On Thursday 10 October, MEPs called on the European Commission to put its words into action to improve mental health in the European Union.
Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (S&D, Lithuanian) said that the strategy presented in 2023 fails to provide solutions to adequately address the problems and that the mental health strategy should focus on the mental health problems of health professionals (see EUROPE 13313/30). Aurelijus Veryga (ECR, Lithuanian) raised the issue of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (Renew Europe, Romanian) the “scourge of child poverty”.
Commission Vice-President Margarítis Schinás claimed that digitalisation and social networks can have a “heavy toll” on mental health. The ‘MENTOR’ initiative aims to offer care and treatment for people in distress. The ‘EU-PROMENS’, a multidisciplinary training and exchange programme for healthcare and other professionals, has been put in place, involving 30 countries, including Ukraine (budget: €9 million).
To mark World Mental Health Day, the Commission announced on Thursday that it was presenting an EU Support Package on Stigma to “break down this barrier”, said the Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, in a statement (https://aeur.eu/f/dt7 ).
In this context, the Commission has identified best practices, including the ‘H-work’ project, which aims to improve mental well-being in the workplace. “We will work with national authorities to implement this initiative”, promised the Commissioner. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)