The State should proceed with the establishment of a National eHealth Interoperability Framework, which would govern all public sector IT projects in the healthcare sector.

Through this framework, unified technical rules would be established, fair competition conditions would be ensured, and interested companies would be able to plan their investments with certainty, within a clear environment of specifications and requirements.

This request encapsulates the central position of the Association of Hellenic Information Technology Enterprises (SETPE), as highlighted by its Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Konstantinos Kaggelidis, during Athens Digital Health Week 2026 (ADHW), which is being held at the Royal Olympic Hotel in Athens.

Mr Kaggelidis participated yesterday, Thursday, in the thematic session “Implementation of the EHDS: The Industry Propositions”, during which he presented the positions and proposals of the Greek IT industry regarding the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS), highlighting the development of a mandatory national interoperability framework as a critical factor.

Why it is critical

The EHDS is now a binding European regulatory framework (Regulation (EU) 2025/327), with clear implementation timelines for the primary and secondary use of health data. At the same time, Greece is implementing significant digital transformation projects in the healthcare sector.

“Without a common interoperability framework, there is a risk that systems will be developed that do not ‘communicate’ with each other, resulting in a loss of resources, time and growth potential,” Mr Kaggelidis emphasised.

What does this mean?

SETPE emphasises that the National Interoperability Framework should serve as a reference regulatory framework and should include, at a minimum:

• International interoperability standards (HL7 FHIR, IHE profiles, SNOMED CT, LOINCas mandatory specifications in every public procurement notice for eHealth projects.
• Clearly defined areas of intervention between central infrastructures (developed by the State) and applications/services (developed by the market), so that interested companies can identify where they can invest and how they can innovate.
• Fair competition conditions through open APIs and interoperable data exchange formats, ensuring that no company is excluded due to vendor lock-in (technological dependency on a specific provider).
• A roadmap for EHDS compliance with clear milestones, roles and timelines, with the Greek industry playing an active co-shaping role.

«Greek technology companies are not merely spectators of the digital transformation of healthcare — they are catalysts for change. What we are calling for is simple and fundamental: a clear National Interoperability Framework.

Greece is currently at a critical juncture, thanks to significant investments through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and is called upon to ensure that the digital systems being developed are compliant with European standards from the outset.

“The Greek technology sector has proven expertise in critical areas: healthcare systems interoperability, the implementation of international standards, the development of eHealth solutions with a European reach, and significant experience from European research projects. This expertise can only be fully leveraged if there is a clear framework defining the rules of the game. In this way, a coherent, secure and truly functional digital health ecosystem can be built,” Mr Kaggelidis stated.

The next steps

SETPE proposes the launch of a structured co-creation process for the National Interoperability Framework, involving representatives of the State, healthcare organisations, the IT industry and the scientific community, in order to:

• to establish clear priorities and timelines,
• to define the minimum mandatory specifications, and
• to establish a compliance and monitoring framework for all digital health project procurements.

It is noted that the thematic session in which SETPE’s Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors participated also included representatives of SEPE, ESPY and HL7 Hellas, as well as European organisations such as MedTech Europe, COCIR and IHE Europe.