Driving Health and Growth; A call for an industrial strategy for Europe
10.09.19
EFPIA is calling on the next EU Commission to create a renewed industrial policy strategy that can drive Europe’s health and growth, realise the region’s potential to be a world leader in medical innovation and put Europe in the best possible position to compete with other global economies.
Launched by EFPIA today, Driving Health and Growth; A call for an industrial strategy for Europe outlines five areas where policy makers can take action to drive Europe’s health and growth. These are:
- Maintain a world-class system for the approval of new treatments
- Better innovation policies to enable Europe to lead in research and development
- A digital Europe that will support patients in their healthcare journey
- A smart trade agenda that supports EU competitiveness and access
- Policies to preserve the environment
Driving Health and Growth; A call for an industrial strategy for Europe will be launched at a Friends of Europe debate held in Brussels today with speakers from the European Commission, the Finnish Government, the SME sector and Laura Gutierrez, Vice-President, Public Affairs Europe at Sanofi. Speaking about the importance of an industrial strategy from the perspective of a leading European-based pharmaceutical company Laura said. “We have to deliver on the challenges ahead of us: ageing populations, climate change, trade, succeeding the industrial transformation in Europe, reducing social inequality, to name but a few. Only a new Pharmaceutical industrial strategy for Europe could bring answers to EU citizens. Policy makers, industry and civil society need to work together to find sustainable solutions to these common issues.”
EFPIA believes Europe has significant untapped potential that can be realised through fostering and supporting innovation, in particular by offering a predictable regulatory environment and incentives model. In 2016, 2.5 million jobs were supported by the pharmaceutical sector. The activities of pharmaceutical companies directly contributed nearly €100 billion to EU economies, with an additional €106 billion provided through the supply chain and employee spending. Competition to attract global life-science investment is intense with other global economies moving quickly to create a pro-innovation environment. A renewed industrial strategy for Europe is critical to enable Europe to remain competitive.
Commenting on the launch of the paper, EFPIA Director General Nathalie Moll said. “The pharmaceutical industry can play a central role in the competitiveness of Europe given its key role in addressing a number of Europe’s societal challenges, the investment in Europe’s research and development eco-system and its potential to leverage some of Europe’s key strengths and facilitate access to new treatments for patient across Europe. A new EU industrial policy strategy can help unlock this enormous potential, as the Commission President-Elect Ursula von der Leyen has set out in her agenda for Europe.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Driving Health and Growth; A call for an industrial strategy for Europe will be launched at ‘A pharmaceutical industrial strategy for Europe’, a Friends of Europe organised event on Tuesday 10 September from 13:00 to 14:00 in Brussels. Speakers at the event include:
- Marcel Haag, Head of the Directorate for Jobs, Growth and Investment at the European Commission Secretariat-General
- Janne Känkänen, Director for EU and International Affairs at the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- Daria Tataj, Entrepreneur, Strategy Advisor and Chair of the Research, Innovation and Science (RISE) High-Level Expert Group
- Laura Gutierrez, Vice-President, Public Affairs Europe at Sanofi
If you are interested in registering for the event please contact communications@efpia.eu