On 11 March, the Commission proposed a new regulation, the Critical Medicines Act, to enhance the availability of critical medicines in the European Union (EU). This initiative complements other legislative proposals addressing medicine shortages, including the by introducing industrial policy tools to strengthen supply chains and reduce the EU’s dependencies in this strategic sector. The key highlights of this proposal include:

• Strategic Projects to expand or modernise EU manufacturing capacity for critical medicines and their ingredients, benefiting from streamlined funding access and regulatory support for industries.
• State aid guidance has been issued to help Member States provide financial support for these projects.
• Public procurement to diversify supply chains. When high dependency on a limited number of countries exists, procurement rules will favour EU-based production.
• Collaborative procurement among Member States will be supported to ensure equitable access to critical medicines across the EU.
• International partnerships with trustworthy countries will be pursued to broaden supply chains and reduce reliance on a small number of suppliers.

Further initiatives include , to help identify and monitor critical medicines.

Discover more here.