Stronger Together: Why the EU Needs a People Centred Mental Health Strategy

Across Europe, people are navigating profound and overlapping changes. Rising inequalities, climate related anxiety, displacement, digital transformation and geopolitical instability are reshaping how individuals and communities live, connect and cope. In these contexts, mental health is not a peripheral issue. It is fundamental to people’s ability to withstand pressure, support one another and rebuild when circumstances become difficult.

European Mental Health Week 2026 reaffirms a clear message: we are stronger together. Prioritising mental health in a changing Europe requires policies grounded in people’s lived experiences, that recognise the strength of communities and ensure support systems are accessible, inclusive and dignified.

“Mental health and psychosocial well-being are key foundations of resilient and thriving communities”, stresses Mette Petersen, Red Cross EU Office Director. “The EU should prioritise psychosocial support, prevention, and non-clinical pathways to care, ensuring that help is available early and at the local level”. 

Building on the European Commission’s Communication on a Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health, the EU now has an opportunity to develop a people centred strategy that translates ambition into lasting change.

From a comprehensive approach to people centred systems

The Commission’s Communication marked an important step in elevating mental health on the EU agenda and recognising that outcomes are shaped far beyond the health sector. Yet across Europe, mental health and psychosocial needs continue to exceed the capacity of public systems to respond. 

Many people experience support systems as fragmented and difficult to navigate, accessing help only once distress has escalated, if at all. These gaps undermine trust in public institutions and disproportionately affect those already at the margins. Investing in preventive, community‑based, and integrated approaches, public systems can enable earlier support, improve equity and strengthen wellbeing over time.

Making mental health everyone’s business

Mental health is shaped by the conditions in which people grow up, move, work, and age. Housing insecurity, unemployment, discrimination, social isolation, and poor access to services all weigh heavily on psychosocial wellbeing. Yet mental health policies too often remain disconnected from wider social, education, employment, and migration systems.

Mental health must be embraced as a shared responsibility across sectors and institutions. Integrating psychosocial considerations into policies on social protection, education, employment, housing, and inclusion strengthens wellbeing and improves outcomes across these areas. Conversely, poorly designed or implemented policies in non health sectors can cause harm and exacerbate distress.

Community based actors play a crucial role in bridging these gaps. Across Europe, National Red Cross Societies complement public systems by providing community based psychosocial support, strengthening social connections, and reaching people who might otherwise fall through the cracks. As one participant from the Red Cross Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Center in Košice, Slovakia, shared: “I used to cry every evening, but now I know I’m not alone. We all have similar pain, and we support each other.” 

Recognising, resourcing, and involving these actors in EU level strategies is essential to ensure solutions that are grounded in reality.
 
Leaving no one behind

Despite growing awareness, universal access to mental health and psychosocial support remains out of reach for many. Stigma, financial barriers, limited service availability, and one size fits all approaches continue to obstruct care. Children, young people, older adults, and people affected by displacement, homelessness, disability, or social exclusion often face higher stress alongside greater barriers to support.

Responding effectively requires more inclusive and participatory systems. This means removing restrictive eligibility criteria, ensuring non discriminatory access regardless of legal or socioeconomic status, and tailoring services to diverse needs and contexts. Participation is also essential: people with lived experience should not only receive support, but actively shape policies and services.

Preparing for the crises of tomorrow

Prepared systems are those that people can trust and rely on before, during and after emergencies. Mental health and psychosocial support is a core pillar of preparedness, yet it is still too often treated as an afterthought in crisis planning.

The COVID 19 pandemic, the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and climate related disasters have shown how sharply mental health needs can rise in times of shock. Early and sustained psychosocial support helps people recover more quickly and prevents additional strain on already overstretched health systems. It is also a highly cost effective investment.

Embedding mental health into the EU’s preparedness and resilience agenda is therefore essential. This includes integrating psychosocial support into the implementation of the Preparedness Union Strategy, ensuring continuity of care beyond the acute phase of crises, and investing in the well being of frontline workers and volunteers who support others under extreme pressure.

A call for EU leadership

The EU has a unique role to play in shaping coordinated and equitable mental health responses. Developing a people centred EU mental health strategy would help turn shared principles into concrete action. At a time of uncertainty and division, prioritising mental health can help rebuild trust and social cohesion. By embracing mental health as a shared societal responsibility and investing in accessible, dignified and prepared systems, the EU can help ensure that Europe emerges stronger together.