The 2025 EUREGHA Annual Conference will focus on mental health, highlighting the role of regional and local health authorities in turning European ambitions into concrete action on the ground.
As the European Comprehensive Approach on Mental Health calls upon national and regional actors, and health and non-health sectors to work together, regions are leading efforts to build resilient, inclusive, and prevention-oriented systems. The conference will bring together European institutions, regional leaders, and key partners to exchange experiences and discuss how cooperation and innovation can drive sustainable change.
Following opening remarks from WHO Regional Office for Europe and European Parliament, the programme will then turn to regional practice, exploring synergies across EU programmes and identify practical ways to strengthen mental health action across Europe. Representatives from Wales, Flanders, Central Denmark and Castilla Y León will present recent strategy revisions, new prevention models, and innovative regional programmes. These contributions will illustrate how regions are already reshaping mental health governance through long-term planning, early intervention strategies, community-based approaches, and data-informed policy design.
Building on this, the second panel will explore how stronger connections between local initiatives and European frameworks can accelerate progress. Speakers from European networks and Joint Actions—such as PRISM, the BIZI Suicide Prevention Programme (Basque Country), the Culture and Health Platform, Mental Health Europe, and JA Mentor—will discuss how multi-level cooperation, shared methodologies, and cross-border partnerships can help scale up promising practices and reinforce Europe’s collective capacity to act on mental health.
By linking European strategies with regional implementation, the conference aims to showcase successful examples, highlight synergies across EU programmes, and identify practical ways to strengthen mental health action across Europe. The event will conclude with a networking reception, offering participants an opportunity to exchange insights and discover key regional and European projects contributing to better mental health and health system transformation.
Confirmed speakers include:
Andrea Pavlickova, Chair, EUREGHA – International Engagement Manager, Directorate for Health and Social Care Finance, Digital and Governance, Scottish Government / NHS NSS
Ledia Lazëri, Regional Adviser for Mental Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe & Kira Fortune, Senior Technical Officer – Healthy Ageing and Healthy Settings, WHO Regional Office for Europe (video contribution – opening remarks)
Maria Walsh, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the European People’s Party, Fine Gael Party (Ireland) and EP Intergroup on Mental Health Co-Chair (video contribution – opening remarks)
Romana Jerković, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Socijaldemokratska partija Hrvatske (Croatia) and EP Intergroup on Mental Health member (video contribution – opening remarks)
Rhodri Wynjones, Technology, Digital and Transformation Directorate, Health, Social Care and Early Years Group, Welsh Government
Solvejg Wallyn, Policy Officer, International Policy Team – Department of Care, Flanders
Camilla Palmhøj Nielsen, Research Director, DEFACTUM – Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Central Denmark Region
Silvia Fernández Calderón, General Director of Healthcare and Humanisation, Castilla y León
Iñaki Gutiérrez Ibarluzea, Health Research, Innovation and Evaluation Director, Ministry for Health, Basque Government
Kornelia Kiss, Head of Culture and Health, Culture Action Europe (Culture and Health Platform)
Kadri Soova, Director, Mental Health Europe
Bas de Veen, Program Manager, Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a doctoral researcher at Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands)
Fabio Abbrescia, Project Manager, PROMIS Salute (Italy)
Registration is open until 30 November