European Federation of Psychologists Associations
EFPA
(a) Develop psychology: i. Develop psychology education, science, and professional practice; ii. Promote the dissemination of psychological knowledge, to develop a clear image of psychology and make it accessible, useful and respected; (b) Contribute to society; i. Contribute psychological theory and practice to quality of life including health and wellbeing of people living in Europe and to a democratic and prosperous society; ii. Represent psychology at the European level, and contribute psychological science to European policy development; (c) Serve Psychologists; i. Support the development of its Full Members and their activities at the national level; and ii. Enhance the standing of the profession and its legal status at the European level, building a European professional identity based on common values and goals, equality, diversity, inclusion, multi and interculturalism, mutual respect and collaboration, mobility, and service to society.
ID: 513145143460-77
Lobbying Activity
Response to Union prevention, preparedness, and response plan for health crises
21 Oct 2025
Across Europe, crises that threaten the psychological and social wellbeing of individuals and communities, are increasingly shaping our collective experience from natural disasters and climate emergencies to armed conflicts and public health crises. Each of these events also demonstrate the vital contribution of Psychology and Psychologists in prevention and promotion, emergency response, and long-term recovery. Psychological science provides the evidence base for promoting psychological literacy, strengthening preparedness, understanding human behaviour under threat, and intervene with direct attention to populations recovery and resilience. Before crises occur, psychologists are essential in designing and implementing prevention and promotion programmes focusing on planning, training, capacity-building, and the development of psychological competencies. They build individual and community capacities to cope with adversity, reduce vulnerability, and foster resilience. The psychological intervention must also balance an urgent response with the construction of meaning and resilience. Beyond addressing immediate needs, psychologists help individuals and communities make sense of what has happened, recover agency, and rebuild hope. Psychologists play key roles across all phases before, during and after emergencies including: Psychological literacy and prevention programmes, developing competencies that help people, communities, and organisations manage stress, uncertainty, and risk long before crises arise; Emergency psychological interventions, ensuring that people in distress receive timely and appropriate support when disasters strike; Risk and crisis communication, translating complex information into messages that foster hope, trust, and collective efficacy; Strengthening community resilience, helping societies prepare, respond, and rebuild after disaster; Promoting equitable access to mental health care, even under extreme and uncertain conditions. Effective responses require, from one side, the provision of mental health care through an intersectoral approach and, from another side, multidisciplinary teams. A strong coordination must be a requirement between health, civil protection, security, education, and communication sectors. Psychologists bring unique expertise in human behaviour, emotional regulation, and group dynamics essential elements for coherent crisis management. EFPA calls on policymakers and health systems, to ensure that: 1. Mental health and psychological support services are embedded within national and European emergency preparedness and response frameworks, ensuring that policies, funding mechanisms, and operational plans consistently provide for evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and ethically sound care during crises. 2. Qualified psychologists are systematically engaged in all phases of crisis management working within multidisciplinary teams that plan, coordinate, and deliver psychological interventions from the earliest stages of preparedness to long-term recovery at both national and community levels. 3. Specialised training in crisis, trauma, and emergency psychology, including psychological first aid and risk and crisis communication, becomes standard in both initial education and continuing professional development for psychologists. 4. Prevention and psychological preparedness are recognised as strategic investments in social resilience, ensuring sustainable recovery, community cohesion, and long-term wellbeing. As crises become more frequent and complex, Psychology is not optional it is essential. By combining science, ethics, and human connection, psychologists across Europe stand ready to protect wellbeing, restore dignity, and foster resilience turning crisis and catastrophes into collective growth.
Read full responseResponse to Action plan against cyberbullying
29 Sept 2025
EFPA welcomes the Commissions initiative to develop a comprehensive European Action Plan against cyberbullying. Psychologists recognise cyberbullying as a profound threat to mental health, social cohesion, and the development of young people. The psychological evidence shows that cyberbullying increases risks of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and long-term relational difficulties. The disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups requires an inclusive approach that emphasises both prevention and protection. We support the Commissions proposed actions to establish a common EU definition, foster prevention and digital literacy, enhance multidisciplinary cooperation, and strengthen victim support mechanisms. EFPA particularly emphasises the need for accessible, evidence-based psychological support for victims and for guidance in the reintegration of perpetrators, recognising the complex psychosocial dynamics underlying cyberbullying. Specific Recommendations EFPA advocates for integrating psychological services into digital platforms and helplines. Embedding evidence-based interventions can help identify, support, and empower victims early, while also offering therapeutic guidance to families and educators. Strengthening digital literacy is vital for prevention. Psychologists can contribute to designing developmentally appropriate programmes that foster resilience, empathy, and prosocial behaviour, while countering harmful online norms. EFPA urges collaboration with technology providers to design safer digital environments, including tools that promote positive interactions, enable effective reporting, and reduce harmful exposure through algorithmic safeguards. Teachers, youth workers, healthcare professionals, and parents require training in recognising and responding to cyberbullying. Psychologists can support this capacity-building by providing insights into developmental processes, trauma-informed practices, and restorative approaches. A harmonised EU approach must be grounded in scientific evidence. EFPA and its member associations stand ready to contribute research on the psychological impact of cyberbullying, evaluation of interventions, and monitoring of long-term effects on wellbeing. EFPAs six digitalisation policy priorities (https://www.efpa.eu/digitalisation) emphasise the importance of bringing psychological insight to digitally mediated interactions Conclusion EFPA strongly supports the Commissions Action Plan and urges that psychological expertise be embedded at every stagefrom prevention and education to intervention and rehabilitation. Only through a coordinated, evidence-based, and ethically grounded approach can Europe safeguard the mental health and rights of children and youth in the digital age. EFPA is committed to working with EU institutions, Member States, civil society, and industry to develop and implement effective solutions that foster safe, inclusive, and empowering online environments. Founded in 1981, the European Federation of Psychologists´ Associations (www.efpa.eu) is the umbrella organisation for national psychologists organisations in Europe. EFPA has a long tradition of developing psychology education, science, and professional practice, and promoting the dissemination of psychological knowledge; of contributing psychological theory and practice to quality of life including health and wellbeing, contributing psychological science to European policy development; and of serving psychologists by supporting activities at the national level and enhancing the standing of the profession at the European level based on common values and goals. EFPA has a network of some 400,000 psychologists (professional practitioner psychologists and researchers) through its Full Members. EFPAs Full Members currently comprise organisations of psychologists from 37 European countries
Read full responseResponse to Protection of Minors Guidelines
30 Sept 2024
EFPA CONTRIBUTION TO EC CALL FOR EVIDENCE ON THE DIGITAL SERVICES ACT The European Federation of Psychologists´ Associations aisbl (EFPA) appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the European Commission Call for evidence for the Digital Services Act guidelines to enforce the protection of minors online - See PDF attached
Read full responseResponse to European Quality Assurance and Recognition System
30 Jan 2024
The European Federation of Psychologists´ Associations (EFPA) appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the consultation on a blueprint for a Joint European Degree, as well as on plans around quality assurance and attractive higher education careers. The development and agreement of common European criteria that give universities the opportunity to award such a common European degree alongside their national degrees on a voluntary basis and based on these European criteria for joint degree programs or programs that are closely linked through exchange agreements is to be welcomed in principle, as a common European degree can facilitate mobility in Europe. EFPA believes that this possibility should not be limited to "European universities" within the framework of the Erasmus+ program but should be open to all universities that offer joint degree programs or degree programs closely linked by exchange agreements on the basis of uniform - or at least comparable - competence requirements, training and quality standards. In psychology many psychological associations and universities use the EFPA (European Federation of Psychologists' Associations) certificate EuroPsy already as a uniform European competence framework, training and quality standard. As we do in EFPA, the respective national or European scientific societies should be significantly involved in the development of the program-specific common competence requirements, training, and quality standards and in the accreditation of the programs as part of a peer review process. This applies regardless of whether the accreditation of the degree programs is carried out as part of a cross-institutional external or internal quality assurance system. The accreditation of joint degrees should not lead to additional costs for the universities. National educational and professional standards must be respected and must not be undermined by joint European degrees. Attractive and predictable European research and higher education careers are needed to support joint European degree programs. More on EFPA: www.efpa.eu More on EuroPsy: www.europsy.eu
Read full responseResponse to A comprehensive approach to mental health
15 Feb 2023
The European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) is the umbrella organisation in Europe for national psychologists associations and comprises associations from 37 European countries, including all 27 member countries of the EU. EFPA is a partner in many EU Commission funded research and development projects and sets a European standard of education, professional training, and competence in psychologyEuroPsy. EFPA welcomes a recognition of the importance of ensuring that EU and national policies proactively promote good mental health, as well as work to prevent, mitigate and respond to mental health challenges. EFPA appreciates the opportunity offered by the Commission to help develop this comprehensive approach. Specifically, the seven priorities outlined below are offered as concrete ways to ensure sustained and meaningful EU-level action. Ideally these priorities would become workstreams of a coherent strategy, which could be launched and effectively bound together in the form of an EU Year for Mental Health. (1) Mental health should feature in all EU policies, be properly funded (e.g., through EU4Health), and be properly resourced with dedicated unit staff at the European Commission. An EU Year for Mental Health could support a wider public knowledge of the impact of various policies on mental health and be part and parcel of any future initiative. (2) Mental health should be a core part of any policy response to current and future societal crises. (3) EFPA supports WHOs call for more community-orientated mental health services and urges the Commission to ensure that a future initiative stimulates EU Member States to exchange ideas and good practice, to learn from each other on how to adapt their mental health service delivery. (4) Given the central place of work in the lives of European citizens and the importance of economic wellbeing to social wellbeing, mental health in the workplace should be a focus of the future initiative and should be enshrined in health and safety regulations to ensure robust implementation at the national level. (5) Mental health is indivisible from the challenge of climate change and support programmes for children and young people especially should be introduced. (6) The training of mental health practitioners should be based on a recognised standard, properly funded to ensure enough practitioners to meet citizens needs, and their practice properly regulated with requirements to keep up to date through continuing professional development. (7) European citizens should have equal access to the appropriate mental healthcare and healthcare professionals and should be engaged as partners and stakeholders in how mental health and wellbeing is assured. EFPA recognises the crucial role of equality of access for citizens to the services of mental health professionals including psychologists, both in relation to the prevention of mental health challenges as well as in the promotion of mental health and wellbeing. Psychologists should be included in the health and social care system as a matter of course. The opportunities, and challenges, posed by digitalisation must also be actively considered as part of this process. EU action should ensure a lifespan approach to mental health, taking account of age-specific requirements and needs. Active input from relevant stakeholders, particularly patients (e.g., GAMIAN-Europe), and wider citizens representative organisationsfor example for youth, older people, minoritiesin the development, implementation, monitoring and assessment of future EU action on mental health will be indispensable. Please see attached document for supporting evidence, resources and references.
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