In the fight against shortages of vital medicines in the EU, negotiators in Brussels have agreed on rules to make it easier to support the production of medicines with public money.
May 12, 2026, 07:46May 12, 2026, 07:46
This was announced by representatives of the European Parliament and the member states. This should make Europe less dependent on individual suppliers and production outside the continent.
A vaccine dose from the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.Image: keystone
In recent years, people in Europe have temporarily been unable to buy some medications in pharmacies. Painkillers, antibiotics and fever juices for children were affected. “Patients should not have to worry about whether essential medicines such as antibiotics are available in their pharmacy or hospital,” said Cypriot Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides. His country currently holds the rotating EU Council Presidency.
Before the rules can come into force, they must be confirmed by the European Parliament and the EU states. Normally this is considered a formality if the institutions’ negotiators have previously agreed on a compromise.
EU wants to provide incentives for domestic production
One component of the new rules concerns the awarding of public contracts. In the case of important medicines for which there is a high degree of dependence on one or a few countries, preference should generally be given in future to medicines manufactured in Europe. This is intended to create incentives for secure supply chains. The preliminary agreement stipulates that there are various options for preferring these drugs. “This includes that suppliers are paid in proportion to the proportion of medicines and their active pharmaceutical ingredients manufactured in the EU,” said Parliament.
So-called strategic projects should also be approved more quickly and gain access to funding more quickly. Several countries can also join forces and procure important medicines together. This applies, among other things, to medicines for rare diseases for which, according to the Commission, the market would otherwise fail.
According to the EU Commission, critical medicines refer to medicines “for which there are few or no alternatives and for which patients would be seriously harmed by supply bottlenecks”. These include, among other things, antibiotics and antithrombotics, cancer therapeutics and cardiovascular drugs. They are listed in a list.
Mainly made in Asia
The EU Commission proposed the adjustment in March 2025. According to the Commission, there are many reasons why there have been supply problems in the EU in recent years. These include bottlenecks in active ingredients. But the fact that production is concentrated in a few countries also contributes to the problems. During the corona pandemic, weak points in the supply chains became clear.
According to information from EU health ministers last year, around 80 to 90 percent of medicines in Europe come from Asia, especially China. At the same time, according to the Commission, around 800,000 people are employed in the pharmaceutical sector in the EU. (sda/dpa)