Equal Opportunities”, etc. etc.

Mental Health Europe’s vision is of a Europe where mental health is given high priority, where people with mental health problems live as full citizens with access to appropriate services and support where needed, and where meaningful participation of people with mental health problems and their families and carers is guaranteed at all levels of decision-making and representation.
Our values are based on dignity and respect, equal opportunities, freedom of choice, non-discrimination, democracy and participation.

We find that the burden caused by mental illness for individuals, families and society, is too heavy, and that the sigma and taboos are too important to leave mental health developments only to politicians and professionals!
MHE is committed to the promotion of positive mental health, the prevention of mental distress, the improvement of care and advocacy and the protection of the human rights of people with mental health problems, and their families and carers.
We hope that we can count on you to help us realise our objectives!

NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH!

Mary Van Dievel,
Director

MHE Conference

Due to various circumstances, MHE’s next conference cannot take place in Cyprus in May 2006 as was foreseen. We do apologize for any inconvenience caused. Negotiations re. the organisation of our conference in 2007 have started and we hope to inform you very soon about the exact dates, the venue, and not less import, the theme!

General Assembly and seminar!

Our General Assembly and a seminar for MHE members will take place in Brussels on 12-13 May 2006. The theme will be confirmed before the end of February. Please already pencil these dates in your diary! More info to follow soon.

Membership fees

All members should have received by now an invitation to pay their membership fee for the year 2006.
Organisations and individuals who did not receive this invitation are kindly requested to contact Christine Terlaeken at mc.terlaeken@mhe-sme.org

We remind that those organisations that are interested in joining Mental Health Europe but cannot afford to pay the full fee, can always contact Mary Van Dievel at mvandievel@mhe-sme.org who will forward their request for a decreased fee to the Membership Committee. In particular cases, waiving of the fee will also be considered.

Just to remind you: all full member organisations have a vote in the General Assembly and can nominate a delegate for election as Board member.

Associate members do not have voting rights. Individual members can elect representatives in the General Assembly and the Board.

Election of the new Board.

By 12-13 May 2006, dates of our next General Assembly, the procedure for the election of a new Board for Mental Health Europe should be finished.

Mental Health Europe’s Board is composed of:
1. 12 representatives from full member organisations
2. 3 representatives elected by the individual members.

The new Board will seat until spring 2009.
All full member organisations should have received by now an invitation to nominate a representative to the Board of MHE. Deadline for nominations is 24 February 2006.
Please contact us urgently if you are a full member organisation and have not received this information yet.
All individual members should have received the invitation to nominate themselves as one of the 10 Voting Individual Members to the General Assembly. Deadline for nominations is 3 February 2006.
These 10 Voting Individual Members to the General Assembly will elect between themselves the 3 Voting Individual Members on the Board of MHE.

Again, if you are an individual member but did not receive this information, please contact us urgently.
If all this is not clear to you, do not hesitate to contact Mary Van Dievel at the MHE secretariat (mvandievel@mhe-sme.org).

Good Practices to Combat Social Exclusion of People with Mental Health Problems

The first phase of the project consists in an analysis of the current situation of social exclusion of people with mental health problems in the involved countries, in access to health and social services, employment, education, training services, transportation, leisure as well as the protection of civil and human rights. To this end, the ten partner organisations involved are currently in the process of contacting various stakeholders such as representatives from the governmental, non-profit/NGO and private sectors. Together with the stakeholders the partner organisations will first, analyse the current situation of social exclusion and, in the next step, identify good practices combating the social exclusion of people with mental health problems based on defined quality criteria.

A European Advisory Committee has moreover been established, consisting of members of European Networks active in various different areas such as mental health, poverty, ageing, disability, homelessness and other social issues. The Committee will help the partner organisations and MHE to identify and evaluate good practices as well as to disseminate information about the project and its outcomes. A first meeting of the European Advisory Committee is planned for May 2006 in Brussels (to be confirmed). The second partners meeting will take place 10-11 March 2006 in Paris.

For further information: Sogol Noorani, Project Co-ordinator, sogol.noorani@mhe-sme.org, Tel +32 2 280 04 68, Fax +32 2 280 16 04

MHEEN Meeting on “Advances in Mental Health Policy and Economics in Europe” and 2nd meeting of the Mental Health Economics II project – Barcelona (Spain), 16-18 February 2006

A MHEEN II (Mental Health Economics European Network II) meeting on “Advances in Mental Health Policy and Economics in Europe” will be held on 16th February morning in Barcelona.
The meeting is organised by the Department of Health of the Catalonian Government with the support of the European Commission and in cooperation with the Sant Joan de Déu Foundation, MHEEN and RIRAG/PSICOST Research Networks.

The event will provide a framework for exchanging views and experiences on the recent steps ahead in the field of the mental health and the economic impact of mental health policies in Europe. Key representatives from the Catalan Council of Mental Health and from the Spanish Commission of Mental Health Officers will take part in this meeting.

Ms Marina Geli i Fàbrega, Health Minister of Catalunya, will deliver the opening speech for the second partners meeting of the Mental Health Economics II project (MHEEN II). The event will take place in Barcelona from 16th to 18th February.
John Henderson, Mary Van Dievel and Mari Fresu will take part in the meetings.
For more information: contact person, Mariantonietta Fresu, mari.fresu@mhe-sme.org , Tel +32 2 280 04 68, Fax +32 2 280 16 04

MHE Committee on Human Rights

The committee was established in the framework of the EU Co-ordination Non Discrimination Programme, and had a first meeting in November 2004.

It is aimed at reacting on various documents related to human rights issues concerning people with mental health problems, plus formulating position papers on certain matters that MHE wishes to bring to the attention of policy makers and other bodies.
The committee held its last meeting on 25 November 2005. Committee members’ worked on different topics, such as the follow-up of the Council of Europe Recommendation on the protection of the human rights and dignity of persons with mental disorder, the implications of the likely introduction of compulsory care in the community, and the allocation of personal budget in the EU Member States.

MHE will try to find funding to set up a permanent secretariat for this committee.
Next meeting of the Human Rights committee is planned for May-June 2006.
For further information: Fanny Muller, fmuller@mhe-sme.org , Tel +32 2 280 04 68; Fax +32 2 280 16 04

Consultation on the Green Paper on Mental Health

MHE launched the consultation on the Green Paper on Mental Health “Improving the mental health of the population: towards a strategy on mental health for the European Union” already early December.
Not only MHE’s member organisations received an invitation to comment on this Green Paper, but also all stakeholders in the mental health field and representatives of civil society.

On the basis of the outcomes of the consultation process, the European Commission will prepare a proposal for a EU strategy on mental health, which would be presented by the end of 2006.
You will appreciate that this consultation process is of utmost importance and a golden opportunity for all of us. As many organisations and individuals as possible (including the public at large) should be encouraged to have their say and to comment on this Green Paper.
Please consult your membership, your contacts, your friends and colleagues, and send your findings to your national, regional and local governments as well as to the European Commission, BUT ALSO TO MENTAL HEALTH EUROPE!
The Green Paper has been translated in the 20 languages of the European Union, so you have no valid excuse not to participate in the consultation process! You can find these 20 texts at the following link:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/green_paper/consultation_en.htm
Background information has been prepared by MHE in 3 languages: English, French and German.
Deadline for the European Commission is 31 May 2006.
We look forward to hearing from you by 15 April 2006 at the latest. This gives us 6 weeks time to collate the reactions we will receive.

We thank you in advance and look forward to hearing from you!

Report on the CHES Roundtable on the Commission Green Paper on Mental Health

A Roundtable, organised in partnership by the Centre of Health and Ethics in Society (CHES) and Mental Health Europe (MHE-SME), was held on 23 November 2005 to address the recent publication of the Commission Green Paper on Mental Health
The Roundtable offered a genuine opportunity for stakeholders in mental health matters across the European Union (EU) to make their voices heard and to come forward with concrete suggestions for priority actions, thereby ensuring that it will make a concrete and positive contribution towards the development and implementation of an effective EU strategy on mental health.
The aims of the Roundtable were threefold:
- to be informed of the content of the Commission Green Paper and the consultation process
- to analyse and comment on the scope and planned activities of this initiative
- to exchange views and ideas in relation to the themes, priorities and actions of a future EU mental health strategy.
The report on the Roundtable is now available.
To receive copies of the report, please contact the MHE secretariat: Tel. +32 2 280 04 68, Fax. +32 2 280 16 04, E-mail info@mhe-sme.org

1st Thematic Meeting in the framework of the consultation procedure on the Green Paper on Mental Health – Luxembourg, 16-17 January 2006

MHE was invited by the European Commission, Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco), to attend the first thematic meeting which was held as part of the consultation. This meeting addressed the theme of “Prevention and Promotion in Mental Health”.
John Henderson, MHE Senior Policy Adviser, addressed the audience at the opening session about “Promotion and prevention: a responsibility for society”.
MHE (John Henderson and Mary Van Dievel) participated in the working sessions of the “EU Platform on Mental Health”, chaired by Clive Needle, together with the European Network of (ex) Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, EUFAMI, and a wide variety of stakeholders: workplace health promotion, doctors, age platform, migrants, education, health platforms, pharmaceutical industry …
As many other stakeholders could not be present at the Luxembourg meeting, Mr Needle decided to invite them to a second meeting in Brussels early March to further discuss the issue of Prevention and Promotion in mental health and to present a full report to the European Commission afterwards. A first summary of the discussions of the January meeting is available from the MHE secretariat upon request.
A second thematic meeting will take place in Vienna on 16-17 March 2006. The theme will be Social Inclusion and Human Rights.

MHE representation at various meetings

On 11 January Mary Van Dievel, Director, was invited to a cocktail at the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels. This event was organised to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the European Disability Forum together with the 25th anniversary of the EP Disability Intergroup.

On 16-17 January Mary Van Dievel and John Henderson, Senior Policy Adviser, attended the first thematic meeting on the “Promotion and prevention of mental health”, hosted by the European Commission in Luxembourg. (see above)

On 25 January Sogol Noorani, Project Coordinator, and Mari Fresu, Project Coordinator, represented MHE at the meeting of the EPHA (European Public Health Alliance) Policy Group, held in Brussels.

On 26 January Sogol Noorani participated in the Info-Day on the call for proposals Science-and-Society-19, organised by the European Commission in Brussels.

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