The Commission wants to strengthen the EU's resilience to crises.

The European Commission intends to present its EU stockpiling strategy on 25th June. The aim is to ensure the availability of critical goods and access thereto during crisis situations - both at European level and within the EU Member States. This strategy is a central component of the “Preparedness Union Strategy”, published on 26th March and also announced by the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, as being one of her political priorities. It takes a cross-sectoral all-hazards approach. 

Stockpiling as a strategic safety tool

The planned stockpiling strategy goes way beyond select emergency measures. It should encompass all forms of stockpiling - from public and private initiatives to implementing measures along the supply chains as well as promoting strategic autonomy. Its focus will be on medical countermeasures, critical raw materials, food, water, energy equipment and medical devices, such as protective equipment.

According to Hadja Lahbib, the EU Commissioner for Resilience, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, the EU’s stockpiling strategy will be a ‘key element of our preparedness’ in order to remain capable of acting in any crisis. It is especially important here to ensure that Member States do not compete for the same resources. Therefore, centralised EU stockpiles should be combined with national stockpiles, supported by public/private partnerships that promote both efficiency and scalability.

An integrated approach

What we already know: The stockpiling strategy will not be a customised strategy for medicinal products or medical devices, but it will be embedded in a comprehensive all-hazards approach that is designed to be both interdepartmental and cross-sectoral. EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib will be responsible for the strategy as part of her Resilience and Crisis Management portfolio, not EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi. Nevertheless, the strategy will also affect medicinal products, medical devices and it might also affect the tasks of the EU's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).

It will be interesting to see how the distinction between this Act and the Critical Medicines Act will be drawn up, as the draft regulation also includes an article about stockpiling of medicinal products. MEPs in the European Parliament are already calling for broadening the scope of the currently very inconsistent stockpiling obligations applicable in the Member States. The possible establishment of a strategic EU reserve for critical medicinal products is also being discussed.

Strategy expectations

German Social Insurance (DSV) sees the planned EU’s stockpiling strategy as an important opportunity to strengthen supply security in the healthcare system – particularly with regard to the supply of critical medicines. Targeted stockpiling can help to increase the market availability of relevant products and avoid or at least minimise supply shortages. However, for this to succeed DSV believes that specific practical measures are needed, which they have outlined in the form of Feedback. For example, there should be mandatory stockpiling of critical medicines. Pharmaceutical companies will have to create appropriate stockpiles, renew them regularly and face clear sanctions in the event of violations. The EU’s strategy should be supplemented by national stockpiling mechanisms that are customised to match the relevant national circumstances and incorporate existing systems.

Finally, transparency along the supply chain is crucial, as this is the only way to reliably plan and manage supplies during an emergency. An improved database covering the entire supply chain is essential for ensuring this.