EU Perspectives

Treating water at the expense of medicines? Prices could increase sevenfold, industry says

Could EU environmental rules make essential medicines unaffordable?The latest EU Perspectives podcast examines how the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive could shift billions in treatment costs onto the pharmaceutical sector — potentially raising prices of common drugs like metformin by up to sevenfold.Featuring insights from Adrian van den Hoven, Director General of Medicines for Europe, Member of the European Patrliament Ondřej Knotek (PfE/CZE), and host Jennifer Baker.

Is Europe’s medicine problem the price of not being a federal union?

Europe’s pharmaceutical sector is under pressure — from rising costs and medicine shortages to geopolitical tensions and differing access to medicines across EU member states.In this episode of the EU Perspectives podcast, host Jennifer Baker speaks with: * Alessandra Moretti, Member of the European Parliament (S&D) * Ines Windisch, Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at Zentiva Group * Andrew Bounds, EU correspondent at the Financial Times What’s driving these challenges and what does it mean for the future of healthcare in Europe?Listen now and join the conversation.

EU budget showdown: MEP Nerudová on power struggles, cuts and new priorities

Negotiating the EU’s next seven-year budget is one of the toughest jobs in Brussels — and Czech MEP Danuše Nerudová is at the centre of it.In this episode of the EU Perspectives podcast, Nerudová, on of the key European Parliament negotiators on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and rapporteur on new EU “own resources,” explains why budget talks are already tense, why Parliament threatened to reject the Commission’s proposal, and why Europe cannot keep adding new priorities without increasing revenues.

Inside Europe’s hidden epidemics: Mental health and the policy gap

Europe is facing a set of hidden epidemics: a deepening mental-health divide, rising addiction and behavioural risks, and policy systems still built for yesterday’s challenges. To understand what’s driving these pressures, and why the EU keeps struggling to respond, we spoke with two insiders: MEP Tomislav Sokol and Ivan Duškov, Deputy Director of Czechia’s General Health Insurance Company and member of the government’s mental-health council. In the latest episode of the EU Perspectives podcast, they walk us through what solutions are actually within reach.

Joint procurement saved vaccines. Can it solve medicine shortages, too?

What’s really behind Europe’s growing medicine shortages? In this episode of EU Perspectives, we dive deep into the proposed Critical Medicines Act and the future of European healthcare with three experts at the forefront of EU health policy and pharmaceutical access: 🎙️ Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) 🎙️ Arnaud Maheas, Head of Public Affairs Europe at Sandoz 🎙️ Stefano Romanelli, Senior Government Affairs Manager at EUCOPE 💊 From Europe’s dependency on Chinese antibiotics to the dramatic price pressures killing local production of generics, we ask the hard questions: – Can joint procurement fix supply issues? – Should Europe pay more to keep production on the continent? – Is the single market failing patients in Eastern Europe? We also explore the role of transparency, environmental regulation, state aid, and the upcoming EU budget battles – all through the lens of health equity and resilience.