Despite EU-level efforts to address the problem, shortages hit record levels in 2023 and 2024, directly limiting patients’ access to treatment.
The report singles out Greece for repeatedly reporting acute shortages between 2022 and 2024 and for imposing an export ban on 119 medicines last year. The move, also seen in other member states, was designed to prevent drugs from being siphoned off through parallel trade to markets with higher prices, a practice that often leaves local pharmacies with empty shelves.
The shortages in Greece were felt most sharply in antibiotics and widely used drugs, prompting repeated interventions by the National Organization for Medicines. The export ban was considered necessary to protect patients but sparked criticism from pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers, who argued that such restrictions distort the EU’s single market.
The auditors point to deeper structural problems across Europe: reliance on a limited number of non-EU suppliers for raw materials and market distortions caused by parallel trade. In 2022 alone, parallel trade in medicines across the bloc reached €6.4 billion, with a significant portion involving exports from low-price countries such as Greece to markets with higher prices. While this trade can boost availability elsewhere, it puts severe strain on source countries.
The European Commission has proposed steps to improve transparency, including a centralized database of available medicines, but data collection by the European Medicines Agency remains fragmented and insufficient. For Greece, the crisis highlights the need for a long-term strategy that goes beyond temporary export bans. Stronger domestic production, tighter oversight of supply chains and closer cooperation with EU authorities are seen as vital to ensuring stable access to medicines.
