Consultation Process: Context and Framework

The Green Paper acknowledged that the development and implementation of an effective EU strategy on mental health would require broad and inclusive consultation and therefore proposed several strands of activity:

• Creation of a dialogue with Member States (MS) to identify priorities and an action plan and consider the need for Council Recommendations, as above
• The launch of an EU Platform for mental health to promote cross sectoral cooperation in progressing the objectives of the proposed strategy
• The establishment of an interface between policy and research on mental health to promote the development of indicators and monitoring systems and to propose priorities for mental health research.

Formal Consultation Meetings

The launch event set in place structures for consultation by constituting three consultation groups: Dialogue with Member States (composed of Government representatives); an EU-Platform for Mental Health (representing the health and other sectors as well as civil society and patient and family organisations); and a Policy / Research Interface subgroup (involving academic experts). 

These consultation bodies took part in three thematic consultation meetings which provided opportunity for information sharing, debate and discussion on key questions arising from the Green Paper:

• 16 – 17^th January 2006, Luxembourg: Mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention
• 16 – 17^th March 2006, Vienna: Social inclusion and fundamental rights
• 18 – 19^th May 2006, Luxembourg: Information, data and knowledge  

Details (agendas, steering papers, presentations) of these meetings are available from:

 http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/events_mental_health_en.htm

The following overarching questions taken from the Commission Green paper were considered in the consultation meetings:

• In what ways is the mental health of the population relevant to EU strategic policy objectives?
• Would the development of an EU strategy on mental health add value, and in what ways?
• Are the initiatives proposed in the GP appropriate, to support coordination between MS, to promote integration of mental health into other areas of policy and policy implementation and to achieve better liaison between research and policy?

Informal Consultation

The consultation process continued to 31^st May 2006. Over 250 written responses were received from a wide range of bodies and networks across the EU.  This report summarises the material presented at the three thematic consultation meetings and the discussions which took place, but does not take account of the formal written consultation responses, which were being analysed by the Commission.

WHO participated in the consultation and indicated its full support for the Green Paper and readiness to work in partnership with the European Commission to further shared aims and objectives for mental health in Europe.