Team Europe: Delivering on Mental Health Promises

What role will mental health play in the agenda of the renewed EU institutions? How will President Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment to ‘step up our work on preventive health, particularly for mental health’ in her 2024-2029 Political Guidelines shape the work of future Commissioners? These critical questions guided Mental Health Europe’s observation of the confirmation hearings for key members of von der Leyen’s team of Commissioners.

Mental Health Europe, alongside 50+ organizations, has set out a clear vision for this mandate in a joint statement urging bold action under a comprehensive European Mental Health Strategy. This call has gained strong backing from MEPs across political groups during the World Mental Health Day debate in the European Parliament and has also informed pointed questions during the hearing process.

To that end, we welcome the strong commitment to mental health voiced by Commissioner designates, reflecting urgent support for a ‘mental health in all policies’ approach. We were also pleased to hear about the commitment to launch an initiative on de-institutionalisation, as well as willingness to enhance social support, education, and employment to achieve better inclusion of persons with disabilities. We were particularly pleased to hear about intentions to approach mental health holistically, by supporting people at different stages of life.While the commitments outlined are promising and align with key priorities in our Manifesto, we seek further clarity on concrete implementation plans. Without a comprehensive European Mental Health Strategy there is a real risk that these actions will fall short of addressing the mental health needs of the population.

We specifically recommend building on the ambition of the EC Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health and implement policies across sectors that address the broader factors shaping mental health. Policies targeting the risks of digitalisation for children and young people are crucial, but it is equally important to address other key determinants of mental health, such as socio-economic factors.

The same applies to mental health in adulthood. We caution against an approach that focuses solely on the work, as it will not only fail to tackle the full scale of the issue but it will also leave behind vulnerable groups, such as older adults and informal caregivers, who are outside the labor market.

Overall, our primary concern with the Commissioners’ hearings lies in statements that question the EU’s role in health, grounded in the belief that health is solely within the competence of Member States. At Mental Health Europe we firmly believe in the crucial value of EU action on mental health, within and beyond the health policy field.

The pandemic clearly demonstrated that “what we do together is better than what Member States can achieve alone”. Mental health, now a pillar of the EU Health Union, further highlights the urgency for collective action to address challenges that no single Member State can tackle effectively on its own.

In light of this, we reiterate our call for a European Mental Health Strategy, one that includes a clear timeline, adequate budget, and measurable indicators to ensure progress. Without such a strategy, the vision of a Europe where everyone thrives and no one is left behind risks becoming a hollow promise.

The time to act as Team Europe has never been more urgent. Join us in advocating for a European Mental Health Strategy by signing  the Joint Statement “Deliver on Promises and Honour Commitments on Mental Health” put forward by the European Mental Health Advocacy Platform and supported by 54 organisations.

Together, we have the power to ensure that mental health promises are not just made, but delivered.

“We know that mental health is a challenge that is particularly present in our youth, and so it’s going to be absolutely imperative in the next mandate that we work as one Commission, as one team, with this committee, with the Parliament and with the Member States as Team Europe”.

Mr Micallef, Commissioner-Designate for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport