On 18 April, EUREGHA and the CoR’s Interregional Group on Health and Wellbeing (IRGHW) convened a dynamic session to address the critical issue of medicine shortages within the European healthcare landscape. The meeting brought together a diverse array of stakeholders to examine the multifaceted challenges surrounding this pressing concern.
The session featured a comprehensive presentation of the CoR’s Opinion on “Addressing Medicines Shortages” by the Rapporteur Erika Von Kalben. The presentation highlighted the global dependency on medicine production and emphasized the need for greater diversification among supply partners to ensure the availability of medicines across Europe. The opinion, currently under discussion, advocates for a harmonized approach to monitoring medicine stocks and implementing strategies to mitigate shortages effectively, aiming to achieve strategic autonomy for the EU.
Additionally, Gloria Ghéquière, Advisor at the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, Belgium, shared her considerations about the Critical Medicines Alliance established by the European Commission to address potential shortages. The Alliance aims to foster collaboration between stakeholders and develop recommendations to enhance medicine supply in the EU. It is expected to last for five years, with the publication of the first recommendations on actions to improve the supply of critical medicines anticipated by the fall of this year.
The discussion was complemented by a presentation from Ylva Reisnert, Senior EU policy advisor, Region Skåne Brussels (EUREGHA member), showcasing the vision and approach of Swedish regionsin addressing medicine shortages.
The meeting report and Ms. Reisnert’s slides are available below.
