ABSTRACT
There is a diverse range of mental health traditions, policies and laws across Europe.1 This diversity may account for the fact that the EU has become involved in mental health policy only relatively recently and, even then, in a gradual, incremental fashion.2 The first significant EU involvement in this area to date occurred in 2005, when the Health and Consumer Protectorate DirectorGeneral of the European Commission published a Green Paper on mental health and launched a consultation process.3 This led to the establishment of an EU ‘Consultative Platform’4 and, in 2008, the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being, published by the EU with the WHO.5
