What the Commission has been doing
In July 2025, the European Commission launched the new Medical Countermeasures Strategy (MCM). The strategy, announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in her political guidelines and included in the Preparedness Union Strategy, outlines key measures to further accelerate innovation and supply of medical countermeasures.
Medical countermeasures include vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical devices, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE). They play a vital role to enhance our protection from current and future health emergencies, including those arising from respiratory or contact-based viruses with pandemic potential, vector-borne or animal-reservoir viruses with epidemic potential, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), armed conflict related threats and chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) threats.
Why the strategy is needed
At its core, the strategy makes sures that medical countermeasures are readily available and accessible when emergencies strike. It supports development, production, stockpiling, and takes an all-hazards approach to cross-border health threats, whether of natural, accidental, or deliberate origin.
Overall, the strategy aims to improve the EU’s preparedness, security and strategic autonomy, while also accelerating innovation in sectors which are key for Europeans’ health and well-being and for the competitiveness of our economy.
Key Actions
The strategy is built around four key pillars:
Surveillance and intelligence
- Creating an EU-wide list of priority countermeasures supported, among others, by wastewater monitoring systems at both EU and international levels and a medical countermeasures intelligence system.
Accelerating innovation and scaling up manufacturing
- Launching a Medical Countermeasures Accelerator, establishing development hubs for therapeutics and diagnostics, and investing in AI-driven research.
- Developing flexible and scalable manufacturing through partnerships like RAMP-UP, a Rapid Agile Manufacturing Partnership for Union Protection.
Ensuring access, availability, and rapid deployment
- Improving stockpiling practices, defining clear crisis procurement guidelines, reserving ever-warm production capacity that can be rapidly activated to selected vaccines in the event of emergency. and supporting mobile, ready-to-use laboratories.
Coordination and Preparedness
- Fostering international partnerships, strengthening collaboration across public and private sectors, enhancing civil-military cooperation, and ensuring that health systems and citizens can respond swiftly and effectively.
With this strategy, the European Commission helps deliver on the EU’s commitment to stronger health security and preparedness – so that when the next crisis comes, Europe will be ready to respond, recover, and protect lives.
