Protective equipment is prioritized in EU health security planning

The EU is placing personal protective equipment (PPE) at the heart of its health security strategy. With the launch of its first stockpile and medical countermeasures strategy, the European Commission aims to ensure rapid access to PPE and other critical tools to protect workers and citizens in future crises.

Europe faces increasing threats from pandemics, armed conflicts, chemical, biological, and radiological hazards, and nuclear (CBRN) attacks. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is now considered essential not only for medical professionals, but also for nursing home staff, disaster response teams, and humanitarian workers.

Commissioner for Gender Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said: "We know the threats we face. And we know we can address them. Hybrid attacks, power outages, extreme weather conditions, and the spread of disease. These risks are not far away. That's why we are moving preparedness from the sidelines to the front line of our defense."

The Preparedness Strategy, adopted in March 2025, reflects this shift toward greater resilience, placing PPE on the same level as vaccines and diagnostics. It also introduces preparedness plans, a priority list of medical countermeasures, and surveillance systems such as wastewater monitoring.

To support rapid deployment, the Commission is strengthening its industrial base through the permanent production of the EU FAB and the new RAMP UP partnership.

A Commission spokesperson told Euractiv: "As mentioned in the strategy, the Commission will explore expanding the scope of EU FABs to cover a broader product range and promote innovative manufacturing models. In this context, we will of course also address personal protective equipment (PPE)."

From strategy to action

The Stockpiling Strategy establishes an EU network to coordinate reserves between Member States, improve visibility, reduce duplication and develop common recommendations.

In a statement to Euractiv, 3M welcomed greater coordination of healthcare within the EU.

“The two EU strategies underline the critical importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect frontline workers and the population in general,” said Maxime Bureau, 3M Director of EU Government Affairs.

"The EU Stockpiling Network underlines the EU's commitment to better coordination among EU countries and ensuring transparency in the management and procurement of critical medical countermeasures, including personal protective equipment (PPE). Going forward, it is essential to centralize actions at EU level to ensure a unified and efficient response to health emergencies and to harness collective resources and expertise for the benefit of all Member States," the Bureau said.

The Commission expects this network to map national protected areas, including their locations, content and management, in order to improve coordination and crisis response.

The RescEU stockpiles complement national reserves. If the Union Civil Protection Mechanism is activated, EU reserves can be mobilized to meet the needs of requesting countries. The stockpile strategy takes a holistic approach, from needs forecasting to operational management, and applies to critical items such as personal protective equipment. It also aims to improve interoperability between national and EU stockpile systems, including between public and private sectors and civilian and military actors, the spokesperson continued.

“In addition, we already have a dynamic purchasing system in the area of personal protective equipment (PPE), where companies voluntarily agree to provide a set of key documents in return for accelerating their initial procurement phase in times of crisis,” added the Commission spokesperson.

Strengthening the EU's PPE reserves

As part of its broader preparedness initiative, the EU is expanding the rescEU programme, originally designed to combat forest fires, to include pandemics and CBRN threats.

“One lesson we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of developing and maintaining comprehensive medical stockpiles.”

These reserves now cover personal protective equipment, vaccines, medical devices and countermeasures against threats such as zoonoses and burns.

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

In an emergency, rescEU enables direct or joint procurement and can cover up to 100% of transport costs.

"In the event of a crisis, the ERCC coordinates assistance with Member State authorities to direct it where it is needed. It operates 24/7 and can quickly mobilize PPE from rescEU stocks, including organizing logistics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PPE has been provided both through voluntary offers from Member States and through rescEU mobilizations," the Commission spokesperson explained.

The EU also has a broader range of crisis management tools at its disposal. The Internal Market Emergency and Resilience Measures Act (IMERA), which will enter into force in 2026, will help ensure the smooth flow of essential goods, services, and people within the EU. RescEU's transport and logistics capacities could also be used to deliver critical goods in emergencies.

The further expansion and development of rescEU will be discussed with Member States to jointly agree on stockpiling priorities at EU level (also taking into account available resources). Interoperability and coordination of response capacities in cross-border situations will be regularly tested in exercises within the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

Mobilizing partnerships

The strategy also promotes public-private and civil-military partnerships to optimize logistics and supply chains. These cooperation models are considered crucial for the effective provision of personal protective equipment and other stockpiled goods in times of crisis. This includes improved logistics and a reassessment of supply chains for countermeasures not included on the Union's list of critical medicines, such as personal protective equipment or diagnostics.

“We will work with European companies in every Member State to ensure that essential supplies such as food, water, medicines, masks and testing kits are available when we need them,” said Commissioner Lahbib.

Driving innovation and readiness

To enhance preparedness, HERA will continue to lead emergency procurement, manufacturing, and research and development.

The 2026 Medifence initiative aims to stockpile reusable PPE and support innovations in biosensors and drug platforms.

At the same time, the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator will help close innovation gaps in PPE, diagnostics, vaccines and treatments and provide regulatory and financial support.

"Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a crucial component of the European Commission's medical countermeasures strategy, as it represents our first line of defense against emerging health threats. Innovations in PPE are essential to develop more advanced protective equipment that offers better protection against highly transmissible threats, seals well for different face shapes, is comfortable even when worn for extended periods, can be reused rather than disposed of after a single use, has a longer shelf life for easier stockpiling, and remains cost-effective for health systems," said the Commission spokesperson.

The Commission has supported the next generation of personal protective equipment (PPE) through targeted grants and procurement programmes.

HERA is also conducting a shelf life extension pilot project to reduce PPE waste.

The European Commission has already provided funding to develop next-generation respirators that address these limitations. We are supporting innovators in bringing new designs to market to ensure Europe is better prepared for future health emergencies while improving the daily protection of healthcare workers. As highlighted in the sustainable approaches to stockpile management, HERA is aware of the challenges posed by PPE storage. Therefore, innovative options such as vendor-managed inventory are being considered, the spokesperson added.

Together, HERA and the Accelerator demonstrate the EU's broader transformation from mere stockpiling to long-term innovation and preparedness.

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of continued funding. In response, the Commission has allocated over €5 billion for the period 2021-2027 through the EU4Health, Horizon Europe, and rescEU programs. Future funding will be discussed in the next EU budget round.

MEP Nicolás González Casares warned that funding must match ambition.

"In fact, the EU relies heavily on imports from China for much of its PPE needs," he said. "While Horizon Europe and EU4Health can support research and development for more sustainable and scalable PPE, specific European funding should be allocated to this need. Otherwise, we risk diverting investment from equally important medical needs."

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

We discussed how we can strengthen the European security strategy. We should allocate targeted resources to strengthen strategic supply resources in the short and long term.

Leave no one behind

Equity is a central component of the EU's PPE strategy. González Casares emphasized that distribution must go beyond hospitals: "This problem is being addressed on two levels: one related to everyday shortages and the other related to crisis management."

The supply strategy must consider both demand and distribution. Not only direct healthcare in hospitals is a need, but also other areas. Nursing homes, humanitarian aid workers, and disaster relief teams must also be supplied.

This reflects the Commission's commitment to ensuring that jointly provided EU resources benefit all Member States.

The success of both strategies will depend on their implementation in the future.

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

As the financing discussions are linked to the next multiannual financial framework, the coming weeks will be crucial to ensure that the EU's ambitions for strategic autonomy and crisis resilience translate into concrete preparations on the ground.