On Monday 15 December, European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health adopted its position, which substantially amends the European Commission’s proposal on critical medicinal products.
The draft report by Tomislav Sokol (EPP, Croatian) was adopted with 27 votes in favour, one against and eight abstentions (see EUROPE 13773/8).
MEPs foresee the creation of industrial ‘strategic projects’ in the EU in order to create, modernise and strengthen production capacities for critical medicinal products or their base substances. To promote a coordinated approach at European level and guarantee legal certainty for project promoters, they would like the European Commission to adopt guidelines for assessing these projects. MEPs are also calling for a “critical medicines security fund” to be set up in the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (2028-2034).
Collaborative procurement. Public procurement procedures should allow for the awarding of contracts to several suppliers for the same product in order to encourage diversified sources of supply and ensure production is spread between different manufacturers and geographical areas within the EU, according to the European Parliament committee’s position. Contracting authorities should apply award criteria that favour producers who manufacture a significant proportion of critical medicinal products in the EU.
Voluntary collaborative procurement is also advocated - for example, where three or more Member States act together, or as part of joint procurement involving the Commission and at least five Member States - to improve supply, particularly of medicines for rare diseases, antimicrobials and other innovative, expensive or specialised treatments.
National stockpiles. MEPs foresee the creation of a coordination mechanism at EU level for national stockpiles and contingency stocks of critical medicinal products. They also want the Commission to have the power to decide, as a last resort, on redistributing medicines from a national stockpile to one or more other countries when a shortage or disruption in the supply of a critical medicinal product is identified.
Parliament’s position should be adopted at the January 2026 plenary session, after which negotiations with the EU Council can begin with a view to finalising an agreement. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)