Europe’s Eastern border is often discussed in military terms. But how secure is it when it comes to medicines? And how Europe can further strengthen its capacity for health innovation?
These questions have become increasingly urgent as Europe seeks to boost its strategic autonomy and resilience. Strengthening medical sovereignty means increasing the EU’s capacity to produce critical medicines and reducing dependence on external suppliers. Yet many member states remain heavily reliant on imports. Latvia, for example, imports around 95% of the medicines it consumes, despite having two major pharmaceutical manufacturers.
During the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, Healthy.mt spoke with Vytenis Andriukaitis, Member of the European Parliament and former European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, about medicine shortages, pharmaceutical sovereignty, artificial intelligence, and the future of health innovation in Europe.
Reducing vulnerabilities
No country in the European Union — neither Germany, Malta, Latvia, nor Lithuania — can guarantee full independence in the production of medicines and medical devices, V. Andriukaitis argues. According to him, this is precisely why Europe needs to develop pan-European manufacturing and innovation capacities, distributed across different regions and supported by stronger cooperation among Member States.
Currently, around 80% of pharmaceutical ingredients come from outside the European Union, mainly from China, Malaysia, and other regions. This means Europe must develop pan-European capacities and distribute them across different regions to strengthen its resilience, V. Andriukaitis says. He adds that diversifying supply chains for raw materials is equally important, as dependence on a single supplier could create serious vulnerabilities in times of crisis.
Strengthening Europe’s health capacities goes beyond increasing production. It requires better coordination among member states, common stockpiling strategies and a clear overview of existing capabilities across the EU. V.Andriukaitis highlights that mapping these capacities is the first step towards strengthening Europe’s medical sovereignty and resilience.
Areas where innovation is particularly important include cancer, rare diseases, metabolic disorders, gene and cell therapies, advanced therapy medicinal products, and biosimilars. In all these fields, V. Andriukaitis argues, innovation is the only way forward.
Without possibilities to include AI in our pharma policies, there is no way.
AI – yes, definitely, but responsibly
When it comes to how AI can work in patients’ interests, V.Andriukaitis is unequivocal: “Without possibilities to include AI in our pharma policies, there is no way.” He points out that the development of new synthetic molecules now relies heavily on AI, while many of the new methodologies designed to reduce or replace animal testing are also based on AI capabilities. At the same time, he stresses that AI is only a tool and must remain under human oversight.
MEP stresses that Europe needs specialists who can understand and manage AI capabilities. At the same time, AI must remain under human control, with clear responsibility for decisions and outcomes.
In terms of AI diagnostics, V. Andriukaitis raises the question of who should be held responsible. He warns that AI has its own challenges and limitations and can also make mistakes.
He refers to a recent study on AI errors in mammography, noting that the figures were very worrying. He emphasizes that AI should remain in the hands of highly trained specialists and managers, as it is a powerful but potentially risky tool. At the same time, he highlights its value, particularly in the field of rare diseases, where diagnostic complexity requires multiple inputs and AI can be extremely helpful in integrating and interpreting them.
What is required is health-related data. He emphasizes that the European Health Data Space is one of our biggest assets. Valid data is essential for diagnostics and interventions, as well as for the development of new skills and workforce capacities.
From ideas to market
Speaking about what is needed, V. Andriukaitis outlines the following priorities: the major innovation that will transform healthcare begins with interoperability and interconnectivity between different centres of excellence. Second, there is a need for aggregated and reliable data. There must be well-established centres of excellence capable of operating at the highest level of innovation. In addition, he emphasizes that a collaborative environment between different specialists is essential, including team-building approaches and strong translational research capacities. While some centres generate innovative ideas, translating those ideas into the market remains a significant challenge.
Therefore, he suggests that different areas of expertise must be better integrated.
He refers to the existing European Reference Networks, with 24 pathology pathways, 1,600 centres of excellence, and more than 300 universities, and also recalls that without biobanks there is no chance to move forward in innovation. He further emphasizes the importance of aggregated patient registries to understand how many clinical trials can be organized. He also refers to existing AI factories and suggests that part of them could be dedicated to developing a pan-European health data space.
In V. Andriukaitis’ view, bringing together the existing fragmented elements into a unified system would enable a high-level, Europe-wide approach.
18.06.2026.
