In a joint open letter from the EU4Health Civil Society Alliance (CSA) to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, 35 organisations — including PAREA — urge the European Commission to take immediate action to secure stable and timely funding for health civil society organisations (CSOs).

PAREA’s annual Impact Report, compiling all our activities, contributions and achievements for the year of 2024, is now available!

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has published the third revision of its “Guideline on the clinical investigation of medicinal products for the treatment of depression”, set to take effect in September 2025.

Last week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health took an important step toward enabling scientific research with psychedelics. Two key draft documents were published for public consultation, laying the foundation for legal psychedelic research in Ukraine—something that, not long ago, would have seemed entirely out of reach.

Mental health is critically important to everyone, everywhere. Yet, it stands out as an area with some of the most glaring unmet needs. Psychedelic therapies have the potential to address critical gaps in treatment for various mental health conditions in Europe. However, before reaching patients, they must first gain approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), followed by integration into national healthcare systems for accessibility and reimbursement.

The EU4Health Civil Society Alliance has publicly shared concerns over the ongoing lack of information on the EU4Health work programme and operating grants for 2025 - apprehensions shared by PAREA.

PAREA welcomes the Warsaw Declaration, adopted this week under the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union. This declaration underscores the need for strong, independent funding for R&I to tackle Europe’s most pressing challenges.

We are delighted to welcome Emma Christersson as the new Vice-Chair of the PAREA Board! As Co-Managing Director of Norrsken Mind, Emma brings vast expertise from the psychedelic research and nonprofit sectors, invaluable for our mission to shape the future of these treatments in Europe.

PAREA is a co-signatory on today’s EU4Health Civil Society Alliance (CSA) Joint Statement expressing concerns over new restrictions on civil society organisations (CSOs) engaging in policy and advocacy activities, which could set a precedent for the health sector.

On February 6, more than 100 attendees gathered at the European Parliament, marking the official re-launch of our MEP Action Group on Psychedelics in Healthcare and the launch of the PsychedeliCare European Citizens’ Initiative year-long signature-collection campaign.

The annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, has long been a key gathering where global leaders in business, policy, and advocacy come together to address pressing global challenges. The 2025 discussions, which took place in the week of 20th January, focused on themes of collaboration, economic transformation, and sustainability, with mental health gaining significant recognition as a critical issue in shaping the future of societies and economies.

In the context of the official launch of its EU Health Policy Platform Thematic Network, the European Brain Council (EBC) has released its final Joint Statement “Towards an EU Coordination Plan for the Brain”, endorsed by several partner organisations, including PAREA. 

We are starting strong in 2025 with exciting updates on our evolving community. We are very pleased to announce that the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS) has transitioned to full membership status after years of valued involvement as an Observer. We are furthermore happy to welcome three new Community Supporters to our network.

Today marks an important milestone for PAREA as we elected our new Board of Directors and Office Bearers, and officially established the organisation as a legal non-profit entity, incorporated in Estonia! With three years of impactful work already behind us, this signifies a new step for PAREA, advancing our mission with renewed focus and autonomy.

We are delighted to officially announce the joining of two new organisations to the PAREA Community Supporters network - a warm welcome to the Italian Society for Psychedelic Medicine (SIMEPSI) and the Ukrainian Psychedelic Research Association (UPRA)!

PAREA has joined over 55 European organisations in co-signing Mental Health Europe’s joint statement calling for decisive action to deliver on promises made for mental health care.

The Medical Research Agency of Poland has announced plans to allocate nearly €4 million for a clinical trial using psilocybin to treat treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Pending regulatory approval, this innovative trial to be conducted by the Medical University of Warsaw, will be one of the first globally to explore how selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) impact the effectiveness and tolerability of psilocybin treatment for depression.

PAREA Founder and Executive Director, Tadeusz Hawrot, recently joined the Brain Health Matters podcast, hosted by the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA), to discuss the topic of psychedelic therapies with the neurology community. Focusing on the episode’s theme of patient involvement in neuroscience research, a central topic of the conversation was the PsyPal project. 

We’re thrilled to welcome Francisca Silva to the PAREA team, joining us as a Project Officer! A neuroscientist by training, Francisca brings a wealth of knowledge and a genuine passion for brain health and mental well-being. Her interdisciplinary academic background includes a dual MSc in Brain and Mind Sciences from University College London (UCL) and Sorbonne Université, along with a BSc from the Maastricht Science Programme…

PAREA has issued a commentary in response to a recent high-level expert report commissioned by the European Commission, which outlines strategic recommendations for the future of the EU’s R&I Framework Programme. The report underscores the need for increased funding and prioritization of critical societal challenges like mental health, which is increasingly affecting Europeans but remains underfunded and under-researched.