The overall goal of RECOVER-E (LaRge-scalE implementation of COmmunity based mental health care for people with seVere and Enduring mental ill health in EuRopE) is to implement and evaluate an evidence-based community-based service delivery model for recovery-oriented care in five sites in middle-income countries in Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania) to improve the level of functioning, quality of life, and mental health outcomes for people with severe and enduring mental ill health. RECOVER-E is a European Commission Horizon 2020 project with 16 partners in 11 countries; the project complements numerous ongoing efforts in mental health service delivery transformation and innovation in Europe. Specific objectives include:• designing, implementing, and evaluating recovery-oriented care, and including peer experts in community mental health teams;• identifying intervention and program elements, as well as contextual factors, which enhance sustainable implementation of community-based mental healthcare; and• developing evidence-based care pathways and treatment protocols for regional and national decision-makers with this being the final year of RECOVER-E, we discuss how efforts so far in the project have led to (or will lead to) meaningful and sustained changes at the sites. Further, we describe how (early) findings & experiences in RECOVER-E can contribute to the evidence base in the field of community-based mental health care, and be taken further by similar initiatives in the future.