MEP Giuseppe Antoci (The Left) has asked the European Commission to take action on the mental health situation of young people in Sicily, highlighting severe regional disparities in access to psychological support services. In a parliamentary question submitted on 13 July 2026, Antoci pointed to a study by the Italian Society of Psychiatric Epidemiology showing that Sicily lags behind in mental health service provision, and a petition from Sicilian mental health advocacy groups detailing staff shortages, high rates of involuntary hospitalisation, and underuse of resources for tailored treatments. The MEP specifically asks whether the Commission is aware of the situation, how EU funds such as EU4Health, the European Social Fund Plus, and cohesion funds could support prevention and care in disadvantaged regions, and whether additional initiatives will be launched to exchange good practices and reduce territorial disparities. The question references the Commission's 2023 communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health, which identified mental health as an EU priority. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal policy direction on using EU instruments to address regional gaps in youth mental health services.
Source📩 Open question ↗
Asked byGiuseppe Antoci (The Left)