EPA Past President at the European Parliament for Brain Health Week

EPA Past-President, Prof Geert Dom, spoke at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 March 2026.

The event “European Vision for the Brain: Coordinating Research, Care & Innovation” took place as part of Brain Health Week, thanks to the European Brain Council (EBC), the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS). The event was made possible by MEP Angelika Winzig and included MEP Nikos Papandreou. Prof. Dom joined a group that met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

“Seeing a 12% reduction in DALYs worldwide over the last 30 years tells us that, as healthcare providers, we are doing something right. Importantly, this progress has been mainly achieved by prevention and lifestyle changes. But the job is far from done. Specifically for psychiatry. Over the last 30 years the disease burden, DALY’s, due to anxiety disorders increased by 62,3% and by 26,3% for depression. These figures remind us that although progress is real in many health domains, there is an urgent need to do much more on prevention in both psychiatry and neurology. Brain health and mental health must be at the centre of a coordinated European approach, backed by funding that is closer to clinical realities. Today, around 0.57% of GDP is spent on prevention in healthcare, and only a fraction of that reaches mental health. My hope is for a Europe that turns ambition into action, with coordinated investment and a strong commitment to prevention.” Prof. Geert Dom

The event followed a morning of insightful discussions at the Brain Health Summit. The day concluded at the European Parliament’s Presidential Salon with a session bringing together speakers from academia, industry, medical associations, patient organisations and EU representatives to discuss current developments in brain research and policy coordination. The event resulted in calls for EU coordination and investment via the forthcoming Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) and focused on brain health, research, innovation, and its societal outcomes for Europe.