EEA EFTA States stress the need to safeguard access to critical medicines across all 30 EEA States

In a joint EEA EFTA Comment, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway welcome the European Commission's proposal for a Critical Medicines Act, underlining the importance of stable and predictable access to essential medicines across the entire European Economic Area, including small and geographically remote markets.

The EEA EFTA States face similar challenges to the EU Member States, including shortages of critical medicines and vulnerabilities in the supply chain. They stress that strengthening Europe's security of supply must benefit all 30 States of the EEA and preserve a well-functioning Internal Market.

In the position paper, the EEA EFTA States raise concerns and seek clarification regarding certain amendments adopted by the European Parliament on 20 January 2026. In particular, they point to the risk that some provisions could unintentionally reduce the availability of medicines in smaller and geographically remote markets.

The EEA EFTA States call on the co-legislators to carefully consider the potential impact of linking financial support to the geographical scope of marketing, noting that this approach may deter companies from supplying smaller markets and undermine equitable access to critical medicines across the EEA.

They would also welcome greater clarity on funding arrangements for strategic projects under specific EU programmes or instruments, as the EEA EFTA States' participation in EU financial instruments varies between programmes.

Finally, the EEA EFTA States encourage the co-legislators to clarify whether participation in cross-border procurement initiatives is conditional upon the medicinal product already holding a marketing authorisation in all participating Member States. This clarification is essential to assess whether this mechanism would effectively support the availability of medicinal products across all participating Member States.

EEA EFTA Comments are one of the tools the EEA EFTA States use to actively participate in shaping EU policies, programmes and legislation.

• twitter
• linkedin
• facebook
• email