Brussels Briefing - Mental health: Key findings and emerging risks

Image copyright: Black Brush/Adobe Stock

Topics

Health and well-being Psychosocial risks

When?

Tuesday, 9 December 2025

Time

10:00 – 12:00 Europe/Brussels

Where?

Résidence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040, Brussels, BE

Event type

In-person

Organised by

Eurofound

As part of its #BrusselsBriefings series, Eurofound hosted an off-the-record session dedicated to its latest research on mental health. The briefing took place on Tuesday 9 December 2025 from 10:00 to 12:00 CET.

Event background

Eurofound expert Hans Dubois presented recent findings drawing comparative data, exploring how crises such as the Great Recession and COVID-19 have shaped mental-health outcomes, how different risk groups are evolving, and why social and economic conditions remain central drivers of poor mental health.

The briefing also addressed worrying recent trends, including a stalling of the decline in suicide deaths and recent increases especially among youngest and oldest age groups, and the increasing or continued strain on Europe’s mental-health systems regardless of increased capacity. Participants could gain insights into what works, where gaps persist, and how policy can strengthen prevention, inclusion and access to trustworthy, person-centred support.

This off-the-record event gave stakeholders an opportunity to engage directly with Eurofound’s expert on the most recent data and analysis. After the opening and a short presentation, the schedule included a Q&A and an exchange of ideas with the audience.

Image © Black Brush/Adobe Stock

Agenda

Contact

Attendance is by invitation only. For any queries about the briefing, please contact Cristina Arigho.

Cristina Arigho

Senior Communication Manager

Information and Communication

Cristina Arigho is Senior Communications Manager and Stakeholder engagement and Promotions Lead in the Information and Communication unit at Eurofound, having joined the Agency in 2012. Previously, she spent almost 20 years in Brussels working in various roles, many of them at the European Commission, including as spokesperson for DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (2010–2012) and for DG Budget (2007–2009). Before joining the Commission’s spokesperson’s service, she was press officer at DG Employment (2005–2007) and speech writer for the Commissioner and Director General at the time (2003–2005). Prior to her years at the Commission, she worked for RTÉ radio and television (Irish national television) in Brussels as a production assistant and researcher, and later as news producer. Cristina is a graduate in Applied Languages from the University of Ulster at Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

See profile

Speakers

Hans Dubois

Senior research manager

Social policies research

Hans Dubois is a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. His research topics include housing, over-indebtedness, healthcare, long-term care, social benefits, retirement, and quality of life in the local area. Prior to joining Eurofound, he was Assistant Professor at Kozminski University (Warsaw). He completed a PhD in Business Administration and Management at Bocconi University (Milan), after working as a research officer at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (Madrid).

See profile

Series: Brussels briefings

See all events in this series

Eurofound's Brussels Briefings are off-the-record, in-person sessions designed for insightful exchanges. Meet Eurofound experts to discuss the latest developments on the Brussels agenda in an informal setting.

In-person event

Own event