Brussels, 12 August 2022 – AESGP urges Member States to consider health products manufacturing and complex supply chain a priority industry activity in energy cutting plans.
AESGP welcomes the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions “Save gas for a safe winter”, to prevent the impacts of price volatility and energy insecurity on the EU and its immediate neighbourhood.
AESGP understands that gas dependence varies across Member-States and across industry intensity. Still, AESGP members will do their utmost to follow European Commission recommendations within the possibilities of the sector.
AESGP urges Member-States to follow along the lines of the Commission recommendation in identifying health products manufacturing as a priority industry during “alert” level measures, so as not to hinder the storage and supply of healthcare essential products. It is important that Member-States define “Health and Pharmaceuticals” as a societal critical sector and that exemptions apply to ensure the continuous run of operations. Self-care products (non-prescription medicines, medical devices, and food supplements, like vitamins and minerals) have the ability to prevent and treat illness and symptoms while avoiding non-essential burden on health systems.
Given the degree of industrial integration and interconnection across the Single Market, it is important that Member-States map and communicate needs among each other, to avoid disruptions of supply and shortages of essential goods such as medicines and other self-care products.
The recent pandemic has shown that we can best overcome our challenges by working together in ensuring that global supply chain is kept, and that eventual disruptions do not translate into an impact to patients and healthcare services.