Conclusions and recommendations

Addressing the EU's 'silent crisis' in the post Covid-19 era

• Highlight the socio-economic dangers of the 'silent crisis' permeating European societies, a crisis which is characterised by alarming rates of anxiety, depression, feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem and exclusion, felt by many children and young people;
• Note that the Covid-19 pandemic significantly accelerated existing degradations in the mental health of children and young people, bringing the phenomenon to alarming levels throughout the European Union (EU);
• In this context, welcome the decision of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, to prioritise health security and call on future Presidencies to continue to focus on this topic;
• Stress that beyond the Covid-19 crisis, numerous other factors have accelerated the scale and scope of this health problem, including the war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine, the climate and 'cost of living' crises, digital addictions, disinformation, insecurity and cyberbullying;
• Regret that emotional health challenges among children and young people are often combined with sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits and an increasing physical ill-health. These relate notably to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, which will have long-term negative effects on health during adulthood;
• Stress the direct negative links between childhood ill-health and adult poverty, a situation which is often aggravated for children with disabilities;
• In this context, highlight that it is imperative to break the cycles between disadvantage, ill-health and poverty, at the earliest stages of life.

Placing mental health and well-being at the top of national and European political agendas

• Call for health, including mental health security, to be placed at the top of European and national political agendas, leading to universal access of all Europeans to qualitative and affordable care;
• Highlight that it is imperative to learn from the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic and agree on health as a long-term EU strategic priority;
• This should take the form of a fully-fledged European Health Union, where policies are accompanied by monitoring, accountability, ownership and actions;
• Urge for silos to be broken down between health and social policy, climate change, changing demographics, ageing European societies, etc;
• Stress that health and well-being should be valued as measurable social investments, rather than as socio-economic costs for European societies;
• Crucially, the next EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) must include sustainable and reliable investments into health, focusing on prevention, resilience, innovation and preparedness;
• In this context, regret that to date, insufficient attention has been paid to the mental health and the well-being of children and young people, leading to under-resourced and under-staffed professional psychological and psychiatric care, notably in schools;
• Call for local administrations, Member States and the European Commission to work closely together, in order to prioritise the well-being and mental health of young people;
• Cooperation should include increasing the visibility of the crisis among the general public, the exchange of data, best practices and implementing common actions at the European level;
• Urgent steps should also be taken to adopt and subsequently implement EU legislation on the use of social media by children, for example, reaching agreement on an EU age for 'digital adulthood'.

Working in direct partnership with civil society organisations (CSOs)

• Call for a new architecture for healthcare, which places the patient at the centre and renders healthcare and health security more predictable, preventive, personalised and participatory;
• Recall that many global challenges, require local participation, actions and solutions, which are initiated by bottom-up actions involving CSOs;
• The latter support critical thinking, dialogue to reduce polarisation among peer groups, contribute to raising awareness and prevention through education, as well as providing decentralised mental health services;
• In this context, insist on the importance of synergies, partnerships, the exchange of best practices and joint actions among CSOs, parents, schools, local and national authorities;
• Moreover, local authorities are encouraged to leverage the benefits of the knowledge, expertise, energy and engagement of CSOs;
• Particular attention should be given to volunteer organisations, in view of the benefits of volunteering to mental health. Interactions and shared goals among volunteers directly contribute to skills development and an improved sense of belonging, self-worth and life satisfaction;
• Stress the necessity for national authorities and the EU to explicitly support civil society-driven innovative actions in mental health, through predictable and sustainable funding;
• This will require transparent, regular and structured dialogue with relevant CSOs, including patient associations and youth organisations;
• Highlight the importance of integrating the voice and perspectives of young people and stress the necessity to increase opportunities for youth participation in health-related decision making, notably in relation to mental health challenges;
• Draw attention to the usefulness of public-private partnerships, e.g. on research and investments into specialised medicine for child cancer;
• In this context, call on the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU to ensure the finalisation of the EU's comprehensive pharmaceutical legislation package, which includes revisions to existing Pediatric Regulations.

Brussels, 23 May 2025