51. Urges the Commission to support continuing reforms in any Member State that practised the abuse of psychiatry, over-use of medication or incarceration, or inhumane practices such as caged beds or excessive use of seclusion rooms, particularly in some of the new Member States; stresses that in some of the new Member States mental health indicators in society are as a rule drifting in the wrong direction, with a lot of suicides, violence and dependencies, especially on alcohol; underlines that these countries inherited inadequate mental health care systems and large psychiatric and care institutions which increase social exclusion an ...[+++]d stigma, while at the same time there is a lack of community services which need to be integrated into general health and social protection systems; calls on the Commission to place the reform of psychiatry on the agenda for EU accession negotiations; considers that prison is not a suitable environment for those suffering mental ill health and that alternatives should be actively pursued;

58. Calls for a "Mental Health Coordinating and Monitoring Group" to be established by the Commission to collect information on mental health practice and promotion in the EU, to assess the adequacy (in terms of numbers and training) of existing mental health professionals and infrastructure, and to disseminate information on best practice to all Member States and all parties involved in the treatment of mental health; stresses that patients' organisations, those providing treatment, care institutions and knowledge institutes must be involved in this Coordinat ...[+++]ing and Monitoring Group;

57. Calls for a "Mental Health Coordinating and Monitoring Group" to be established by the Commission to collect information on mental health practice and promotion in the EU, to assess the adequacy (in terms of numbers and training) of existing mental health professionals and infrastructure, and to disseminate information on best practice to all Member States and all parties involved in the treatment of mental health; stresses that patients' organisations, those providing treatment, care institutions and knowledge institutes must be involved in this Coordinat ...[+++]ing and Monitoring Group;

1. Welcomes the Commission's commitment to mental health promotion; calls for greater priority for this in health policies, with the emphasis on prevention, and in the Union's research policy, and believes this should be mainstreamed into the policies and legislation of all Commission Directorates and all Member State ministries, which should make a commitment to harmonising the current national and international mental health indicators, with a view to ensuring a comparable set of data at EU level;

I should like to congratulate Mr Bowis on his report, which contains many good things: an admittance that pharmaceuticals can cause more mental illness than they cure; a recognition of the importance of childhood for mental health with a call for support for families; a recognition that employment can affect mental health for better and for worse; and the need to consult those who have recovered from mental illness to learn how recovery happened.

In late 2006 the Commission will present its analysis of the responses received together with, if appropriate, its proposals for a strategy on mental health for the EU.