EUPHA and EUPHA’s section on Public Mental Health have responded to the European Commission’s public consultation on ‘A comprehensive approach to mental health’. EUPHA’s members have identified mental health as a top priority for public health. EUPHA therefore welcomes and values the approach to put mental health in the spotlight of interest of policy makers in the European Union. However, EUPHA urges the Commission to apply a systemic public health perspective, including a life course approach.