EU funding for better mental health

Ljubljana, 9 December 2025 – The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved financial contribution from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) for the call for proposals Development and implementation of new forms of mental health support and capacity building programmes (shorter: Implementation of new forms of mental health support).

The total amount of eligible costs for the implementation of the call for proposals is €2,040,000. The contribution from the European Union’s ESF+ equals €1,263,244.17 and will be divided between cohesion regions Vzhodna and Zahodna Slovenija.

The call will be implemented by the Ministry of Health as intermediate body. As part of the call, a set of measures aimed at enabling early detection of risk factors and early identification of individuals at risk for mental health problems, strengthening mental health, breaking the stigma around mental health problems, and creating supportive environments will be carried out. The goal is to develop a broad, tailored, and accessible range of mental health services for those in need.

The call will be implemented in the framework of Slovenia’s EU Cohesion Policy 2021-2027 under priority Long-term care and health, and social inclusion. It will pursue specific objective ESO4.11 that aims to enhance equal and timely access to quality services and improve the resilience of healthcare systems.

The call will address five key areas:

• Work package A: Implementation of peer support for adults with mental health problems.
• Work package B: Peer support for younger adults (18-29 years).
• Work package C: Development and implementation of a pilot programme of psychological first aid for young people.
• Work package D: Development and implementation of pilot digital tools for adult mental health.
• Work package E: Capacity building for health workers to better tackle domestic violence (and violence against women).

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