Enrico Letta’s report on the Single Market, set to be presented to EU leaders at the special European Council in Brussels today, emphasizes the importance of strengthening health resilience. Letta calls for leveraging the Single Market to enhance the healthcare sector and urges the EU to take decisive action to promote integration and ensure sustainable access to healthcare for all citizens.
In his report, Letta proposes a ‘fifth freedom’ to boost research, innovation, and education within the Single Market, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector. He highlights the role of the healthcare industry and addresses issues such as worker shortages, the unstable research and development landscape in the EU, and the need for a coordinated approach among member states.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of the healthcare sector, emphasizing the need for EU policies and competitiveness. Letta stresses the importance of multilateral cooperation in facing health threats and asserts that investing in healthcare is vital for economic stability and political resilience within member states.
Despite progress in implementing legislation stemming from the pandemic, Letta warns that more needs to be done to secure supply chains. He notes that there is currently no real Single Market for pharmaceuticals, as some marketing authorizations are granted at the national level. The report also highlights the EU’s increasing dependence on third countries for key pharmaceutical products and calls for prioritizing production capacity and self-sufficiency in certain medicines, vaccines, and antibiotics.
The report advocates for building on the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, adopted in 2020, to create a regulatory framework that supports industry innovation and sustainability. Letta also addresses other health challenges facing the EU, such as antimicrobial resistance, medicine shortages, demographic changes, and healthcare worker shortages, emphasizing the need for comprehensive policy measures at both the EU and national levels to tackle these issues.
