Berlin – – September 15, 2026 -- The European Commission today unveiled the EU Public Procurement Act (PPA), a comprehensive proposal to modernize European procurement law, drawing an immediate response from Germany's pharmaceutical industry association BPI.
BPI demands supply security as binding procurement criterion
Dr. Kai Joachimsen, Chief Executive of the BPI (Bundesverband der Pharmazeutischen Industrie), said the European Commission must make supply security a mandatory guideline for pharmaceutical procurement. He stated the goal must be supply sovereignty, achieved through strong production capacities in Europe and diversified, resilient supply chains.
Lowest price alone must not decide contract awards
Joachimsen argued that reliable delivery capability, sustainable production and investments in Europe must be financially rewarded in procurement decisions rather than defaulting to the cheapest bidder. For medicines deemed critical to supply, he said multiple suppliers should be secured wherever market conditions allow, and additional stockpiles and production reserves must be adequately compensated.
BPI calls for SME-friendly rules to protect shared production models
The association warned that new requirements must remain practicable, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Joachimsen said division-of-labor production models must not be obstructed by blanket in-house production mandates.
BPI pushes for alignment between PPA and Critical Medicines Act
Joachimsen called on the Commission to closely coordinate the PPA with the Critical Medicines Act (CMA) so the two frameworks reinforce each other. He said Europe needs a coherent procurement framework with uniform, clear and simple requirements to guarantee supply security, explicitly rejecting duplicate documentation, contradictory requirements, or added legal uncertainty.