After Initial Progress: What Next for Europe’s Mental Health Policy?

Mental health remains one of Europe’s major public health and societal challenges. With its comprehensive approach to mental health, the European Commission in 2023 sent, for the first time, a dedicated health policy signal at EU level and at the same time allocated funding for mental health measures. However, it remains unclear how the initiatives that have been launched will be continued beyond 2026, following the expiry of the current EU financial framework, and how they will be embedded politically in the long term.

European Mental Health Week focuses on the period beyond 2026

Against this backdrop, European Mental Health Week 2026, held at the beginning of May, placed the long-term integration of mental health at the centre of discussions. Under the guiding theme “Stronger Together – Prioritise Mental Health in a Changing Europe”, Members of the European Parliament from different political groups discussed how existing initiatives could be sustained and transferred into a durable and viable political framework.

Particular attention was given to a stronger prevention-oriented approach, the expansion of low-threshold and community-based support structures, improvements to the data basis, and a more targeted focus on vulnerable population groups. At the same time, it became clear that although the measures introduced so far represent an important political shift in direction, no binding successor model for the period after 2026 has yet emerged. During the discussions, it was repeatedly emphasised that the progress achieved so far could lose momentum without long-term funding and structural integration.

Mental health problems as a social and economic challenge

The political relevance of the issue is also reflected in recent figures published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, around one in six people in the European Union was affected by mental health problems. According to the OECD, the resulting economic costs amount to approximately 600 billion euros annually. These include, among other things, absenteeism from work, reduced productivity, and increasing pressure on health and social care systems.

At the same time, crises such as the pandemic, geopolitical uncertainties, and wider societal crises have further exacerbated existing pressures – particularly for young people and vulnerable groups. Prevention and early support are therefore becoming increasingly important. Simultaneously, political pressure is growing at European level to address mental health not merely on an ad hoc basis, but to anchor it sustainably within EU strategies and funding structures.

Outlook

Overall, the event made clear that the political importance of mental health in Europe is increasing significantly. The key question now will be whether time-limited initiatives can develop into a long-term strategic framework that strengthens prevention, closes gaps in care provision, and permanently places mental health at the centre of European policymaking.

Initial steps in this direction are indicated in the draft report by Member of the European Parliament Estelle Ceulemans (S&D/BE). The draft contains recommendations to the Commission on psychosocial risks, stress, and mental health in the workplace and is expected to be adopted in the autumn.