The consensus is clear: Europe’s competitive edge is slipping, threatening the region’s economic security and resilience.
As the Draghi Report highlights, the widening productivity and innovation gap with the U.S. and China is already translating into slower growth. Biotech is a strategic sector with the potential to help reverse this trend and restore Europe’s competitiveness.
Can Europe unlock this potential?
Pfizer welcomes the European Commission’s Life Sciences Strategy, which rightly diagnoses Europe’s lag in R&D investment and scientific output.
But diagnosis alone is not enough. What’s needed more than ever is bold, coordinated, and urgent action—driven by political will—to unlock the full potential of Europe’s biotech ecosystem.
In the discussions ahead, three key principles should be front of mind for policy decision-makers to drive the bold change the sector needs:
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Europe’s competitiveness ambitions must be backed by coherent, future-proof policy. Innovation and investment in the biopharmaceutical industry must be actively enabled—not hindered—by both current and future legislation. The upcoming Biotech Act is a pivotal opportunity to position Europe as a global biotech leader, but success depends on robust competitiveness checks and must not be undermined by other EU or national legislative efforts.
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Europe must do more to recognise and reward innovation. The EU General Pharmaceutical Legislation must better align with Europe’s growth agenda—boosting investor confidence and fostering a pro-innovation mindset across member states. Beyond this, the EU must also play a stronger role in guiding and supporting national-level spending on innovative medicines and vaccines, ensuring it reflects Europe’s fair share of global innovation.
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Open trade is essential to Europe’s economic resilience. The biopharmaceutical industrial footprint is built to serve global patients. Protectionist or discriminatory rules risk undermining this. Instead, Europe must work with international partners to remove trade barriers, align regulations, and promote innovation. President von der Leyen’s focus on diversification and partnerships is welcome—but must be matched by concrete steps to enable EU exports, keep procurement open, and protect IP worldwide.
Consistent collaboration is essential to building an environment that attracts investment, accelerates innovation, as well as expands access to medicines and vaccines.
That’s why the launch of the EU Biotech and Life Sciences Alliance in the European Parliament is a welcome and timely step. Cross-party and cross-sector dialogue will be vital to delivering stronger public health outcomes, driving economic growth, and boosting Europe’s global competitiveness.
Now is the time to turn momentum into action—by aligning policy and making Europe a powerhouse for biotech innovation. The future is ours to shape. Let’s get to work.
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