19
Jan
2026
Watch
Framework for strengthening the availability and security of supply of critical medicinal products as well as the availability of, and accessibility of, medicinal products of common interest (debate)
Madam President, Commissioner, as the shadow rapporteur on behalf of Patriots, I believe that the Critical Medicines Act addresses real challenges, and these are medicines shortages and Europe's continued dependence on third countries. For this reason, I support the Commission's proposal. When it comes to the health committee report, it reinforces key elements, notably on strategic projects and criteria for public procurement. We also welcome Parliament's call for a dedicated budget for this act. However, important concerns remain – in particular, excessive environmental requirements linked to the Green Deal, placing heavy burdens on manufacturers. You can imagine what happened with the Urban Wastewater Directive. We also have concerns about increasing Commission powers at the expense of national competences and about the participation of candidate countries in joint procurement. Despite these issues, the Critical Medicines Act is a step in the right direction. It can meaningfully reduce shortages by boosting EU production and lowering external dependencies. I am confident that the remaining concerns that we have can be addressed during the trilogue negotiations. And finally, let me underline that this is not only about competitiveness, but it is also about patients and their access to medicines in Europe.