Strategic Relevance of the Medical Technology Sector for Health, Sustainable Prosperity and Competitiveness
Madame President,
Dear Dr von der Leyen,
The undersigning European trade organisations in the medical technology sector represent companies producing some of the most advanced and complex medical technologies in the European Union. Our sector plays a strategic role in the performance and resilience of health systems across Europe to address patients’ daily needs and to keep the European Union competitive.
We applaud the vision as laid out in your Political Guidelines and the subsequent Mission Letters to make sustainable prosperity and competitiveness a priority for the upcoming 5-year legislative term. We call on the Commission to take – without delay – bold initiatives to turn this priority into reality and to retain Europe‘s historic place as the global ‘epicenter’ of medtech innovation.
Medical devices and In Vitro diagnostics play a central role in saving and improving people’s lives and can improve the overall sustainability of healthcare systems. The medical technology industry is a thriving sector. Filing a patent every 30 minutes confirms our sector’s commitment to leverage the power of Medtech in transforming lives and healthcare ecosystems, in support of Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness for the future.
However, Europe’s attractiveness for medtech innovation is hampered by insufficient investment in healthcare infrastructure and an often fragmented, misaligned and inefficient regulatory framework3. While aiming to ensure safety and quality, this regulatory environment stifles innovation launch to the detriment of patients and healthcare practitioners and discourages investment in emerging medical technologies.
Strategic investments in more efficient, sustainable healthcare systems, supported by digital health and medical technologies, would not only reduce the cost of care but also help secure Europe’s position as a global leader in healthcare innovation and its wider sustainability and digitalisation ambitions.
The Draghi report includes important general recommendations of relevance for the medtech sector. It does however not include the medical technology sector in the list of strategic sectors. We therefore welcome your announcement of a Strategy for European Life Sciences to support the green and digital transitions and to develop high-value technologies. We strongly believe that the future Strategy should include the medical technology sector as its core part.
More generally, we call for lifting-up the health responsibilities of the future college to truly embed health in all policies and launch a structured high-level industry dialogue with the medical technology sector and its wider ecosystem.
COCIR and MedTech Europe remain available to partner and share sector specific expertise to guide this important agenda with you and the incoming College of Commissioners and to build together a stronger, resilient, more innovative and sustainable healthcare sector that contributes significantly to Europe’s economic strength and citizens’ health and wellbeing.
Yours sincerely,
Stuart Silk Jan-Willem Scheijgrond
President of MedTech Europe President of COCIR