In line with our tradition of holding the General Assembly meeting during the European Public Health Conference, on 11 November 2025, RIVER-EU partners met in Helsinki to reflect on progress, discuss the upcoming guideline (WP5), and agree on priorities for the final months of the project, which will end in June 2026. The meeting was an opportunity to reconnect in person, review the latest evidence from across the consortium, and take an important step forward in finalising the project’s key outputs.
Spotlight on RIVER-EU’s guideline and action framework
This year’s meeting focused primarily on Work Package 5 (WP5) led by UK Health Security Agency. WP5 presented updates on the development of two major forthcoming resources:
- Guidelines to improve access to vaccination services for underserved communities
- An Action Framework to support practical implementation across different systems and settings.
These tools draw on insights and evidence gathered through multiple engagements with partners and external stakeholders. They integrate lessons from implementation sites and strategies that have successfully strengthened trust and outreach at local level.
Partners reviewed and discussed the guiding principles that will anchor these resources to ensure they are practical, relevant, and sensitive to real-world contexts. While the final wording remains internal until publication, discussions emphasised:
- Strengthening systems and vaccine delivery rather than individual behaviours,
- community partnership,
- and sustained trust-building.
Preparing for the closing events in 2026
EuroHealthNet (WP7 lead “communication and dissemination”) led the discussion on the structure and objectives of the project’s closing activities, taking place in Spring 2026.
EuroHealthNet presented initial ideas, and partners contributed practical suggestions on formats, stakeholder engagement, and added value at both local and European levels.
This collaborative planning process led to agreement on a two-part approach:
- a series of satellite events in partner countries (The Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Israel, Finland and the UK), to engage communities, health professionals, health promoters, and policymakers in their context; and
- a final closing event in Brussels, bringing practice and policy together, including a high-level debate with Brussels-based stakeholders.
The satellite events were welcomed as a valuable addition to the closing events. We believe this approach reflects the ethos and values of RIVER-EU: closing the loop, ensuring reciprocity, and strengthening trust with the communities we have worked with throughout the project. It enables partners to return insights and findings to local contexts, and support visibility, dialogue and long-term uptake at national and EU levels.
Highlight on evidence
During the European Public Health Conference, RIVER-EU hosted scientific session where country partners presented lessons learned from designing and implementing tailored interventions in four different European countries for five underserved communitie:
- Poland –Ukrainian migrants and refugees. Read more: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf161.183
- Slovakia –marginalised Roma communities. Read more: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf161.182
- The Netherlands –Turkish- and Moroccan- background communities. Read more: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf161.184
- Greece – people with migration backgrounds. Read more: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf161.185
Stay tuned to the RIVER-EU news page for further updates on our upcoming tools, dissemination activities, and the 2026 final event.