Event highlights
Organized in collaboration with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the workshop was opened by Minister of Health of Spain, Mónica García, bringing together senior representatives from across Europe, including Mariella Mainolfi, Director of the Directorate-General for Health Professions and Policies in Support of the National Health Service at the Ministry of Health of Italy.
Participants were introduced to the current European Union (EU) funding landscape for strengthening health systems with a focus on practical steps for implementation, effective stakeholder engagement and considerations for the medium- to long-term sustainability of investments.
Discussions highlighted how European funding instruments can be strategically used to support national health system reforms while ensuring coherence with broader EU and global health priorities.
The event also placed strong emphasis on practical experience-sharing. Representatives from Austria, Belgium and Slovenia presented lessons learned from the implementation of previous Technical Support Instrument (TSI) projects, reflecting on country contexts, implementation challenges and approaches to sustaining funded interventions beyond the project lifecycle. Participants engaged actively in discussion, exchanging views on the strategic use of EU funds and mechanisms to ensure long-term impact.
The programme also provided space for participants to explore how EU funding can be adapted to national contexts and aligned with existing national and regional plans to strengthen health systems.
On the second day, Italy and Spain held dedicated sessions to examine in greater detail the implementation of project workstreams in their respective countries. Regional representatives discussed challenges and opportunities for delivery as well as priority next steps.
Looking ahead, participants agreed on the need to further define the establishment of national Health Hubs to support access to and the management of EU funds, identify and align available EU funding instruments with the specific needs of Italy and Spain and strengthen collaboration between the 2 countries through continued exchange and joint learning.
Event notice
On 29–30 January, WHO/Europe will be convening a 2-day capacity-building workshop as part of the European Union (EU)-funded Technical Support Instrument (TSI) 2025 flagship project “EU Health Hub – Investing in Resilient Health Systems”, supporting countries to strengthen health systems through a strategic use of European funding. Financial support is provided by the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX), a key EU instrument for institutional capacity-building.
The TSI flagship project is a 2-year partnership between WHO/Europe and the European Commission’s Task Force for Reform and Investment (SG REFORM), supporting 5 countries across 3 clusters.
Workshop objectives
Day 1 – European support for health systems: lessons across countries – marks the launch of a series of horizontal activities within the Italy-Spain cluster of the TSI project.
As Italy and Spain explore how European funds can support the implementation of their health system reforms, the session will:
- introduce European Commission support for health systems
- illustrate how EU funds can be used in practice
- showcase experiences from Austria, Belgium and Slovenia.
The day will bring together relevant stakeholders from Italy and Spain to share experiences and challenges, to promote peer learning and collaboration.
Day 2 – Parallel sessions with Spanish and Italian stakeholders – will focus on dedicated parallel sessions supporting the Spanish and Italian TSI projects, with the objective of sharing learning and best practices on how to use and blend EU and national funding to respond to country-specific needs.
Both days of the workshop are designed to encourage active exchange and mutual learning. Morning sessions will focus on evidence from research and experiences from previous or ongoing TSI projects. Afternoon sessions will be interactive, enabling participants to discuss challenges, explore practical examples and exchange initiatives and solutions.
About the project
The EU-funded TSI project aims to strengthen health systems in the EU by catalysing innovative, evidence-based reforms in key technical areas. Designed and implemented by national authorities and WHO, the TSI project addresses several critical technical areas organized in 3 clusters. Cluster 1 in Italy and Spain aims at strengthening the health and care workforce. Cluster 2 in Germany and Sweden is rethinking the role of hospitals in preventive health-care delivery. Cluster 3 in Malta ensures accessible, high-quality and person-centred long-term care for older people.