EU health security planning prioritises protective equipment

This article is part of our special report Protecting Europe’s workforce with advance technologies, new strategies.

The EU is putting personal protective equipment (PPE) at the heart of its health security strategy. With the launch of its first-ever Stockpiling Strategy and Medical Countermeasures Strategy, the European Commission aims to ensure swift access to PPE and other essential tools to protect workers and citizens in future crises.

Europe faces rising threats from pandemics, armed conflicts, chemical, biological and radiological exposure and nuclear (CBRN) attacks, and PPE is now viewed as critical not only for healthcare professionals, but also for care home staff, civil protection teams and humanitarian workers.

Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said, “We know the threats we face. And we know we can handle them. Hybrid attacks, power blackouts, extreme weather, and spreading diseases. These are no longer distant risks. That is why we are moving preparedness from the sidelines to the frontline of our defence.”

The Preparedness Strategy, adopted in March 2025, reflects this shift toward resilience, placing PPE on equal footing with vaccines and diagnostics. It also introduces preparedness roadmaps, a priority list of medical countermeasures, and sentinel systems like wastewater monitoring.

To support rapid deployment, the Commission is reinforcing its industrial base through EU FAB’s ever-warm production and the new RAMP UP partnership.

From strategy to action

The Stockpiling Strategy establishes an EU network to coordinate reserves across Member States, improve visibility, reduce duplication, and guide joint recommendations.

In a statement to Euractiv, 3M welcomed stronger EU coordination on health preparedness.

“The two EU strategies underscore the critical importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in safeguarding frontline workers and the general population,” said Maxime Bureau, 3M Director of EU Government Affairs.

“The EU Stockpiling Network shows the EU's commitment to enhancing coordination among EU countries, ensuring transparency in the management and procurement of critical medical countermeasures, including PPE. As we move forward, it is essential to centralise actions at EU level to ensure a unified and efficient response to health emergencies, leveraging collective resources and expertise for the benefit of all Member States,” said Bureau.

The Commission expects this network to map national reserves, including their locations, contents and management, to improve coordination and crisis response.

“In addition to this, we already have in place a dynamic purchasing system framework in the field of PPEs where volunteer companies agree to provide a number of key documents in exchange of fast tracking their initial phase of procurement in times of crisis,” the Commission spokesperson added.

Strengthening EU PPE reserves

As part of its wider preparedness push, the EU is expanding rescEU, originally created for wildfire response, to include pandemics and CBRN threats.

“One lesson learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic was the importance of developing and sustaining comprehensive medical stockpiles.”

These reserves now cover PPE, vaccines, medical devices and countermeasures for threats like zoonotic diseases and burns.

To improve sustainability, the EU is testing virtual stockpiling and vendor-based models to reduce waste and ensure access without constant replenishment.

In emergencies, rescEU allows direct or joint procurement and can cover up to 100% of transport costs.

The EU also has a broader crisis response toolbox. The upcoming Internal Market Emergency and Resilience Act (IMERA), set to apply from 2026, will help ensure the uninterrupted movement of essential goods, services, and people across the EU. RescEU’s transport and logistics capacity could also be used to deliver critical goods during emergencies.

“The further expansion and development of rescEU will be discussed with the Member States in order to jointly agree on priorities for stockpiling at EU level (also considering the budget available). The interoperability and coordination of the response capacities in a cross-border situation are regularly tested in exercises within the context of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.”

Mobilising partnerships

The strategy also promotes public-private and civil-military partnerships to streamline logistics and supply chains. These collaborative models are seen as critical to delivering PPE and other stockpiled goods effectively during crises. This includes enhanced logistics and a fresh supply chain assessment for countermeasures not on the Union’s critical medicines list, such as PPE or diagnostics.

“We will work with European companies in every Member State to make sure essential supplies, like food, water, medicines, masks, and testing kits, are ready when we need them,” said Commissioner Lahbib.

Driving innovation, preparedness

To improve readiness, HERA will continue to lead emergency procurement, manufacturing and R&D.

Its 2026 Medifence initiative aims to stockpile reusable PPE and support innovation in biosensors and drug platforms.

Meanwhile, the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator will help close innovation gaps in PPE, diagnostics, vaccines and treatments, offering regulatory and financial support.

The Commission has supported next-generation PPE through targeted grants and procurement schemes.

HERA is also piloting a shelf-life extension scheme to reduce PPE waste.

Together, HERA and the Accelerator show the EU’s broader shift from stockpiling alone to long-term innovation and preparedness.

The pandemic demonstrated the need for consistent funding. In response, the Commission has allocated over €5 billion from 2021–2027 via EU4Health, Horizon Europe and rescEU. Future funding will be debated during the next EU budget round.

MEP Nicolás González Casares warned that funding must match ambition.

“The truth is that the EU relies heavily on imports from China for much of its required PPE,” he said. “While Horizon Europe and EU4Health can support R&D for more sustainable and scalable PPE, there should be European-specific funds for these needs. Otherwise, we risk diverting investment away from medical needs that are no less important.”

He called for financial tools to ensure both rapid response and long-term security.

“We have been discussing how to reinforce Europe's security strategy. Let's allocate targeted funds for the short-term and long-term reinforcement of strategic supply resources.”

Leaving no one behind

Equity is central to the EU’s PPE strategy. González Casares stressed that distribution must go beyond hospitals, saying: “There are two levels at which this issue is addressed: one related to ordinary shortages and the other related to crisis management”

“Obviously, the supply strategy must address both needs, as well as distribution. Not only is direct healthcare at hospitals a need, but so are other things. Care homes, humanitarian actors, and civil protection teams must also be covered.”

This reflects the Commission’s commitment to ensuring shared EU resources benefit all Member States.

Looking ahead, the success of both strategies will hinge on implementation.

Key milestones now include the operational launch of the EU Stockpiling Network, deployment of the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator, and upcoming initiatives like Medifence in 2026.

With funding discussions tied to the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the coming weeks will be crucial to ensure the EU’s ambition for strategic autonomy and crisis resilience translates into concrete preparedness on the ground.

[Edited By Brian Maguire | Euractiv's Advocacy Lab ]