EU must boost pharma production to shield against trade wars 

“An extremely worrying shortage of critical medicines has been on the rise across the EU for many years now. The situation is urgent: in Europe, there is a lack of vital medicines, products like insulin, antibiotics and painkillers, for example,” warned Tomislav Sokol MEP, the EPP Group spokesman on Public Health, ahead of today’s Commission’s proposal on the Critical Medicines Act.

“Faced with increasing global instability, the threat of trade wars and tariffs, it is beyond time to act. Our citizens cannot wait - they rely on these medicines every day. While health is primarily a national competence, we firmly believe there is much that the EU can and must do to alleviate this problem.” MEP Sokol describes the forthcoming Critical Medicines Act as “an opportunity for Europe to reinforce its pharmaceutical resilience by strengthening its pharmaceutical industry and supply chains.”

“Boosting European production is crucial. The EU needs to reduce its dependence on third countries for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and increase medicine production in Europe,” Sokol explained. The EPP Group wants to ensure fair and timely access to medicine for citizens across all Member States. Reforming EU procurement rules to prioritise the security of supply and supporting EU-funded investments in medicine manufacturing are steps in the right direction, according to Sokol.

“We shouldn’t forget the lessons we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic exposed major gaps in access to essential medicines, fragile supply chains, our over-reliance on imports and the lack of coordination between EU countries. COVID-19 proved the value of joint procurement in terms of vaccines. Such action, even voluntarily, along with coordinated stockpiling where practical, is how the EU can add value in collaboration and support of Member State efforts.”

"It’s time for the EU to step up and guarantee the health security of its citizens,” Sokol concluded.