The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has published recommendations for the European Union’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. In this publication, EFPIA outlines that the future MFF should support the life sciences research and innovation ecosystem. It should also ensure the competitiveness of the EU regulatory system and foster the European health data space. These recommendations come as part of EFPIA’s ongoing advocacy for strengthening Europe’s pharmaceutical sector.

Strategic Support for Life Sciences

EFPIA emphasizes the urgent need for the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework to provide dedicated funding. This funding should maintain and enhance the EU’s position in life sciences research and innovation. This appears to be a central pillar of their recommendations, reflecting concerns about Europe’s global competitiveness in this sector.

A significant focus of EFPIA’s recommendations is ensuring the competitiveness of the EU regulatory system. This includes calls for maintaining regulatory competitiveness, enhance data infrastructure, and enable AI implementation in medicine assessment and regulation. EFPIA specifically calls on the EU to support European Medicines Agency (EMA) AI spending and upskilling initiatives as part of the 2028-2034 funding plan.

The recommendations highlight the importance of fostering the European health data space. EFPIA sees significant value in improved health data infrastructure across the EU. This aligns with broader EU digital health initiatives and could support more effective clinical research and regulatory processes.

Context of EU Financial Priorities

The EU Multiannual Financial Framework sets out the EU’s spending priorities for several years, supporting various programs and funding initiatives. The next MFF will cover the period 2028-2034. The European Commission is currently gathering stakeholder input to shape these future budget priorities.

This isn’t the first time health stakeholders have provided recommendations for the MFF. Earlier in 2025, the EU Health Coalition published nine recommendations for strengthening health through the MFF. This indicates a coordinated effort across the health sector to influence EU budget priorities.

The current discussions take place against the backdrop of the historic EUR 750 billion recovery fund established in 2020. This fund was combined with a EUR 1.1 trillion budget for 2021-2027 to rebuild EU economies following the COVID-19 pandemic. This demonstrated the EU’s willingness to make significant financial commitments in response to major challenges.

Implications for Health Economics and Access to Medicines

Boosting Research Funding

If EFPIA’s recommendations are incorporated into the next MFF, we could see increased funding for pharmaceutical research and development in Europe. This could potentially accelerate innovation and bring new treatments to market faster. It would affect both health outcomes and market dynamics.

Increasing Regulatory Efficiency

The emphasis on supporting the EMA with AI capabilities and upskilling suggests a push toward more efficient regulatory processes. Improved regulation could reduce time-to-market for new medicines. This would enhance both patient access and commercial outcomes for pharmaceutical companies.

Addressing Access Disparities

EFPIA’s publication comes amid ongoing challenges in providing equal access to medicines across Europe. Recent EFPIA data highlights persistent, significant variation in access to new medicines between EU countries. The Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator shows continued delays and barriers that patients face in accessing innovative medicines. If the MFF addresses these issues through targeted funding, it could help reduce these inequalities.

Investing in Data Infrastructure

Investment in the European health data space could have far-reaching implications for health economics and outcomes research. Better data infrastructure would support more comprehensive real-world evidence collection. This could influence pricing and reimbursement decisions through improved outcomes measurement.

The timing of these recommendations is strategic, as they can influence the EU’s budget planning process for the next seven-year cycle. How these recommendations are received and potentially incorporated into the EU Multiannual Financial Framework will significantly impact the European pharmaceutical landscape through the late 2020s and early 2030s.