EU Medical Countermeasures and Stockpiling Strategies - Timeline

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Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions EU stockpiling strategy: Boosting the EU՚s material preparedness for crises (COM(2025) 528 final) – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Preparing the EU for the next health crisis: a Medical Countermeasures Strategy (COM(2025) 529 final)

EESC 2025/02727

OJ C, C/2026/1963, 28.4.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/1963/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/1963/oj

Date of document:: 21/01/2026; Date of vote
Date of vote:: 21/01/2026
Date lodged:: 14/10/2025

Author:: European Economic and Social Committee
Responsible body:: Consultative Commission on Industrial Change, EESC_CCMI
Rapporteur:: Paulo BARROS VALE
Co-rapporteur:: Nicos EPISTITHIOU
Form:: Opinion
Internal reference:: CCMI/251, AVIS-SECTION 2025/2727 FIN
Session:: 602

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Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

Legal basis:

12016E304

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Earlier related instruments:

52025DC0528 ESC Opinion
52025DC0529 ESC Opinion

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15.30.00.00 Environment, consumers and health protection / Health protection
19.01.00.00 Area of freedom, security and justice / General

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C/2026/1963

28.4.2026

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions EU stockpiling strategy: Boosting the EU՚s material preparedness for crises

(COM(2025) 528 final)

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Preparing the EU for the next health crisis: a Medical Countermeasures Strategy

(COM(2025) 529 final)

(C/2026/1963)

Rapporteur:

Paulo BARROS VALE

Co-rapporteur:

Gerald KREUZER

Advisor	Marta Sofia MOREIRA DA COSTA (advisor to the rapporteur, Group I)
	Mihai IVAŞCU (advisor to co-rapporteur, Category 2)
Plenary Assembly decision	15.7.2025
Legal basis	Rule 52(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Referral	European Commission, 14.10.2025
Legal basis	Article 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
Section responsible	Consultative Commission on Industrial Change
Adopted in section	16.12.2025
Adopted at plenary session	21.1.2026
Plenary session No	602
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	172/0/6

1. Conclusions and recommendations

1.1.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the Commission’s efforts to strengthen the EU’s preparedness and resilience through the medical countermeasures and stockpiling strategies. Strategic stockpiles and medical countermeasures should be managed transparently, with clear mobilisation rules, continuous coordination with Member States and strong engagement from industry and civil society to secure Europe’s long-term autonomy and leadership.

1.2.

The EESC recommends that appropriate funding be allocated in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for both medical countermeasures and strategic stockpiling, together with flexible mechanisms to allow rapid emergency responses, promoting public-private partnerships and synergies with Member States, ensuring efficient use of available resources and avoiding duplication in the creation of strategic reserves.

1.3.

The EESC recommends creating a stable economic and legal environment, based on social dialogue, with a skilled workforce to attract pharmaceutical industry production in Europe. This would enable the industry to meet market needs, reduce external dependencies and allow rapid production scaling or response to supply chain disruptions in the event of emergencies.

1.4.

The EESC reiterates the need to create a dedicated European fund to support the development of a strong and resilient pharmaceutical industry, including new and expanded facilities, R&D and support for regulatory costs, in order to counter competition from Asia. The EU must attract investment in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines to maintain leadership in emergency response, both within and outside Europe, especially since the United States has withdrawn from the WHO.

1.5.

The EESC acknowledges the importance of innovation support structures, such as CERN (1), and advocates for the creation of a similar European entity for health. This entity would unite top health researchers, foster health innovation and entrepreneurship and coordinate with DG HERA and other European agencies. It would contribute to the implementation of EU strategies on medical countermeasures, strategic stockpiling and health emergencies preparedness.

1.6.

EU stockpiling must evolve from a broad framework into a fully operational plan, with clear funding, transparent EU and national responsibilities, robust workforce training and mobilisation and effective monitoring and evaluation. Sustainable financing from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM)/rescEU and Member States, combined with fair incentives for industry, particularly SMEs, will secure their long-term participation, while avoiding wastage and inefficiency. The Committee calls for a coherent, coordinated EU-wide approach that complements national efforts and builds a truly collective capacity to respond to cross-border health and supply crises, taking into consideration the different risk asymmetries and needs with regard to war in proximity to EU borders.

1.7.

A transparent, economically sustainable framework is needed to balance EU and national reserves. Coordinated logistics, flexible transport rules and fair cost-sharing between Member States and EU institutions are essential for efficient, rapid deployment of critical goods in emergencies.

1.8.

The EESC welcomes the EU stockpiling network and calls for active involvement of social partners, civil society and specialised contractors to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and technical expertise. The Commission should prioritise EU-owned safety stocks, ensure public coverage of storage and cold-chain costs and invest strategically in dual-use infrastructure to build a reliable and future-proof European stockpiling system.

1.9.

Effective preparedness requires not only technology and infrastructure, but also a skilled workforce with quality working conditions. The Commission and Member States should embed lifelong learning, ongoing professional growth, thorough training and capacity-building into strategies, which requires harmonised curricula, regular simulations and dedicated funding. This must include the formal recognition of public health as a profession and common competency frameworks, in line with WHO-ASPHER guidance. Prioritising skill development will boost adaptability and efficiency, ensuring the resilient management of strategic reserves and reinforcing EU-wide crisis response and solidarity.

1.10.

Future stockpiling should prioritise products that can be safely stored and managed efficiently, guided by real demand and reliable market data. Integrating digital platforms for real-time tracking, product-specific thresholds and evidence-based planning will enhance sustainability, reduce waste and create a predictable, business-friendly framework for EU resilience. Every measure should include strong affordability guarantees to ensure that preparedness remains transparent, fair and accessible to citizens and businesses.

2. Introduction

2.1.

This opinion reflects the EESC’s views on two European Commission communications outlining future EU crisis-preparedness strategies: one on medical countermeasures for health emergencies and the other on reserves to strengthen material preparedness for all types of crises. The Committee’s assessment is drawn up following consultations with key stakeholders, previous EESC opinions and the latest proposals put forward by the Commission.

2.2.

The Medical Countermeasures Strategy aims to develop an innovative and competitive countermeasures sector to boost Europe’s preparedness for health threats. It adopts an end-to-end One Health value chain approach and highlights three clear strategic objectives: to stimulate and foster innovation in medical countermeasures; to promote cooperation with Member States, candidate countries and global partners; and to scale up public-private partnerships, including civil-military cooperation.

2.3.

The EU stockpiling strategy is a bold, collective commitment to safeguard Europe’s citizens by ensuring that essential goods and critical inputs remain reliably available under any circumstances. An EU-wide approach is essential to complement Member States’ efforts, safeguard the EU single market and secure critical products and technologies. Coordination and complementarity with national efforts will provide a predictable framework for both public authorities and businesses, ensuring essential goods can be mobilised swiftly and sustainably in times of crisis.

2.4.

The EESC welcomes the Commission’s initiative for a coherent EU strategy on strategic stockpiling and medical countermeasures, recognising the urgency created by growing geopolitical tensions, recurrent supply crises and global dependencies. However, stockpiling must be carefully targeted and balanced, in the knowledge that it is not a universal solution and that each product has specific characteristics to consider.

3. General comments

3.1. Medical countermeasures

3.1.1.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, European countries gradually strengthened their coordination in order to respond to unique challenges. Global cooperation and EU-level action in times of crisis make us stronger and better equipped to ensure the availability of medical countermeasures to meet citizens’ needs.

3.1.2.

In a world of escalating geopolitical tensions, with war at Europe’s doorstep, increasingly severe challenges arising from climate change and humanitarian crises, the EU must be prepared to face any situation together (natural disasters, epidemics or pandemics, military attacks or hybrid warfare) and protect our population in the area where it matters most: their health.

3.1.3.

The EESC considers the Medical Countermeasures Strategy to be an ambitious and necessary initiative in the EU’s response to future health crises. It expresses its support for the Commission and calls for it to be swiftly and inclusively implemented, on the basis of the principles of solidarity, equity and democratic participation.

3.1.4.

The WHO has issued several strategic recommendations for emergency response (2) providing EU and European Economic Area public health authorities with guidance to improve preparedness planning, drawing on lessons learned from activities during recent public health crises. The Commission communication incorporates several of these WHO recommendations, as shown in Annex 1 below.

3.2. Stockpiling strategy

3.2.1.

The EESC notes that several essential elements typical of a comprehensive strategy are missing: clear funding allocations within the MFF, detailed EU and national operational responsibilities and explicit mechanisms for workforce training and rapid mobilisation. The proposal also fails to specify quantities and types of goods required for a truly effective EU-wide stockpile. Additionally, it fails to fully address transparency, monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure effectiveness, nor does it outline how the private sector, social partners and civil society will be systematically involved. Incorporating these elements is vital to turn the strategy from a high-level roadmap into a robust, resilient and actionable framework.

3.2.2.

The financial and organisational framework of the EU stockpiling strategy must be transparent and sustainable, ensuring an appropriate balance between national reserves and potential EU-level assets. The mechanism should be economically sustainable to maintain trust, efficiency and reliable access to critical goods across the EU.

3.2.3.

The EU must simplify procedures and add targeted flexibility to transport rules to enable personnel, equipment and stockpiles to be moved swiftly across the EU. Coordinating transport and deployment costs through the Commission, within the framework of the UCPM, can further enhance efficiency. Seamless cooperation between civilian and military logistics, aligned with EU military objectives, requires strategic investment in transport infrastructure and dual-use assets, together with clear funding mechanisms and fair cost-sharing between EU institutions and Member States.

3.2.4.

The EESC welcomes the Commission’s intention to establish an EU stockpiling network together with Member States and considers that social partners and civil society must be involved in the proposed EU stockpiling network to ensure transparency, fairness and the inclusion of diverse expertise.

3.2.5.

The Commission should prioritise EU-owned strategic reserves for safety stocks, while recognising the complementary role of state-owned reserves. Procurement should rely on specialised contractors rather than mandatory obligations, and all costs for storage, cold-chain management and rotations should be covered by public authorities to ensure a sustainable, reliable and resilient EU stockpiling system.

4. Specific comments

4.1. Medical countermeasures

4.1.1.

The EESC considers the definition of the four priority areas (3) requiring medical countermeasures to be appropriate in the current context. Beyond the operationalisation of ATHINA (4) and the EU Wastewater Sentinel System, both Member States and the EU must be prepared to respond swiftly to emerging challenges. This requires strong links between decision-makers and operating teams with scientific knowledge and agile capacity for critical decision-making.

4.1.2.

The EESC firmly supports the focus on innovation and the reinforcement of European research and welcomes the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator and other initiatives planned for 2026 and 2027, finding that the EU would strongly benefit from a structure similar to that of CERN and specialised in medicine. Research should be supported through well-funded centres of excellence linked to universities and SMEs, ensuring that high-quality knowledge is not lost due to bureaucracy, insufficient funding or limited production support.

4.1.3.

The EESC supports investing in advanced technology and a skilled workforce for medical countermeasures to ensure that production can be scaled up and operations converted when necessary to meet demand. This should include incentives for local and regional manufacturing of medicines, vaccines and medical equipment and promote rapid response capacity, for example through modular factory construction.

4.1.4.

The EESC warns that many medical manufacturing units funded during the COVID-19 pandemic are closing due to low demand, wasting millions of euros in public and private investment and costing thousands of jobs in a sector that is key to reducing Europe’s dependence, particularly on Asia. Moreover, caution must be exercised in the allocation of such support to avoid over-reliance on large industrial operators during times of crisis.

4.1.5.

The European industry can lead globally in developing and producing medicines, vaccines and protective equipment. The EESC calls for projects using European innovation in scalable infrastructure to be supported. European industry must meet strict criteria and efficacy and safety standards, under European Medicines Agency (EMA) oversight with regular audits and transparent clinical data, as these are key investments within the overall Medical Countermeasures Strategy.

4.1.6.

The EESC supports joint procurement for medical countermeasures, as it provides greater negotiating power than individual Member States acting alone. Fast, flexible mechanisms are needed for emergencies, including medicine and vaccine purchases at EU level and public-private partnerships with clear contracts. Joint procurement should also cover essential medicines and vaccines to boost Member States’ public health capacity.

4.1.7.

The EESC agrees that maintaining strategic stockpiles in the area of public health is important. It warns that, beyond efficient purchasing, significant attention must be given to storage control as the products in question are perishable. In coordination with stockpiling, strict monitoring of expiry dates is needed to ensure timely transfer to third countries or donation within humanitarian actions.

4.1.8.

This entire strategy can only succeed through close collaboration between Member States and relevant national public and private entities (including the military sector), which play a key role in secure storage and distribution. The Commission should raise awareness among Member States of the importance of their role in the successful implementation of the strategy and adopt a secure data management system, supported by artificial intelligence, to ensure safe information-sharing and avoid redundancies and wastage.

4.1.9.

The EESC recommends that the Commission formally recognise public health as a regulated European profession, encompassing competencies in epidemiology, health policy, health communication, crisis management, equity and the social determinants of health. This recognition should be aligned with the WHO–ASPHER Roadmap for professionalising the public health workforce, which provides a coherent framework for strengthening competencies, standardising training pathways and supporting the development of a well-defined, adequately skilled and sustainably resourced public health profession across Europe.

4.1.10.

Citizens must also be made aware of the need for emergency response and trained in emergency response, to be proactive and to react in accordance with European values of solidarity. Urgent action is also needed to counter misinformation and disinformation, with the Commission adopting new communication strategies and channels to reach all segments of the population.

4.2. Stockpiling strategy

4.2.1.

The EESC emphasises that without clear, dedicated funding within the next MFF, the EU stockpiling strategy will remain a plan on paper. Predictable and robust financing from HERA, UCPM/rescEU, sectoral programmes and Member State contributions are essential to turn aims into concrete preparedness, resilience and rapid access to critical goods. Sustainable industry participation, particularly from smaller providers, depends on clear incentives, fair compensation and safeguards against wastage.

4.2.2.

Effective safeguards are essential to ensure that EU stockpiling remains efficient, avoiding overstocking or wastage, and prevents hidden costs from being passed on to consumers. Therefore, every measure in the strategy should include strong affordability guarantees so that preparedness remains transparent, fair and accessible for citizens (particularly vulnerable groups) and businesses alike.

4.2.3.

Effective stockpiling depends not only on advanced systems and technologies, but also on skilled professionals capable of designing, managing and deploying reserves during emergencies and natural disasters. Current gaps in workforce training and rapid mobilisation require continuous professional development, crisis-specific training and lifelong learning embedded in the EU strategy, and the role of collective bargaining and social dialogue, including workers' involvement at company level, in accordance with applicable rules, is key in this respect Standardised, EU-wide training programmes with dedicated funding should align human capabilities with material preparedness and ensure efficiency, resilience and adaptability, while respecting workers’ rights and professional conditions.

4.2.4.

The EESC welcomes the creation of a public-private Preparedness Task Force and considers that it must include business representatives, trade unions, academia and relevant CSOs. The EESC encourages the Commission to ensure clear timelines, membership and operational rules to maximise effectiveness and impact on society.

4.2.5.

The EESC supports the Commission’s proposal to strengthen firefighting assets to address the growing risk of wildfires across Europe and calls for the rapid establishment of additional regional fire stations, especially in southern Europe. Equally, the Committee underlines the vital human dimension: trained personnel, quality working conditions and civil protection teams are essential for effective operations. Coordinated EU frameworks should ensure rapid mobilisation, continuous training and decent salaries. Investing in both people and equipment remains key to building a resilient, agile and truly European crisis response capability.

4.2.6.

Future stockpiling should focus on products that can be safely and efficiently stored, avoiding items with complex technical storage requirements. Aligning stockpile volumes with real demand, for example basing vaccine quantities on actual public willingness to vaccinate, will ensure both efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

4.2.7.

The EESC also supports the introduction of EU product-specific thresholds and caps, along with the use of retrospective market data to guide demand estimation. These measures will provide predictability for industry, minimise wastage and make stockpiling a more sustainable and business-friendly operation.

4.2.8.

The EESC urges the Commission to use digital platforms for real-time tracking of safety stocks and consumption data, while fully leveraging existing databases to guide evidence-based decisions. This approach avoids parallel structures, maximises efficiency and creates a predictable, business-friendly framework for EU preparedness.

Brussels, 21 January 2026.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Séamus BOLAND

(1) CERN – European Organization for Nuclear Research.

(2) Recommendations for preparedness planning for public health threats.

(3) Respiratory or contact-based viruses with pandemic potential; vector-borne or animal-reservoir viruses with epidemic potential; antimicrobial resistance; and armed conflict-related threats including CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) agents՚ threats.

(4) ATHINA – Advanced Technology for Health Intelligence and Action IT System.

ANNEX

Comparative Table – WHO vs European Commission

The following table presents a comparative overview of the WHO’s recommendations and the European Commission’s strategy on medical countermeasures.

Domain	WHO Recommendations	European Commission Strategy
Preparedness & Planning	Develop national plans based on scenarios and risk assessments.	Creation of a medical countermeasures strategy with rapid response scenarios.
Production Capacity	Strengthen local production of vaccines and medicines.	Establishment of industrial partnerships and mechanisms such as RAMP-UP for agile production.
Equitable Access	Ensure fair access to medical countermeasures, especially in low-income countries.	Joint procurement and coordinated distribution among EU Member States.
Surveillance & Data	Strengthen epidemiological surveillance systems and data sharing.	Integration of real-time data and early warning systems at EU level.
Capacity Building & Training	Train healthcare professionals and conduct simulations.	Regular simulations and specialised training in emergency response.
Critical Infrastructure	Protect hospitals and supply chains.	Strengthening the resilience of critical health and logistics infrastructure.
International Cooperation	Promote collaboration among countries and multilateral organisations.	Alignment with international standards and cooperation with WHO, HERA, and other entities.
Transparency & Risk Communication	Communicate risks clearly and based on evidence.	Risk communication strategy focused on trust and institutional transparency.