Mental Health Europe: MHE open letter to Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Mental Health Europe (MHE) wrote an open letter to the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the need to make mental health a priority in 2016 during the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The letter has also been addressed for information to relevant Dutch ministers, representatives of the Dutch Permanent Representation to the EU, European Commissioners and key officials in the European Commission as well as members of the European Parliament. In this open letter, MHE outlines the current processes which will be of importance to mental health and recommends that the Netherlands prioritises the following over the next six months:
- Ensuring that follow-up to the Joint Action on mental health results in a robust and actionable framework on mental health.
- Pushing for real progress on implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recommendations at Council level, specifically on the Equal Treatment Directive and the Accessibility Act.
- Ensuring that disability issues and issues faced by those with mental health problems are given greater consideration in discussions on the newly proposed long-term unemployment recommendation.
MHE looks forward to working with the Dutch Presidency during what it believes will be an exciting time for mental health in Europe.
Please find the open letter here.
