OBJECTIVES: EUprimecare is an European Union project aimed at analyzing the costs and quality of the different models of primary care (PC) in Europe. The aim of this study is to analyze the management of diabetic patients in PC services in Spain compared to other European countries, the satisfaction of these patients with PC services and their self-perceived health status. METHODS: We conducted a population survey by telephone among PC users in each of the consortium countries (Germany, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy and Lithuania). The questionnaire included information on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, satisfaction, utilization of PC services, and frequency of some interventions carried out by PC professionals. The survey was conducted to 431-432 PC users in each country (Ntotal = 3020). RESULTS: The percentage of diabetic patients in Spain was 6.7% (N = 29), lower than the overall average (9.1%). Eighty three percent of patients living in Spain were diagnosed by their PC physicians compared with 73% of the European average. Eighty six percent of patients in Spain said that they were being treated for diabetes (EU average = 84%) and in 88% of these cases the treatment was prescribed by their PC doctor (EU average = 70%). Only 6.9% of patients said their health was poor or very poor, the lowest proportion of all countries assessed. The overall satisfaction with PC services among diabetic patients was 4.10 points on a scale of 1 to 5. Satisfaction in Spain was below the global average for all the items measured.  CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients in Spain are more frequently controlled by PC professionals than in other European countries. These patients have a better self-perceived health status and the results of this study suggest a lower level of dissatisfaction with the services provided by PC.