Fight against bottlenecks EU wants to produce more important medicines in Europe
In the fight against shortages of essential medicines in the EU, negotiators in Brussels have agreed on rules to make it easier to support the production of medicines with public funds. This was announced by representatives of the European Parliament and the Member States. The aim is to make Europe less dependent on individual suppliers and production outside the continent.
12.05.2026, 06:46
12.05.2026, 08:29
SDA
In recent years, people in Europe have at times been unable to buy some medicines from pharmacies. This affected painkillers, antibiotics and fever syrups for children, for example. "Patients should not have to worry about whether important medicines such as antibiotics are available in their pharmacy or hospital," said the Cypriot Minister of Health, Neophytos Charalambides. His country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
Before the rules can come into force, they still have to be confirmed by the European Parliament and the EU member states. This is normally considered a formality if the negotiators of the institutions have previously agreed on a compromise.
EU wants to set incentives for domestic production
One component of the new rules concerns the awarding of public contracts. In the case of important medicines that are highly dependent on one or a few countries, preference is to be given in future to medicines produced in Europe. This is intended to create incentives for secure supply chains. The provisional agreement provides for various options for giving preference to these medicines. "This includes reimbursing suppliers in proportion to the share of medicines and their active pharmaceutical ingredients manufactured in the EU," the Parliament announced.
So-called strategic projects should also be approved more quickly and receive faster access to funding. Several countries can also join forces and jointly procure important medicines. This concerns, among other things, medicines for rare diseases for which the market would otherwise fail, according to the Commission.
According to the EU Commission, critical medicines are medicines "for which there are few or no alternatives and for which patients would be seriously harmed by supply bottlenecks". These include antibiotics and antithrombotics, cancer therapies and cardiovascular drugs. They are included in a list.
Mainly manufactured 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 shortages of active ingredients. However, the fact that production is concentrated in just a few countries also contributes to the problems. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in the supply chains.
According to EU health ministers last year, around 80 to 90 percent of medicines in Europe come from Asia, primarily from China. At the same time, around 800,000 people are employed in the pharmaceutical sector in the EU, according to the Commission.
