The European Commission has introduced a set of new measures aimed at improving the health of Europeans while fostering a more modern, efficient, and resilient healthcare sector across the EU. These initiatives target innovation, disease prevention, and regulatory simplification to strengthen the overall healthcare ecosystem.
A major focus of the proposals is building a world-leading health biotechnology industry. The Commission plans to introduce a Biotech Act to support innovation and increase Europe’s biotech potential. Key initiatives include a new EU investment facility to facilitate funding for biotech companies, targeted support for high-impact bio-manufacturing projects, faster clinical trial approvals across countries, accelerated development of new therapies, and simplified EU regulations to reduce costs for companies.
The Commission has also launched a ‘Safe Hearts’ plan to tackle cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in Europe. The plan emphasizes prevention, early detection, and improved treatment through personalised prediction tools and therapies. It also seeks to bridge research gaps, leverage artificial intelligence and digital health solutions, reduce health inequalities, and enhance access to healthcare services across the EU.
In addition, the Commission aims to simplify rules for the development of medical devices. This includes cutting unnecessary costs, reducing regulatory uncertainty for companies, and minimizing delays for patients. Measures also involve increased digital procedures, clear timelines for conformity assessments, monitoring of device shortages by a strengthened European Medicines Agency, and the creation of a list of critical medical devices.
Overall, these measures are designed to prioritise patients’ health and safety while ensuring the long-term resilience, competitiveness, and innovation capacity of the European healthcare sector.
