The EU-Compass supported dissemination of the European Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing

The EU-Compass was a mechanism to collect, exchange and analyse information on European countries’ policy and stakeholder activities in mental health. MIELI Mental Health Finland was one of the four organisations that formed the consortium for three-year project (2015-18) to disseminate the European Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing resulting from the EU Joint Action Mental Health and Wellbeing and to monitor mental health and wellbeing policies and activities by Member States and non-governmental stakeholders.

The EU-Compass consisted of the following actions:

• the identification and dissemination of European good practices in mental health
• the collection of data on stakeholders’ and member states activities in mental health through three annual surveys
• the organisation of three annual reports and forum events
• holding national cross-sectoral mental health workshops in each Member State and Iceland and Norway during the project

In addition, the EU Compass supported the work of the EU-Group of Governmental Experts on Mental Health and Wellbeing through the preparation of four scientific reports.

The EU-Compass focused on seven European mental health priorities

• preventing depression & promoting resilience
• better access to mental health services
• providing community-based mental health services
• preventing suicide
• mental health at work  
• mental health in schools
• developing integrated governance approaches.

The EU-Compass was built on solid basis of past EU activities

The EU-Compass was built on over ten years of EU-level cooperation in mental health initiatives, in which some key milestones have been:

• the GREEN PAPER – Improving the mental health of the population: Towards a strategy on mental health for the European Union (2005)
• the mental health conference held in June 2008, where the EUROPEAN PACT for Mental Health and Well-being was launched
• the COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION CONCLUSIONS on the European Pact from June 2011
• the JOINT ACTION ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING (2013-2016), which was borne out of the abovementioned Council conclusions and in which MIELI coordinated one of the work packages
• the EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING, presented in 2016

Outcomes of the EU-Compass

Outcomes of the EU-Compass were disseminated across Europe via the COMPASS WEBSITE, the good practice database and the COMPASS NEWSLETTER.

The EU-Compass published four scientific reports to support the work of the EU Group of Governmental Experts on Mental Health and Wellbeing:

• Access to Mental Health Care in Europe (2016)
• Prevention of depression and strengthening resilience (2016)
• Mental health at work (2017)
• Community-based mental health services (2018)