Annexes to COM(2023)298 - Comprehensive approach to mental health - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2023)298 - Comprehensive approach to mental health. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2023)298 |
| date | June 7, 2023 |
The Commission will ensure that EU-OSHA91 finalises the overview on OSH and digitalisation which covers mental health at work and implements an OSH overview on psychosocial and mental health at work, including information on good practices on returning to work and working with mental health conditions and of an overview on OSH in the Health and Care sectors. The Commission will ensure that EU-OSHA provides updated guidance as a follow-up to the 2018 publication “Healthy workers, thriving companies - a practical guide to well-being at work”92, and that it carries out a project on good practices on supporting workers with a work- or non-work-related mental health condition to stay in work or successfully return to work following a sickness absence, with a report by 2024.
The occupational safety and health (OSH) Summit, held on 15-16 May 2023 by the Swedish Presidency and the European Commission, identified psychosocial risks and mental health at work as growing OSH issues that need intensified further consideration93. The Commission will follow up on these conclusions of the Summit to improve mental health at work in full respect of the tripartism principle. It will also continue the work of the review of the Directive on the workplace (89/654/EEC)94 and the Directive on work with display screen equipment (90/270/EEC)95. Finally, the Commission will support the implementation of the European Care Strategy96 with actions that contribute to the mental well-being of carers and those being cared for.
FLAGSHIP INITIATIVES97
13. EU-LEVEL INITIATIVE ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS
- The Commission will conduct a peer review on legislative and enforcement approaches to address psychosocial risks at work in the Member States with a view, and subject to its outcomes and the input of social partners, to present an EU-level initiative on the psychosocial risks in the medium term.
14. EU WORK PLACE CAMPAIGNS
- EU-wide EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign - Safe and healthy work in the digital age, including a focus on mental health at work (2023-2025);
- EU-wide EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign on psychosocial risks and mental health at work with a focus on new and overlooked occupational sectors, including agriculture and construction, and groups including low skilled, migrant or young workers (2026-2027/28).
Member States are encouraged to raise awareness of the mental health issues of farmers and populations in rural areas with support from the common agriculture policy and develop and implement policies and best practices to help focus on prevention and strengthen the resilience of essential workers, including health professionals, teachers and farmers. To help Member States, the Commission will ensure that EU OSHA produces a report that addresses psychosocial risks in the agricultural sector.
Member States are also encouraged to further promote the use of SLIC Guide98 with regard to prevention of psychosocial risks for increasing effective monitoring and inspections of OSH obligations in this regard, as well as to participate in SLIC training events for labour inspectors.
f. Reinforcing mental health systems and improving access to treatment and care
Health systems need to reinforce their capacity to lead action on mental health, from prevention, to early intervention, to diagnosis, treatment and management of care and support to the reintegration of patients. Reinforcing mental health systems and improving access to treatment and care is therefore a key objective.
The right of everyone to timely access to affordable, preventive and curative care of good quality is one of the key principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. People suffering from mental health problems in the EU do not often have easy and equal access to support and it often entails costs that are not bearable for many. There are disparities between and within Member States as regards the capacity of health systems to meet the needs of people with mental ill-health99. Inequalities related to gender, ethnicity, geographical location, including the urban-rural divide, education, age and sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sex characteristics have an important impact on the population’s mental health and their access to adequate care.
It is essential to identify best practices and innovative solutions to improve the availability, quality, accessibility and affordability of mental health care. To address inequalities, tailored care should be provided to people in vulnerable situations, including displaced people, refugees, migrants, persons with disabilities and LGBTIQ people. The special care needs of people with comorbidities should also be addressed to facilitate access to effective treatments, in particular for people with drug-use disorders, in line with the EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 and the related Action Plan.
Reinforcing the training of the health workforce will be essential to continue to improve skills and the quality of care but also to reduce stigma and discrimination and to increase the resilience of one of the most pressured sectors of the working population. The EU Year of Skills offers a unique opportunity for stakeholders to boost training of professionals in the mental health area.
The use of digital tools (e.g. telemedicine, advice hotlines) should be explored for those people requiring better information and care, including in rural areas.
Social prescribing is an innovative approach to improve well-being and health, including mental health. At the individual level, social prescribing gives a person the knowledge, motivation and confidence to better manage and improve their own health and well-being 100. This approach can be applied in the primary care setting, where doctors or other health professionals can prescribe activities that match with the person’s needs and interests, such as spending time in nature, sports, yoga or social and cultural activities101.
The Commission will continue to develop actions to support Member States in addressing unmet needs for medicines and will review the potential of telemedicine for improving access to mental health services102. A mental health section will be included in the 2023 country health profiles, under the State of Health in the EU project. In addition, the Commission will launch a voluntary collaboration process with Member States (via the Open Method of Coordination), to strengthen linkages between culture and mental health. Finally, the potential of new technologies for the prevention and treatment of mental ill-health will be explored via the Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment103.
Data collection and monitoring needs to be strengthened to facilitate informed decision-making. New statistics and indicators should be developed and gradually embedded into policymaking to reflect issues such as inequalities, physical and mental health and nature’s value to people and to assess the impact of actions and funding. This will help to monitor the progress towards well-being, facilitate the communication of political challenges and the options to address them in a people- and planet-centred manner104.
Member States already signalled strong need for support in the areas of mental health workforce planning and/or capacity building, monitoring and evaluation of mental health policy, and mental health promotion and prevention (Figure 1)105.
Figure 1 – Priority needs of Member States for capacity building (27 EU Member States, Norway and Iceland)
To address these needs, financial support at EU level will be mobilised to allow Member States to strengthen their capacity to act. This will include more and better trained professionals to deal with mental health problems. It will also imply a shift from institutionalised to community-based care.
Several Member States have included under their Recovery and Resilience Plans measures to strengthen mental healthcare for their population. This is in line with Country-Specific Recommendations adopted under the 2020 European Semester calling on all Member States to boost the resilience of their health systems. In the spring 2023, the Commission proposed Country Specific Recommendations advocating healthcare reform for six Member States. The country reports for an additional six Member States recognized the need to further improve healthcare system to complement the Recovery and Resilience Plans. Moreover, all country reports adopted under the European Semester contain a thematic section covering population health and health systems in Member States, highlighting in selected cases mental health challenges and planned reforms. The European Semester will continue to monitor developments in healthcare at national level.
FLAGSHIP INITIATIVES
15. INITIATIVE FOR MORE AND BETTER TRAINED PROFESSIONALS IN THE EU
- As of 2023 the Commission will strengthen training for healthcare and other professionals, such as teachers and social workers. A new cross border exchange programme for mental health professionals will also be launched through dedicated funding support under the EU4Health programme (EUR 9 million). This should allow to have around 2000 professionals trained across the EU by 2026 and on average 100 exchanges per year.
16.TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR MENTAL HEALTH REFORMS ACROSS SEVERAL SECTORS
The Commission will:
- In 2024, increase the availability and affordability of mental health services for people by offering, upon demand, technical support to Member States to design and implement reforms to improve the availability of integrated cross-sectoral mental health services through the technical support instrument106.
17. GATHERING DATA ON MENTAL HEALTH
- As of 2025, the Commission will ensure that the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) includes additional data on mental health to ensure strong monitoring and assessment of progress on mental health across the EU.
The Commission encourages Member States to ensure access to affordable mental healthcare, including by telemedicine means and in cross-border settings. National authorities should collaborate on developing and implementing projects to improve mental health services and community-based care and de-institutionalisation107 and are invited to develop referral pathways to mental health professionals, also taking into account the work of other service providers.
g. Breaking through stigma
Stigma and discrimination exacerbate the personal and economic impacts of mental ill-health. Discrimination towards people with mental health problems is common, especially in social media but also in workplaces with 50% of workers considering that disclosing a mental health condition would have a negative impact on their career108.
The principles of re-integration and social inclusion of those affected by mental health problems have to guide our action. Investing in improving awareness and understanding of mental health, including mental health and empathy training in school curricula are key to improving the situation, with the involvement of all stakeholders.
The annual European Mental Health Week (taking place in May) and World Mental Health Day109 (10 October) are occasions to specifically address stigma at EU level.
Arts and culture are important in promoting the positive mental health and well-being of individuals and society in general by supporting social inclusion and reducing mental health stigma110. They may complement more traditional support for mental health problems and may contribute to the prevention of mental health problems and to addressing mental health stigma. The Commission will support the Member States to raise awareness on the positive role of cultural and artistic activities in improving mental health and overall well-being, for example, through a dedicated event showcasing arts and culture as new instruments for well-being and mental health.
FLAGSHIP INITIATIVES
18. TACKLING STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION
The Commission will allocate EUR 18 million to111:
- improve the quality of life of patients, their families and (in)formal carers, including cancer patients, with a particular focus on addressing stigma and discrimination by supporting Member States to identify and implement best practices;
- with the same objective it will support stakeholders to implement projects, such as awareness-raising activities to break through stigma and address discrimination, ensure social inclusion, protect the rights of patients, focusing on vulnerable groups;
- develop EU guidance on breaking through stigma and tackling discrimination with the Member States under the Expert Group on Public Health and stakeholder groups;
- introduce communication activities to promote awareness in the fight against stigma.
The Commission encourages Member States to develop communication campaigns to demystify and break through stigma, and to develop measures to counteract stigma and discrimination by helping individuals reintegrate into employment, empowering patients to access the services that best meet their needs and disseminating information on the use of legal instruments to tackle discrimination. Awareness should be raised (decision makers, employers, health care professionals, other professionals and the general public and healthcare professionals on mental health and stigma, especially of people in vulnerable situations) and community activities (sports, the arts, nature) should be supported that help to break through stigma and support mental health rehabilitation. Member States should support policies encouraging the integration of people with mental health in the community and on the labour market, including by social economy activities.
h. Fostering mental health globally
Safeguarding and promoting mental health is not just a priority for the EU, it is also a global issue and one where the EU can lead by example, making targeted contributions at international level and fostering convergence where appropriate.
At the EU-US Trade and Technology Council of 30 and 31 May 2023, the EU and the United States expressed the shared view that online platforms should exercise greater responsibility in ensuring that their services contribute to an online environment that protects, empowers and respects children and youth and take responsible actions to address the impact of their services on children and youths’ mental health and development.112
The EU Global Health Strategy113 provides global, national and regional actions intended to facilitate achievement of the health-related UN SDGs, with a focus on three interrelated priorities: (1) deliver better health and well-being of people across the life course; (2) strengthen health systems and advance universal health coverage; and (3) ensure public health security, including mental health and psycho-social support. The focus should be on strengthening primary health care where the availability of mental health services is essential.
The Youth Action Plan in EU external action (2022-2027)114, recognises health and well-being as a prerequisite for young people to realise their full potential and participate in society. It puts forward health, mental and physical well-being at the core of its “empower pillar”. In parallel, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) should be an integral part of measures to strengthen national health systems in partner countries, if appropriate, supporting global public health interventions e.g. the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria115, the Spotlight Initiative on Gender-Based Violence116 or in the context of EU humanitarian aid. According to the WHO, more than one in five people in post-conflict settings suffers from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder117. Mental health needs also arise in situations of displacement and natural disasters. Therefore, MHPSS is an essential element of a comprehensive crisis response, integrated in the EU funded humanitarian aid operations with EUR 111 million dedicated to this priority since 2019.
The EU also spurs others to action by mobilising and raising the awareness of donors and partners on the importance of providing quality MHPSS in humanitarian emergencies. Following the successful engagement in the Middle East and North African region, outreach and capacity building sessions will be organised in other regions, starting with Latin American and Caribbean, before the end of 2023.
Furthermore, the Commission is building the capacity of stakeholders through training and dissemination of the Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) Minimum Service Package on MHPSS118. This key reference tool was developed by the humanitarian community to set the minimum quality and facilitate the roll out of impactful and timely mental health interventions in crisis situations.
In Ukraine119, the Commission already supports community centres for displaced children and their caregivers, and also children in institutions, to help them re-establish some level of normality and routine. However, the long duration of the aggression and its devastating effect is accelerating mental health impacts for people fleeing the war in the EU and for those displaced within Ukraine, which calls for determined and ambitious support.
Ukrainian children are currently subject to the trauma of war, often leaving them with profound psychological scars. The Commission will, together with Ukraine, establish a specialised e-learning program for paediatricians and primary care medical staff. Through this initiative, healthcare professionals will get equipped with the necessary skills to provide trauma care and improve children’s mental health conditions. Specialised rehabilitation services will also be offered to distressed children in both Ukraine and the EU.
The Commission also supports humanitarian partners to increase their capacity to address the mental health needs of conflict-affected populations, including in the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv oblasts. Under the EU4Health programme, in 2022 a contribution agreement of EUR 28.4 million with the International Federation of Red Cross Societies was allocated to provide psychological first aid, and four projects120 (total of EUR 3 million) are being carried out by stakeholders implementing best practices to improve mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in migrant and refugee populations. For 2023, over EUR 10.6 million is programmed under EU4Health to improve access to health care and for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, in particular mental health issues. The Commission will also support Member States and stakeholders in the implementation of the best practice iFightDepression121 which includes an online self-management programme that can help displaced people, including those from Ukraine, to self-manage their symptoms.
As humanitarian assistance alone cannot meet the potential long-term needs of forcibly displaced people, including healthcare, the Commission supports its partner countries to integrated forcibly displaced communities into existing national service delivery structures. This integration is done in a way that ensures equal and fair access of refugees to the services addressing their needs, including on mental health, post-traumatic-stress, and gender-based violence. The EU’s substantial assistance to address the needs of migrants also includes psycho-social support, particularly for the most vulnerable, including children, victims of war, trafficking, stranded migrants and returnees.
The Commission supports a comprehensive approach to the promotion and protection of mental health and psychosocial well-being of learners, and their teachers and caregivers through education actions. The Commission is a main donor of Education Cannot Wait that considers MHPSS a key priority of its work and of the Global Partnership for Education that invests in strengthening links between the health and education sectors.
The Commission will continue to mainstream mental health in measures to strengthen health systems at regional, national and global level, in line with efforts towards localisation and the triple humanitarian-development-peace nexus, and ensure that refugees, people on the move and displaced people in post-emergency situations in partner countries have access to MHPSS at the same level as the host communities.
FLAGSHIP INITIATIVES
19. MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE’ DISPLACED AND AFFECTED PEOPLE
- The Commission will contribute to the provision of psychological first aid to people affected by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine deepening the collaborative work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies122 (EUR 28 million). The Commission will seek to reinforce its financial support to strengthen psychosocial support for displaced people from the war. Options for training (online) of first responders, teachers, and social workers in psychological first aid and psychosocial support will also be explored to better help those in need. An additional EUR 0.5 million will be allocated to strengthen psychosocial support for affected people in emergency settings.
- The Commission will, together with Ukraine, establish a specialised e-learning program for paediatricians and primary care medical staff to support Ukrainian children suffering from stress and anxiety because of the war. Through this initiative healthcare professionals will get equipped with the necessary skills to provide trauma care and improve children’s mental health conditions.
- The Commission will work with Member States to offer provision of affordable psychosocial support available to the people who fled the war, to complement the healthcare already offered under the temporary protection directive.
20. SUPPORTING THE DISSEMINATION OF THE INTER AGENCY STANDING COMMITTEE123124 MINIMUM SERVICE PACKAGE ON MHPSS:
- The Commission will continue to support the dissemination of a Minimum Service Package intended to support humanitarian actors to deliver quality care in humanitarian emergencies. It provides guidelines on how to integrate timely, coordinated and evidence-based mental health services into overall humanitarian response.
EU funding for mental health
Budget to support mental health should match the magnitude of the challenge. EU and MS need to devote adequate resources to ensure people in need are helped, as a social and economic imperative.
The Commission is mobilising all relevant financial instruments of the EU budget under the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to address key mental health challenges and to support the flagships and actions identified in this Communication. Furthermore, Member States may benefit from the funds available through the Recovery and Resilience Facility125 to finance reforms and investments on health, including mental health.
In total, EUR 1.23 billion of EU support to mental health activities have been identified and are available to finance activities directly or indirectly promoting mental health, from research to awareness campaigns, from capacity building and transfer of health best practices to psychological support to cancer patients and Ukrainian refugees. The impact of these projects and programmes will be regularly monitored. This not only requires having reliable, comparable and recent data but also indicators, monitoring and evaluation systems, to ensure follow-up and accountability.
For 2022 and 2023, EUR 69,7 million has been allocated through the EU4Health Programme126 ) for actions that promote good mental health. This includes EUR 51.4 million under the 2022 work programme127, to support capacity-building initiatives in Member States and address the mental health of vulnerable groups and the EUR 18.3 million under the EU4Health 2023 work programme to support collaborative work between the Member States and to provide psychological support to cancer patients, their carers and families128.
Funding of EUR 765 million in funding is mobilised through the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe129 programme to support research and innovation projects on mental health.
National, regional and local authorities can also make use of cohesion policy funding, in particular the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to strengthen equal access to health care by investing, for example, in relevant infrastructure and equipment, personal assistants, mobile teams, help lines, social workers130 The Technical Support Instrument (TSI) is available to provide technical support to Member States for projects on mental health (EUR 2 million in 2023). In 2024, the Commission intends to mobilise further resources from the TSI to support capacity building for mental health on a demand driven basis in the Member States.
Funding (EUR 3.3 million) has been made available under the EU’s “Creative Europe programme” for projects on culture, well-being and mental health, and EUR 28 million has been mobilised to support mental health and psychosocial support activities in emergency and humanitarian settings (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations). The Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Value Programme131 (2023-2024) also provides funding opportunities132 for actions on the mental health of children and of victims of gender-based violence133. To help tackle mental health in the workplace, funding will be made available under the EU-OSHA.
Conclusion and next steps
Today’s challenges on mental health can affect everybody and require concerted actions and the full commitment of all actors involved. Mental health is an integral part of people’s health. It enables individual to realise their own abilities, to cope with the stresses of life, to socialise, work and contribute to community life
All institutions and levels of government can, and should, play their part to overcome barriers to good mental health. Coordinated efforts, with and beyond the health system, are required to mobilise society as a whole and take a life-course approach with the emphasis on equality and non-discrimination.
The Commission calls on the European Parliament and Member States to work together in taking forward the initiatives put forward in this strategic Communication, which lay the foundations for sustained action at national and EU level for a comprehensive, prevention-oriented and multistakeholder approach to mental health. They promote the universality of health care for people suffering from mental health in the EU and beyond.
The prevention of mental health problems, access to help and reintegration in society are integral to the right to healthcare and through this initiative the EU sets a high ambition to help the most fragile and vulnerable in our societies, in line with the European way of life where each person counts and should have a prosperous life prospect.
This Communication is the beginning of a new strategic approach to put mental health on par with physical health. It adds another pillar to the architecture of the European Health Union by both reinforcing ongoing work and opening new workstreams, developed with all partners and including implementing actions. These will be closely monitored with the Member States under the Expert Group on Public Health and in particular its sub-group on mental health. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to collaborate and coordinate their joint input for the development and implementation of the actions set out through the EU Health Policy Platform. These concerted efforts will be the path to develop and implement a new ambitious approach on mental health for a more resilient society that puts people first.
1 Health at a Glance: Europe 2018.
2 Eurostat News - Eurostat (europa.eu).
3 New report: Loneliness doubles in Europe during the pandemic (europa.eu).
4 The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and implications for clinical practice | European Psychiatry | Cambridge Core.
5 The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health, Regional brief: Europe, UNICEF, 2021.
6 SOWC-2021-Europe-regional-brief.pdf (unicef.org).
7 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0279_EN.html.
8 On the road to 2025 (who.int).
9 SDG Target 3.4 | Noncommunicable diseases and mental health: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
10 Education: a neglected social determinant of health - The Lancet Public Health.
11 Fitter Minds, Fitter Jobs : From Awareness to Change in Integrated Mental Health, Skills and Work Policies | Mental Health and Work | OECD iLibrary (oecd-ilibrary.org).
12 Gender equality strategy; LGBTIQ equality strategy; Roma strategic framework; Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disability.
13 The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee (europa.eu).
14 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Single Market for Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32022R2065.
15 This might include, for example, mitigation of negative effects of personalised recommendations and correction of criteria used in their recommendations, discontinuation of advertising revenue for specific information or adaptation of the visibility of authoritative information sources.
16 Such as EAAD’s Best Practice Model to Improve Depression Care and Prevent Suicidal Behaviour in Europe funded under EU 3rd Health Programme: EUR 2 million.
17 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/expert-group-public-health_en
18 Financial support under EU4Health 2021 work programme: DP-g-07.2.1 Collection and support for implementation of innovative best practices and research results on non-communicable diseases: budget reinforced by redistribution of funds: EUR 1 million.
19 Through a contribution agreement with the WHO (budget reinforced by redistribution of funds: EUR 11 million) under the EU4Health 2022 work programme: DP-g-22-07.02 Addressing mental health challenges.
20 Financial support under EU4Health 2022 work programme: DP-g-22-07.01/03/04 Call for proposals on promoting mental health: EUR 10 million.
21 Capacity-building on mental health: multidisciplinary training programme and exchange programme for health professionals: EUR 9 million
22 Joint Research Centre’s Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Knowledge Gateway (prevention of depression, work-related stress, and dementia).
23 Communication on an ‘EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027’ acknowledges the importance of addressing psychosocial risks at work, including in the light of the digitalisation transition.
24 https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-013629.
25 Horizon Europe Health Calls 2023 - The Silver Deal - Person-centred health and care in European regions (Destination 1) (europa.eu).
26 Preventive psychiatry: a blueprint for improving the mental health of young people (nih.gov).
27 In line with Pathways to School Success Council Recommendation.
28 BP Portal (europa.eu).
29 Through actions funded under the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027).
30 Through funding under EU4Health 2022 work programme (technical support for expert groups).
31 The Proposal for a Regulation on the European Health Data Space aims to facilitate better access to health data for research and innovation, including in the area of brain research.
32 European Research Infrastructures (europa.eu).
33 Expert Group on Public Health.
34 EU Best Practice Portal: BP Portal (europa.eu).
35 Under the Expert Group on Public Health’s subgroup on mental health.
36 2023 EU4Health Work Programme (europa.eu).
37 From pre-pandemic (2019 or nearest year) to pandemic levels (April 2020 - August 2021): Health at a Glance: Europe report, 2022.
38 Loneliness publications (europa.eu).
39 Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee.
40 Well-being at school | European Education Area (europa.eu).
41 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519621002783.
42 Creating a better Internet for kids | Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu).
43 Article 34(2)(b) and (d).
44 Digital Services Act.
45 A Digital Decade for children and youth: the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) COM/2022/212 final.
46 EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse (europa.eu).
47 The HealthyLifestyle4All Initiative | Sport (europa.eu).
48 How school systems can improve health and well-being: topic brief: mental health (who.int).
49 Home - Child Helpline International: funded under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.
50 EUR-Lex - 42018Y1218(01) - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu).
51 EUR-Lex - 32022H1209(01) - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu).
52 These guidelines should include mental well being and prevention of bullying, and also address work-related stress of teachers and violence, as well as bullying of teachers as part of a whole school approach. Link: https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/occupational-safety-and-health-and-education-whole-school-approach#:~:text=A%20Whole%2DSchool%20Approach%20to,pupils%20in%20school%20safety%20management
53 Under the Healthier Together initiative and funded under the EU4Health programme.
54 Under the Healthier Together initiative and funded under the EU4Health programme.
55 EUR 2 million under the TSI 2023 work programme: project will be launched in autumn 2023.
56 The Commission will provide technical support, together with UNICEF, to Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Andalusia, to enhance collaboration between different sectors: health, education, social services and child protection systems: .
57 Better Internet for Kids Strategy.
58 The Code of conduct on age appropriate design will support the implementation of Art 28 of the DSA, and be recognized as a code under art 45 of the DSA
59 Engagement of the European Board of Digital Services is foreseen for any DSA Code of Conduct.
60 An integrated care system for older people means that older adults get the health care they need, where and when they need it: Ageing and Health unit (who.int).
61 In 2021 over 20.8% of the EU population was over 65 years, a figure that is projected to rise to 30.3% by 2058: Council Conclusions on Mainstreaming Ageing in Public Policies.
62 Council Conclusions on Human Rights, Participation and Well-being of Older Persons in the Era of Digitalisation.
63 Loneliness (europa.eu).
64 WMH REVIEW FINAL (who.int).
65 Istanbul Convention: Action against violence against women and domestic violence.
66 EUR-Lex - 52022PC0105 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)
67 Commission work programme 2023.
68 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057390
69 HappyMums project.
70 Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025.
71 Study on the economic, social and human costs of trafficking in human beings within the EU - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu).
72 In line with the EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025).
73 Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (2021-2027) (europa.eu).
74 In 2021, the European Commission adopted the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities (2021-2030) in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to which the EU and its Member States are party.
75 Disability Employment Package.
76 Long COVID and mental health correlates: a new chronic condition fits existing patterns - PubMed (nih.gov).
77 According to the WHO, an estimated 1 in 5 people who are now experiencing the ravages of war will be dealing with a mental health condition within the next 10 years, and 1 in 10 will have a severe condition like post-traumatic stress disorder or psychosis.
78 See flagship action on Mental Health support for Ukraine’s displaced and affected people.
79 Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (2021-2027) (europa.eu).
80 Nicholas Pleace (2023) Social and healthcare services for homeless people: a discussion paper forthcoming in European Platform on Combatting Homelessness.
81 https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2021-01/eu_roma_strategic_framework_for_equality_inclusion_and_participation_for_2020_-_2030_0.pdf.
82 Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA, OJ L 315, 14.11.2012, p. 57 – 73.
83 2018 report by Public Health France
84 EU Mission: Cancer (europa.eu).
85 Financial support under EU4Health 2023 work programme: CR-g-23-19.01 action grants on mental health challenges for cancer patients and survivors.
86 For example, as set out in the Council Recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation.
87 See https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/osh-pulse-occupational-safety-and-health-post-pandemic-workplaces.
88 Safety and health legislation | Safety and health at work EU-OSHA (europa.eu). The OSH framework directive (89/391/EEC) lays down the employer obligation to evaluate the safety and health risks of workers, including psychosocial risks, and to put in place protective measures. The display screen equipment Directive (90/270/EEC), the workplace directive (89/654/EEC), and the directive on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector (2010/32/EU) also address aspects of work relevant to psychosocial risks.
89 For example COM(2002) 118; COM(2007) 62; COM/2014/0332.
90 COM(2021) 323 final.
91 European Agency for Safety & Health at Work (europa.eu).
92 Healthy workers, thriving companies – a practical guide to wellbeing at work.
93 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&furtherNews=yes&newsId=10582#navItem-1
94 Council directive concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the workplace.
95 Council directive on work with display screen equipment.
96 European Care Strategy.
97 Financial support provided by EU-OSHA budget.
98 https://osha.europa.eu/en/legislation/guidelines/labour-inspectors-guide-assessing-quality-risk-assessments-and-risk-management-measures-regard-prevention-msds
99 Health at a Glance: Europe 2022 report (see footnote 37 on page 8).
100 Global developments in social prescribing - PubMed (nih.gov).
101 Systematic review of social prescribing and older adults: where to from here? - PubMed (nih.gov).
102 EUR-Lex - 52012SC0414 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu).
103 The expert group’s report “Mapping metrics of health promotion and disease prevention for health system performance assessment” includes a case study on mental health and best practices on social prescribing
104 Strategic foresight (europa.eu).
105 To support investments and reforms in Member States through targeted capacity-building, a survey was carried out in April 2023, through collaborative work between the Commission, the WHO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to provide a snapshot of mental health policies in the Member States.
106 TSI 2024 Flagship - Mental health: Fostering well-being and mental health (europa.eu)
107 In line with the United Nations – Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
108 OSH Pulse (flash Eurobarometer survey, 2022): ’Occupational safety and health in post-pandemic workplaces’. The report includes the results of questions on psychosocial risks and individual country factsheets and a follow-up expert article on mental health and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
109World Mental Health Day (who.int).
110 C4H_SummaryReport_V11LP_shortsmall.pdf (cultureforhealth.eu).
111 Funded under the EU4Health programme (EUR 18.36 million: budget under work programme 2023 dedicated to mental health activities).
112 Joint Statement for the EU-US Trade and Technology Council of 30 and 31 May 2023.
113 EU Global Health Strategy to improve global health security and deliver better health for all (europa.eu).
114 Youth Action Plan (europa.eu).
115 Home - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
116 The Spotlight Initiative | What we do: Ending violence against women and girls | UN Women – Headquarters.
117 New WHO prevalence estimates of mental disorders in conflict settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis - The Lancet.
118 IASC Minimum Service Package: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.
119 Financial support provided under NDICI Eastern Partnership Regional Programme to provide psychological support in Ukraine.
120 EU4Health projects to provide mental health support to Ukrainian refugees.
121 https://ifightdepression.com/en/: available in Ukrainian, and culturally adapted.
122 Budget: EUR 28.4 million mobilised under EU4Health 2022 work programme.
123 Budget: 750 000 EUR funded under the Enhanced Response Capacity Programme.
124 WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and UNFPA https://mhpssmsp.org/en.
125 Recovery and Resilience Facility (europa.eu).
126 Regulation (EU) 2021/522 on the EU4Health Programme.
127 com_2022-5436_annex2_en.pdf (europa.eu)
128 wp2023_annex_en.pdf (europa.eu).
129 Horizon Europe (europa.eu).
130 An overall budget of EUR 7.2 billion is available under ERDF for health infrastructure and equipment, which may include measures for mental health and social inclusion.
131 Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) (europa.eu).
132 Daphne and rights of the child: c_2022_8588_1_en_annexe_acte_autonome_cp_part1_v2.pdf (europa.eu).
133 EUR 22.9 million under the 2024 Daphne call for preventing and combating gender-based violence and violence against children to finance actions specifically supporting victims and survivors and further developing integrated child protection systems .
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