MHE Executive Committee meeting
The new MHE Executive Committee met for
the first time on Saturday 15 July 2006.
It was a positive and constructive meeting where amongst others the priorities for MHE for the forthcoming years were discussed.
A second meeting will be held in Brussels (Belgium) on 14 September 2006, where the programme of the MHE Vienna conference (31 May – 2 June 2007) will be further developed and the MHE 2008 conference will be discussed. The Executive Committee will also prepare MHE’s next Board meeting to be held in Florence (Italy), on 6 and 7 November 2006. The same days, the fourth meeting of partners of the MHE project “Good practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems” will take place in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (Italy).
For more information: the MHE Secretariat, Tel + 32 2 280 04 68, E-mail info@mhe-sme.org
It was a positive and constructive meeting where amongst others the priorities for MHE for the forthcoming years were discussed.
A second meeting will be held in Brussels (Belgium) on 14 September 2006, where the programme of the MHE Vienna conference (31 May – 2 June 2007) will be further developed and the MHE 2008 conference will be discussed. The Executive Committee will also prepare MHE’s next Board meeting to be held in Florence (Italy), on 6 and 7 November 2006. The same days, the fourth meeting of partners of the MHE project “Good practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems” will take place in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (Italy).
For more information: the MHE Secretariat, Tel + 32 2 280 04 68, E-mail info@mhe-sme.org
MHE meeting with MEP’s
MHE will be
organising a meeting with Members of European Parliament (MEPs) in the
European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday 13 September 2006. The
theme of the meeting will be: “No Social Inclusion Without
Mental Health”. Other high level European stakeholders will
also be invited.
For more information: the MHE Secretariat, Tel + 32 2 280 04 68, E-mail info@mhe-sme.org
For more information: the MHE Secretariat, Tel + 32 2 280 04 68, E-mail info@mhe-sme.org
New leaflets
MHE staff has been very busy preparing a new
presentation leaflet for Mental Health Europe and a common leaflet of a
number of European non governmental organisations working in the mental
health field. We hope to have both leaflets ready and printed by 13
September.
MHE entitled to lodge collective complaints
Last May, the
governmental committee of the European Social Charter, a body which has
been set up within the Council of Europe, decided to include again MHE
in the list of international non governmental organisations (NGOs)
entitled to lodge collective complaints alleging violations of the
European Social Charter (ESC) for a period of four year (1 July 2006
– 30 June 2010).
The mission of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) is to judge the conformity of national law and practice with the European Social Charter, a Council of Europe’s treaty that protects social and economic human rights. These rights concern all individuals in their daily lives: housing, health, education, employment, non-discrimination…
Thanks to this procedure, MHE and the other registered NGOs will have a concrete instrument to fight against abuses and to defend the rights of the people they are representing.
For more information on this procedure: the Council of Europe’s website, http://www.coe.int/t/e/human%5Frights/esc/4%5FCollective%5Fcomplaints/
The mission of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) is to judge the conformity of national law and practice with the European Social Charter, a Council of Europe’s treaty that protects social and economic human rights. These rights concern all individuals in their daily lives: housing, health, education, employment, non-discrimination…
Thanks to this procedure, MHE and the other registered NGOs will have a concrete instrument to fight against abuses and to defend the rights of the people they are representing.
For more information on this procedure: the Council of Europe’s website, http://www.coe.int/t/e/human%5Frights/esc/4%5FCollective%5Fcomplaints/
MHE sent an Open Letter to the Finnish Presidency
In an Open
Letter sent on 14 July 2006 to Ms Liisa Hyssälä,
Minister of Health and Social Services of Finland, MHE explained its
concerns regarding the revision of the new Public Health Programme
(2007-2013).
MHE called the Finnish Presidency of the European Union to take a leadership role in acting on the funding schemes, increasing transparency in the management of the programme, and prioritising EU added-value.
Underlying the dramatic cuts in the EU budget that resulted from the Council meeting in December 2005, MHE pointed out that difficult decisions will have to be made about what type of activities the EU can now undertake to promote public health and protect citizens from health threats.
In this respect, MHE welcomes the will to target health promotion, health inequalities and health determinants, but is concerned that the revised proposal does not equip the EU with the necessary funding schemes to address these issues and empower the broader public health community. The European Commission wants to implement the proposal via an increased number of tenders and therefore has reduced the co-financing ceilings. In MHE’s view, this contradicts the programme's stated objectives, i.e. bringing health closer to citizens, and the need for cost-effectiveness. On the contrary, MHE is convinced that, in terms of cost-efficiency, increasing the funding and ceilings for co-financing can be considered as a win-win situation: empowering citizens, building an active health community, delivering the objectives and involving a lower Community financial contribution.
To finish, MHE called on the Finnish Presidency to ensure that a policy of transparency is also included in the programme, as this will maximize the little funding available.
MHE called the Finnish Presidency of the European Union to take a leadership role in acting on the funding schemes, increasing transparency in the management of the programme, and prioritising EU added-value.
Underlying the dramatic cuts in the EU budget that resulted from the Council meeting in December 2005, MHE pointed out that difficult decisions will have to be made about what type of activities the EU can now undertake to promote public health and protect citizens from health threats.
In this respect, MHE welcomes the will to target health promotion, health inequalities and health determinants, but is concerned that the revised proposal does not equip the EU with the necessary funding schemes to address these issues and empower the broader public health community. The European Commission wants to implement the proposal via an increased number of tenders and therefore has reduced the co-financing ceilings. In MHE’s view, this contradicts the programme's stated objectives, i.e. bringing health closer to citizens, and the need for cost-effectiveness. On the contrary, MHE is convinced that, in terms of cost-efficiency, increasing the funding and ceilings for co-financing can be considered as a win-win situation: empowering citizens, building an active health community, delivering the objectives and involving a lower Community financial contribution.
To finish, MHE called on the Finnish Presidency to ensure that a policy of transparency is also included in the programme, as this will maximize the little funding available.
3rd MHEEN II meeting
The third MHEEN II (Mental Health Economics
European Network phase II - 2005-2007) project meeting is taking place
in Berlin (Germany) from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 November 2006. A
pre-meeting focusing on mental health in Germany will tentatively take
place on the 16th morning.
The MHEEN meeting agenda and further information will be circulated among MHEEN members shortly.
For more information: contact person, Mari Fresu, MHE Project Coordinator, mari.fresu@mhe-sme.org.
The MHEEN meeting agenda and further information will be circulated among MHEEN members shortly.
For more information: contact person, Mari Fresu, MHE Project Coordinator, mari.fresu@mhe-sme.org.
MHE representation at various meetings
On 5 July, Mary Van
Dievel, Director, had a meeting with Dace Beinare, Director of the
Crisis Centre Skalbes, Riga (Latvia), to discuss possible collaboration.
On 7 July, Mary Van Dievel and Sogol Noorani, Project Coordinator, had a meeting with John Bowis’ assistant (Member of the European Parliament) at the European Parliament, to discuss the MHE meeting at the European Parliament on 13 September 2006.
On 12 July, Fanny Muller, Information Officer, and Sogol Noorani attended the Civil Society Contact group conference, “NGOs and the EU: Making Civil Dialogue Work Better”, organised in Brussels (Belgium).
The same day, Mari Fresu, Project Coordinator, participated in the Policy Working Group meeting of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA).
On 15 July, a meeting of the MHE Executive Committee took place.
On 17 July, Mary Van Dievel met with Marija Stiglic from FIMITIC (the International Federation of Persons with Physical Disability).
On 26 July, Sogol Noorani attended the Focus group meeting of the Czech partner in the EU project “Good Practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems”.
On 31 July, Mary Van Dievel met with Roxana Radulescu, European Public Health Alliance, to discuss participation in a European project.
On 11 August, Mary Van Dievel had a meeting with Matthias Roos and Lucrecia de León re. the EMIP (Implementation of Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Policies and Strategies ) project.
On 21 August, Sogol Noorani attended the focus group meeting of the Scottish partner in the EU project “Good Practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems”.
On 31 August, Sogol Noorani attended the focus group meeting of the Irish partner in the EU project “Good Practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems”.
On 7 July, Mary Van Dievel and Sogol Noorani, Project Coordinator, had a meeting with John Bowis’ assistant (Member of the European Parliament) at the European Parliament, to discuss the MHE meeting at the European Parliament on 13 September 2006.
On 12 July, Fanny Muller, Information Officer, and Sogol Noorani attended the Civil Society Contact group conference, “NGOs and the EU: Making Civil Dialogue Work Better”, organised in Brussels (Belgium).
The same day, Mari Fresu, Project Coordinator, participated in the Policy Working Group meeting of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA).
On 15 July, a meeting of the MHE Executive Committee took place.
On 17 July, Mary Van Dievel met with Marija Stiglic from FIMITIC (the International Federation of Persons with Physical Disability).
On 26 July, Sogol Noorani attended the Focus group meeting of the Czech partner in the EU project “Good Practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems”.
On 31 July, Mary Van Dievel met with Roxana Radulescu, European Public Health Alliance, to discuss participation in a European project.
On 11 August, Mary Van Dievel had a meeting with Matthias Roos and Lucrecia de León re. the EMIP (Implementation of Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Policies and Strategies ) project.
On 21 August, Sogol Noorani attended the focus group meeting of the Scottish partner in the EU project “Good Practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems”.
On 31 August, Sogol Noorani attended the focus group meeting of the Irish partner in the EU project “Good Practices for combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems”.