MEPs discuss World Mental Health Day - need for a comprehensive EU strategy on mental health, during the plenary session in Strasbourg. Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting our European Way of Life. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

healthcare safety (T)

SCHINAS, Margaritis (EPP-DE, EL, EC)

World Mental Health Day - need for a comprehensive EU strategy on mental health: opening statement by Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting our European Way of Life

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life Thank you, President. Honorable members. On another subject, I cannot find a better occasion to mark the World Mental Health Day than this debate today. This is a magnificent opportunity to shine a light on mental health, which I would like to call the silent epidemic in Europe. Indeed, especially after the Covid 19 confinements, mental health problems have been a particular issue that concerns two of the most vulnerable segments of our society, mainly young and older Europeans.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life During this commission, together with my colleague Health Commissioner, Stélla Kyriakídes, we're very proud to have adopted the first ever EU strategy for mental health. One of the fundamental pillars of our European Health Union. Through this important strategic document, we now have 20 flagship initiatives to cope with mental health at the European level, a strong European framework to drive action and help those who suffer. And since its adoption last summer, we have been delivering consistently on these pledges.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life Let me take you through some examples. First, we know that digitalization and social networks can have a heavy toll on our mental health, on isolation, and especially on socialization of younger Europeans. That's why the new joint action "Mentor", which started only last month, will focus precisely on this subject. We will offer care and treatment to people in distress. We need to have strong mental health systems.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life We have been supporting Member States with financing mainly through our dedicated EU4Health program. We are helping Member States in reforming their mental health systems and improving patients access to treatment and care. And we have joined forces with the World Health Organization, via policy dialogs and consistent capacity building.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life We are also working hand-in-hand with Member States on more and better training in the EU so that we have specialists in mental care, specialists in mental care that can help patients. We have put, since this year, we have put in place EU-PROMENS, a multidisciplinary training and exchange program for health care and other professionals. We have 30 participating countries, including Ukraine, where this issue as you can understand acquire an important dimension with an overall budget of €9 million.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life Only yesterday we organized a specific webinar to help train media professionals to feel better equipped to talk and report on mental health issues. As is often the case, vulnerable people and those in socioeconomic disadvantaged situations are more effective than others. And that's why we need more help.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life One of the flagship initiatives has specific impact on our work for children. We need more action in this sensitive area. We need better protection of children in the digital world. And we also need to provide authorities and school authorities in particular with prevention toolkits.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life These are only a few examples of our flagship initiatives that are now fully on their way. But there is a common denominator in all this. There are two main European guarantees that are included in our strategy. The first is the right to access help. Every European, regardless of age, socioeconomic condition or place of residence, should have an access to someone that can talk, that can support, that can seek advice and care.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life This is the most European guarantee that we need to ensure for everybody. And in our strategy, we have a list with specific contact points to live up to this pledge. And there is a second equally important European principle in all our strategy in the area of mental health, which is to break through stigma. Address discrimination. It is time that in Europe everybody understands that it's okay not to be okay and we need further work for that. We need to discuss, to debate, to publish and launch a stigma awareness campaign.

Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President in charge of Promoting our European Way of Life Honorable members. This is only the first wave of the political action that our strategy triggered. We are in a process that has no time horizon, as you can understand. The issues of mental health will stay with us. Part of our societies, of our modern societies and require a constant effort and synergy to make sure that we deliver for all Europeans. Thank you.