Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/03/2026
14:00 - 17:15
Location
Press Club Brussels Europe
Categories
EUROMIL is co-organising with MEPs Liesbet Sommen and Wouter Beke a conference,
titled “Strengthening Mental Health in the Armed Forces: A European Imperative” in the Press Club Brussels Europe on 4 March 2026.
Across Europe, military personnel and veterans face increasing mental health challenges linked to operational stress, trauma, moral injury, institutional pressures, and difficulties in accessing care. Despite growing awareness, stigma, fragmented support systems, and insufficient coordination between military and civilian services continue to leave many needs unmet. Reintegration into civilian
life remains a particularly vulnerable phase, with clear gaps in psychological, social, and employment-related support.
Mental health is not only a matter of individual well-being but also of institutional responsibility, operational effectiveness, social cohesion, and fundamental rights. These challenges affect active service members, reservists, veterans, and their families, with specific impacts on women and LGBTQI+ personnel.
Therefore, the conference aims to highlight the urgent need for effective policies, best practices, and cross-national cooperation to strengthen mental health support for military and uniformed personnel. The panels will address operational and psychological stress factors in military service, mental health and social reintegration of veterans, institutional stigma and barriers to seeking help, and gender and diversity considerations alongside other considerations of mental health(care).
You can register by clicking to the following link.
Agenda
Registration from 13:30
1. Opening 14h00 – 14h15
1.1 Opening of the Conference by Emmanuel Jacob, President of EUROMIL
1.2 Introductory statements by MEP Liesbet Sommen and MEP Wouter Beke
2. Panel I on Mental Health in Uniform: Institutional Culture 14h15 – 15h30
2.1 Moderator: Ann Dubois, Colonel Belgian Defence, former Project Officer Veterans Policy
2.2 Speakers:
− Erik De Soir, Crisis psychologist with expertise in military trauma and suicide prevention
− Mieke Axters, Military Assistant to the Inspector General at Belgian Defence
− Jenny Stone, Senior Lecturer at the Academic Department of Military Mental Health of King’s College London
Coffee Break 15h30 – 15h45
3. Panel II on Reintegration 15h45 – 16h55
3.1 Moderator: Emmanuel Jacob, President of EUROMIL
3.2 Speakers:
− Declan Sheridan, President of the Irish Defense Forces Veterans Association (IDFVA)
− Andrii Yukhymets, Ukrainian Veteran of the War 2022-2025
− Prof. Ilse Derluyn, Professor at Ghent University
4. Closing remarks 16h55 – 17h00
4.1 Summary of key messages and proposals for parliamentary or institutional follow-up by MEP Liesbet Sommen and MEP Wouter Beke
4.2 Closing of the conference by Emmanuel Jacob, President of EUROMIL