On 26 June 2026, ten EU Member States—Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovenia—will request the European Commission to report on progress implementing the Council Conclusions on the Security of Supply of Radioisotopes for Medical Use, adopted unanimously on 17 June 2024. The request, submitted as an 'Any Other Business' item for the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council meeting, stresses that long-term security of supply requires economically sustainable market conditions across the entire value chain, enabling operators to recover investment, operational, waste-management and decommissioning costs.
The 2024 Council Conclusions had recalled the EU, Euratom and Member States' commitment to high healthcare standards, underlined radioisotopes' role in diagnostics and therapy, and recognised increasing demand for radiopharmaceuticals as well as the contribution of European nuclear research reactors. They stressed maintaining Europe's autonomy and global leadership, supported continued supply-chain monitoring, and highlighted the need to forecast demand and supply for all relevant medical radioisotopes. The Conclusions urged the Commission to: maintain Europe's global leadership and implement the European Radioisotopes Valley Initiative; develop a monitoring and forecasting mechanism based on the European Observatory; support research and innovation; foster critical skills; and assess the transport framework for medical radioisotopes.
The ten Member States now underline that all European healthcare systems depend on a sustainable, competitive supply chain, vital for millions of patients and innovative therapies, and that preserving full cost recovery must remain under review. They also point out that improving resource efficiency and circularity across the value chain may contribute to sustainability, resilience and strategic autonomy. The group encourages the Commission to continue making tangible, swift progress on the actions outlined in the 2024 Conclusions.
The request reflects ongoing concern among a group of Member States about the economic viability of radioisotope production, which relies on ageing research reactors and faces high decommissioning costs. The Commission is expected to respond at a future Council meeting, potentially outlining next steps on monitoring, forecasting and market conditions.
The request directly affects producers of medical radioisotopes (primarily nuclear research reactor operators), who seek assurance that they can recover full costs. National health systems and patients depend on a stable supply for diagnostics and cancer therapies. EU regulatory bodies face pressure to deliver on the 2024 Conclusions, balancing market sustainability with public health objectives. The European nuclear industry stands to benefit from continued policy attention and potential support for infrastructure investment.
The Commission is expected to provide an update at a subsequent Council meeting, possibly leading to revised recommendations or legislative proposals on supply security and market conditions for medical radioisotopes.