The very first high-level meeting on loneliness in the European Union was held on 20–21 April, within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. It was held on the initiative of Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed, who hosted the meeting at Scandinavian XPO outside of Stockholm.
The aim was to discuss loneliness from various perspectives and gain a better understanding of how policy on EU, national and local level can address the issue. The ambition was to establish synergies with the European Commission’s new initiative for mental health and the conference on loneliness in Brussels in June.
“My aim was to raise the issue of loneliness to the top of the political agenda, and I believe that we have laid the ground for doing so here today.”
Jakob Forssmed
Swedish Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health
For the Swedish Presidency, the meeting was an opportunity to increase the political visibility of social relations and speed up the implementation of evidence-based solutions to decrease social isolation and loneliness – and ultimately to improve mental health in Europe. Loneliness and social isolation are growing demographic trends with negative consequences for both individual people’s mental and physical health, and society at large. Research shows that loneliness is a risk factor comparable to lack of physical exercise, obesity, smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, and leads to increased risk of morbidity and even mortality.
Since loneliness is a complex phenomenon with many causes, it requires different types of solutions for different groups of people. The meeting included several global outlooks, including on challenges of measuring and comparing loneliness between countries, and how perceived loneliness varies across cultures. Other questions concerned the connection to mental health. Loneliness and social isolation have been shown to increase the risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. People with mental health problems are also more at risk of becoming lonely.
Several countries currently have national strategies to reduce loneliness among the population. One important question discussed during the meeting was whether it’s possible to use a similar methodology or strategy in countries with different cultures or varying demographic compositions. Representatives of EU Member States, government agencies and civil society shared their experiences in engaging discussions. What role can – and should – various social actors play in efforts to counter loneliness? How can they work together to identify what efforts work best for various groups and individuals?
The meeting was held in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Daniel and around 85 delegates from EU Member states, organisations and institutions took part in roundtable discussions and panels.