Article – Health data spaces as foundations for preparedness: Lessons from Greece and the VELES Excellence Hub

Despite notable progress Greece faces major challenges. These include interoperability gaps, the lack of centralized data governance, unclear regulations on secondary data use, and workforce skills shortages that undermine Greece’s readiness to contribute to EHDS goals and EU-level preparedness.

Building Health Data Spaces is not just a tech challenge, but a complex, multi-dimensional endeavor. Key lessons include (i) the necessity of a unified, transparent governance framework; (ii) harmonized legal provisions for ethical and efficient secondary data use; (iii) investment in interoperable digital infrastructure; and (iv) capacity-building for digital and data literacy. The findings illustrate that without integrated planning and sustained stakeholder engagement, national health data ecosystems will remain fragmented and unprepared to contribute effectively to EU-wide health resilience.

• EHDS is essential for EU safety. National -level readiness must align infrastructure, policy, and regulation to ensure health systems can act swiftly and securely in times of crisis.

• Preparedness requires more than data, it needs governance, interoperability, and trust to enable timely, coordinated responses across national and EU health systems.