The Chair of the AER Working Group on Mental Health Daniel Schützer from Region Värmland (SE), shares his motivation for taking on this role, introduces himself, talks about the achievements of the Working Group so far, and about the collaboration with other member regions and the AER YRN.
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Daniel Schützer and I have been in politics since a very young age and a full time politician for 11 years. In Region Värmland I am the president of the healthcare committee and a member of the regional board. Since 2023 I have also had the privilege of chairing the working group on mental health in the AER.
What motivated you in launching the working group on mental health?
Mental illness is a growing problem all over the world and especially among young people and it would be unreasonable to not do anything about it. Since we see the same challenges globally, it would be wise to cooperate and learn from each other.
Why do you think exchanging with other regional policymakers on mental health matters?
I think we all struggle to find a way forward with this problem and therefore, it is a good idea to cooperate. It is also very easy to medicalize mental illness and harder to see what we can do to find preventive measures and policies that can really help us solve this problem. Therefore, cooperation between regional policy makers is very important.
What do you want to achieve with this working group?
I hope that we all learn from each other and that by the end of the year we have an idea on what to do next. I hope that we together can identify the next step in the AER cooperation to really get closer to find policies and measures that could make a different for real.
One year and a half in this role, what are you proud of?
I am very proud of all the different activities that we have had over the year, and I am also very proud of the involvement of the Youth Regional Network. However, the most heartbreaking moment was definitely the study visit to Odessa. Being able to see how they work with mental health in the middle of a war and hearing the sound of the alarm as they proceeded to walk into the shelters was a very emotional moment. It sheds a light on how important it is to work with mental health. But if I could only pick one thing, I would have to say that I am most proud that we have achieved so many things and had such a broad take on this topic with so many people involved.
If this collaboration with other regions and the YRN was a work of art, what would it look like?
It would be a huge painting with lots of colors and probably with sound. There have been so many great contributions from all over Europe to this working group from all ages and with different perspectives. A big loud and beautiful painting!
The AER Working Group on Mental Health
It’s possible to join anytime! All AER regions are welcome to join the group, please fill in this form to become a member of the Working Group, get updates and be able to contribute and shape the activities of the group.
The group addresses mental health, a pressing concern for regional policymakers, with the World Health Organization noting that one in four Europeans will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime.
An intersectional approach is necessary to tackle systemic issues such as discrimination and economic inequality. This group focuses on crucial topics like traumatic events, addictions, resilience, prevention, research, and dealing with bullying and hate speech.
It currently includes 13 regions: Norrbotten (SE), Donegal (IE), Brussels Capital (BE), Värmland (SE), Alba (RO), Västra Götaland (SE), Jönköping (SE), Zurich (CH), East Slovenia (SI), Västerbotten (SE), Poltava (UA), Odesa (UA), Primorje Gorski Kotar (HR). Several regions joined via the Youth Regional Network (Wallonia, Dibra, Tirana, Innlandet, Donegal, Salaj, Nordland, Donegal).
This article was written by Ana Isabel Méndez López who is doing an internship on Policy & Knowledge Transfer at the AER Secretariat from November 2024 to March 2025.
