Mental Health Summit: Prevention and Recovering in Modern Society

In the European Mental Health Week, MEP András Kulja hosts a Mental Health Summit on Prevention and Recovery in Modern Society event at the European Parliament in Brussels on 19-20 May 2025.

In the context of this summit, Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region represented by Stine Eskesen Keiding (Project Leader, Odense Kommune) is contributing to panel 2 on 20 May 2025 from 9:00-12:30 CET on the role of culture and the arts in mental health. A sneak -peak into the agenda that is still subject to change:

Opening by: 

MEP András Kulja, Member of the  Committee on Public Health

MEP Zoltan Tarr, Member of the Committee on Culture and Education

Commissioner Glenn Micallef, Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport

Panel 1: Prevention and Early Action in Mental Health

Speakers include:

• Dr. Daisy Fancourt, Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and Head of the Social Biobehavioral Research Group at UCL
• Representative of DG Sante (TBC)
• Katy Geertsen, Arts For Health Austria, Dance Artist, Youth Dance Project
• Dr. Rarita Zbranca, Programme Director, Cluj Cultural Centre, Lead Author of the CultureForHealth Report

Panel 2: Culture in the Management and Treatment of Illnesses

Speakers include:

• Niels Fietje, WHO Europe, Behavioural and Cultural Insights Unit: Cultural Activities as Health Behavior, Insights for Mental Health
• Karl Lavò, Senior Policy, Projects, and EU Liaison Officer at GAMIAN-Europe
• Stine Eskesen Keiding, Project Leader, Arts on Prescription – INTERREG Project
• Kornelia Kiss, Head of Culture and Health at Culture Action Europe, Co-Author of the CultureForHealth Report, Consortium Leader of the CultureAndHealth Platform

The summit’s discussions will contribute to ongoing EU policy debates on mental health as a societal priority, aligning with the Commission’s Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health. A key outcome will be a renewed call for a dedicated EU Mental Health Action Plan, focusing especially on youth.

The programme is co-curated with Culture Action Europe as part of the “CARE: Culture for Mental Health” project and is supported by the European Union and the European Cultural Foundation.