Developing a European Centre of Clinical Excellence for Pharmaceuticals

Key points

The EESC:

• recommends establishing a European centre of clinical excellence (ECCE) as a non-binding EU reference body to translate scientific evidence into high-quality clinical guidance, fully respecting subsidiarity and proportionality and promoting fair access to high-quality care across the EU;
• believes that the ECCE should be embedded in a broader EU health resilience strategy to boost scientific cooperation, innovation uptake and EU strategic autonomy;
• considers that the ECCE should complement, not replace, existing EU and national structures, serve as a common scientific reference point and operate within a strong governance framework;
• takes the view that the ECCE’s mandate should be clearly defined and centred on scientific excellence, transparency and practical relevance, focusing on the systematic analysis and synthesis of clinical data, including joint clinical assessments and real-world evidence. It should develop non-binding, evidence-based pharmacotherapy recommendations and clinical protocols to support national decision-making;
• recommends establishing the ECCE as a new decentralised EU body to ensure scientific consistency, institutional continuity and independence, governed through a balanced multi-layered model combining Member States, the European Commission and organised civil society;
• considers that stable, adequate and predictable funding from the EU budget is a prerequisite for the ECCE’s credibility, independence and long-term effectiveness. Any complementary funding must be strictly regulated and fully transparent to prevent undue influence over scientific outputs.

For more information, please contact INT secretariat