On 4 June 2026, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Olivér Várhelyi, during a visit to Riga in the margins of the WHO/Europe 12th high-level meeting of the Small Countries Initiative, stressed the importance of the Critical Medicines Act and greater investment in prevention to address healthcare workforce shortages and market failures exposed by the COVID-19 crisis.
Várhelyi noted that the Critical Medicines Act is designed not only to secure supply of critical medicines but also to correct situations where the market fails to deliver adequately for patients. He highlighted workforce shortages as one of the biggest challenges facing European health systems, arguing that stronger prevention policies can reduce pressure on healthcare workers and improve patient outcomes. The Commissioner reported strong agreement among the 12 participating small countries on the need to elevate prevention in health policy as a means to build more resilient, sustainable and people-centred systems.
During his visit, Várhelyi also met with an innovative Latvian start-up developing cell-based technologies for testing and potential medical therapies. He described such companies as strong in research and development but under-invested and too young to scale up, and called for European support to help them become European champions.
The speech contained no concrete proposals, numerical targets, deadlines, or budget figures, instead offering declarative support for the Critical Medicines Act and prevention-oriented policies. The policy orientation is towards strengthening EU-level action on medicine supply security and shifting health spending towards prevention, with a conciliatory tone towards small countries and innovative start-ups.
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