This morning, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a political agreement on the Critical Medicines Act (CMA). European cancer leagues welcome the agreement, which has a potential to ensure that cancer patients across the EU have timely access to medicines they need.  

Unequal access to treatment remains one of Europe’s most striking inequalities in cancer care. For example, between 2020 and 2023, cancer patients in Germany had access to 54 out of 56 EU-authorised medicines, while patients in Malta could only access two. Shortages of cancer medicines further exacerbate these inequalities. Many oncology medicines have a narrow therapeutic window, meaning they cannot easily be substituted. Cancer medicines are among the therapeutic classes most affected by shortages, which can seriously disrupt treatment and compromise patient outcomes.

In December 2025, the Association of European Cancer Leagues and the European Fair Pricing Network published joint recommendations to strengthen equitable access to medicines – many of which are now reflected in today’s agreement. The CMA aims to address shortages of critical medicines, of which one in five is an oncology medicinal product, and to strengthen access to other medicines where market failures occur. The final deal is a welcome recognition of the urgent need to ensure that medicines are available for patients across Europe, and includes several measures that could close inequality gaps:   

• An obligation for strategic projects – companies that manufacture medicines in the EU and benefit from national or EU financial support – to prioritise supply of medicines to the EU market.

• Mandating the Commission to initiate a collaborative procurement procedure on behalf of EU member states, when five or more countries request it. The Commission may also initiate a joint request and invite member states to join the procedure. This will increase purchasing power and expand access to more patients.
• An obligation to ensure that any contingency stock requirements applied in one member state would not negatively affect supply of critical medicines in other EU countries. In addition, these requirements should be transparent and respect the principles of solidarity and proportionality. Member states will also have to share up to date information on contingency stocks available for reallocation when a call for solidarity is launched through the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism. 

“Treating cancer is impossible without timely access to medicines. The Critical Medicines Act introduces collaborative procurement at EU level helping to improve affordability, increase the attractiveness of smaller markets and facilitate equitable access to medicines across the EU. We call on policymakers to ensure these new rules are implemented quickly and with strong ambition,” says Toma Mikalauskaitė, Head of Policy at the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL).   

For further information, please contact Eline Goethals, Senior Communications Officer at the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL): eline@cancer.eu