Delivering a competitiveness advantage for Europe
Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at a critical moment for Europe and can be used to turn health innovation into a competitiveness advantage.
Policymakers are grappling with challenges ranging from demographic change and increasing healthcare demand to global competition for research, manufacturing, and innovation investment due to geopolitical uncertainties.
These challenges require a coordinated response that recognises health not simply as a social policy objective, but as a strategic economic asset. Europe’s ability to compete globally will increasingly depend on its capacity to discover, develop, manufacture, and deliver innovative health solutions to patients.
Against this backdrop, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) has identified four interconnected priorities for the Presidency: improving access to innovation, strengthening Europe’s research and clinical trial ecosystem, advancing prevention through cardiovascular health and immunisation, and enhancing life sciences competitiveness.
During its Presidency, Ireland has a unique opportunity to demonstrate how health policy, life sciences investment, and economic competitiveness are increasingly interconnected. IPHA is therefore advocating that access to innovation is considered both a health equity issue and a competitiveness issue.
Innovative medicines can only deliver value when patients can access them quickly and predictably. Delays in access not only impact patient outcomes, they also send negative signals to international investors considering where to locate research, development, and manufacturing activities.
Countries that adopt innovation more rapidly are also more likely to attract investment in research, clinical development, and manufacturing. Faster patient access therefore benefits not only health outcomes, but also Europe’s position in an increasingly competitive global innovation landscape.
The importance of Europe’s life sciences sector extends far beyond healthcare delivery alone. Pharmaceuticals have become a strategic asset for Europe, sitting at the intersection of public health, economic competitiveness, advanced manufacturing, research excellence, and supply chain resilience.
As global competition for investment intensifies, Europe’s ability to retain and attract pharmaceutical research, development, and manufacturing capacity will have significant implications for both economic prosperity and health security.
This theme was reinforced during a high-level competitiveness event in Cork attended by European Commissioner for Health Olivér Várhelyi, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, and Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD who were joined by policymakers, researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders.
Discussions focused on how Europe can strengthen its position in life sciences, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing, recognising the sector’s growing importance to innovation, economic growth, and resilience.
Building on this discussion, IPHA’s Strategic Resilience Summit, taking place in September 2026, will broaden the conversation beyond traditional health policy. The summit will examine how pharmaceutical resilience is intrinsically linked to energy security, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, logistics networks, and active pharmaceutical ingredient supply chains.
In an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, medicines manufacturing and supply cannot be viewed in isolation. Rather, pharmaceutical production should be recognised as part of the critical infrastructure that underpins Europe’s security, resilience, and strategic autonomy.
For Ireland, this presents a significant opportunity. The country is home to one of the most advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystems in the world, supported by a highly skilled workforce, strong regulatory credibility, and deep connections between industry, academia, and healthcare systems.
These strengths position Ireland not only as a leading location for investment, but also as a partner in strengthening Europe’s capacity to innovate, manufacture, and supply critical medicines.
Research and clinical development remain vital components of Europe’s competitiveness agenda. Recent IPHA data show encouraging growth in clinical trial activity in Ireland, demonstrating the State’s capacity to contribute to Europe’s innovation ecosystem but we continue to lag other countries such as Denmark.
Participation in clinical trials provides early access to innovative treatments while helping to build scientific expertise and healthcare system capability. While progress has been made, further reforms to trial start-up processes would strengthen Ireland’s attractiveness as a destination for research investment and help realise the Government’s ambition to significantly increase clinical trial activity.
More broadly, a thriving research environment supports many of the Presidency’s wider objectives. Innovation, prevention, research, and access should be viewed not as separate policy priorities, but as interconnected pillars of a competitive and resilient European health ecosystem.
Competitiveness is not determined solely by industrial investment. It also depends on the health of Europe’s population. Chronic disease places growing pressure on public finances, healthcare systems, and workforce participation, making prevention an increasingly important component of economic resilience.
Cardiovascular disease remains Europe’s leading cause of death, while neurological conditions continue to place growing pressure on health and social care systems. At the same time, demographic change is increasing demand for healthcare services across all member states. Addressing these challenges requires stronger implementation of prevention strategies, earlier diagnosis, and integrated care pathways.
Greater uptake of life-course immunisation should be viewed as a strategic investment rather than a healthcare cost. By reducing preventable illness, protecting workforce participation, and alleviating pressure on healthcare systems, vaccination contributes directly to productivity, resilience, and long-term economic sustainability.
Ireland’s Presidency offers an opportunity to champion a new European narrative: that investment in health innovation is investment in competitiveness, resilience, and strategic autonomy. Faster access to innovation, stronger prevention programmes, and world-class clinical research all contribute to healthier populations and stronger economies.
By advancing these priorities, Ireland can help shape a Europe that is more competitive, more resilient, and better prepared to deliver the benefits of scientific innovation to patients. The challenge now is to convert ambition into delivery and ensure that the Presidency leaves a lasting legacy for patients, healthcare systems, and the life sciences sector across Europe.
W: www.ipha.ie
