Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has told the European Parliament that the EU is not aware of a critical shortage of oestrogen medication in Sweden requiring EU-level intervention, placing responsibility on Member States to manage local supply disruptions. The answer, given on 9 July 2026, responds to a question from Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjärd (PPE), who warned that hundreds of thousands of Swedish women face serious health risks due to a prolonged and worsening shortage of hormone medicines.
Várhelyi acknowledged that medicines shortages primarily fall under national competence, as authorities are best placed to assess local disruptions. He outlined that if a shortage cannot be resolved nationally, a Member State can report to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) through the Medicine Shortages Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Working Party for EU-level coordination. The Commission, together with the EMA and the Medicines Shortages Steering Group, monitors and addresses shortages escalated to the EU level. However, Várhelyi stated that the Commission is not aware of a serious situation regarding oestrogen that would require EU monitoring or intervention, noting that no critical shortages of oestrogen have been notified at Union level. He added that if Sweden identifies a need for EU-wide coordination, the established mechanisms are available for escalation and mitigation.
The answer offers no concrete EU measures or timeline, instead reiterating existing procedures. It leaves Swedish authorities to continue their own efforts, which Polfjärd described as insufficient. The response may disappoint patient groups and healthcare providers in Sweden, who face continued uncertainty, while reaffirming the EU's limited role in national medicine supply crises. No institutional follow-up is signaled beyond the existing SPOC and steering group framework.