EUREGHA participated at the Joint Action CIRCE Dialogue – Regions at the Forefront of Advancing Primary Care and Health Systems Transformation

June 27, 2025

On 27 June 2025, EUREGHA participated in the CIRCE-JA Policy Dialogue on strengthening health systems and primary care in Europe. The event, hosted by the Junta de Andalucía in Seville, brought together regional authorities, European institutions, and international organisations to exchange perspectives and best practices.

EUREGHA Director Michele Calabrò moderated a high-level panel discussion with:

Loukianos Gatzoulis (European Commission, DG SANTE)
Dr Toni Dedeu (WHO Regional Office for Europe)
Dorota Tomalak (European Committee of the Regions, NAT Commission)
Rocío Hernández Soto (Regional Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, Junta de Andalucía, Spain)

The panel highlighted key messages for the future of primary care in Europe:

Collaboration and exchange between regions are essential to drive health systems innovation.
Investment in primary care and prevention delivers strong long-term benefits.
Trust, communication, and data-driven approaches are fundamental to strengthening primary care.

Speakers underlined the role of regions as engines of innovation:

“Regions should no longer be seen simply as the ‘last mile’ of implementation, but as the ‘first mile’ of innovation.” – Toni Dedeu, WHO
“You have to dive into regional or even local data to really understand health needs.” – Dorota Tomalak, European Committee of the Regions
“Investment in health is key: Andalusia allocates around 35% of its regional health budget to strengthen primary care and tackle existing challenges.” – Rocío Hernández Soto, Andalusia
“Without healthcare professionals equipped with the right skills, healthcare innovation will not work in practice.” – Loukianos Gatzoulis, DG SANTE

In addition to the policy dialogue, the event showcased best practices from Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, and Portugal, reflecting the diversity and innovation of regional healthcare systems.

The CIRCE Joint Action (2023–2026), co-funded by the EU4Health programme, promotes the transfer and implementation of six evidence-based best practices in primary health care across 40 implementation sites in 12 Member States.

EUREGHA thanks CIRCE-JA and the colleagues of the Servicio Andaluz de Salud, in particular Ana María Carriazo Pérez de Guzmán, for the invitation to moderate this important exchange. We look forward to continuing to support CIRCE-JA in spreading its results and regional practices across our network.