Pharmaceutical package: the EU needs to be more strategic

The long-awaited updating of EU pharma legislation offers potential benefits for Europeans, but should give more consideration to strategic autonomy

The proposed revamp of the EU regulation on the pharmaceuticals sector is welcome, says the EESC, but it should put greater emphasis on broader social and geopolitical concerns in addition to ensuring that the industry remains competitive and attracts investment.

"We need to achieve strategic autonomy and for that we need security of supply. Administrative and financial incentives have to be developed," says Martin Schaffenrath, rapporteur for the EESC opinion on the Commission's proposal. "We need investment in this sector. We need sustainable support for this area. And we need to bring back production."

The pharmaceutical industry is a key economic player in the EU, employing 840 000 people directly and three times as many indirectly. In 2021, the industry invested EUR 41 billion in research and innovation. The opinion makes it clear that supporting the sector as a high-tech cornerstone of the EU economy should be at the heart of the Union's long-term approach.

To reduce dependence on third countries, the EESC supports incentives for EU drug manufacturers and advocates relocating production from non-EU nations. It also proposes the establishment of a European contingency reserve of medicines of strategic importance. Stressing equitable strategic autonomy, the EESC recommends expanding joint EU medicine purchases, citing the successful COVID-19 vaccine procurement example.

Focusing on the social importance of regulatory revision, the opinion proposes a special EU-level fund for rare diseases, ensuring treatment access for all European patients and mitigating healthcare disparities among Member States, especially when statutory health insurance falls short of covering entire treatment costs. (dm)