MEPs Call for More EU Action on Mental Health

The message from Rebecca MÜller:

I just would like to add a small personal report and impression of this important event.
The launch of the Interest Group (read press release below) is a very important achievement for GAMIAN Europe. The beginning of a new time in which GE will truly become the patient's voice within Europe.

It was quite impressive for me to enter the huge Parliament building complex in Brussels on 28 April together with Paul and Dolores. It was a very sunny day and the square Luxembourg in front of the European Parliament was busy with people and traffic. We joined Christine at the Altiero Spinelli entry to get our badges. Then we were escorted through security. Our bags had to pass through a check in just like at the airport. We went up to our meeting room. This was a spacious semi-circle meeting room that could hold 60 - 80 people and that had translation booths at the back.

We were delighted to find that up to 30 people had joined the meeting. The session was opened by Antoniya Parvanova MEP. Joanna Darmanin, Head of Health Commissioner John Dalli's Cabinet, and representing the European Commission warmly welcomed the creation of the Group. After welcome and introduction of Atoniya Parvanova, Dolores was invited to speak which was greatly appreciated by us as it was foreseen that the Joanna Darmanin from the Cabinet would speak, but Parvanova asked that Dolores would take the word right after her. Then Joanna Darmanin gave an overview of the EU priorities on mental health. Then John Bowis spoke and he congratulated Antoniya Parvanova MEP on this initiative, as the Interest Group will play a significant role in ensuring a place for mental health issues on the EU policy agenda. John provided some background information on how mental health has slowly made its way up the EU policy agenda. It was really fascinating and interesting to hear about his long experience in this field. After this there was an open discussion chaired by newly appointed Co-Chair Nessa Childers MEP, who started out by expressing her commitment to the work in the Group and underlining its importance. The discussion focused on potential themes for the Interest Group's future work.

A second meeting of the Interest Group will probably be organised before the summer.

Press release

MEPs Call for More EU Action on Mental Health

Today, MEPs launched an Interest Group on Mental Health, at the initiative of Antoniya Parvanova MEP. Background to the initiative is the MEPs’ conviction that there is a need to advocate and ensure policy interest in issues related to mental health and to keep these issues high on the EU policy agenda.

Addressing the meeting, Co-Chair Antoniya Parvanova MEP stated that ‘this much-needed Group will play a significant role in calling for and supporting mental health policy development, and will provide a voice for patients’. Co-Chair Nessa Childers MEP also emphasized the fact that mental health issues as well as persons with a mental illness are currently underrepresented in EU health policy development and the important role the Interest Group can and will play in this respect.

Joanna Darmanin, Head of Health Commissioner John Dalli’s Cabinet, and representing the European Commission warmly welcomed the creation of the Group, stating that mental health issues are an important priority for the Commission. She also underlined the important support the Interest Group could provide to the Commission, taking a broad, cross-policy approach.

Dolores Gauci (President of GAMIAN – Europe*) and former MEP John Bowis – a long standing advocate on mental health issues – also stressed the need for this Group, which will function as a platform for policy action and debate, and which will support patients in their advocacy efforts: ‘if one in 4 European citizens will need treatment and care for some mental health problem in the course of his or her life, mental health should be an integral part of the EU policy agenda’.

Prevention of mental health problems and ensure good services, care and empowerment for those affected by mental health problems will be core themes of the Group’s work. Stigma and the link between physical and mental health issues will also feature high on its agenda. Current policy files such as Europe2020, workforce for health, health inequalities, health strategy and the Mental Health Pact will also be addressed.

The Group intends to work closely with mental health stakeholders to ensure the relevance of its activities to the mental health reality and practice.

--ends--

NOTES

GAMIAN-Europe is a representative coalition of organisations of persons with mental health problems, advocating the interests of persons with mental health problems and putting them at the centre of all issues of the EU healthcare debate. The organisation will provide the secretariat to the Interest Group.

For more information:

Etienne Maury, Etienne.maury@europarl.europa.eu, + 32 (0)2 284 7568

Dolores Gauci, ceo@richmond.org.mt, +356 99473489

Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks - Europe

web-administrator Vladimir Rotstein: please mailto