MedTech Europe response to the public consultation on EU funding for external action

MedTech Europe represents the medical technology industries both medical devices and in vitro diagnostics as these are global industries competing on the global market the actions and activities of the EU on the global stage have had a significant impact on the competitiveness of our sector globally and we therefore encourage a continued investment from the EU funding its external action. Most notably we appreciate the support provided by the external action service delegations around the world, which highlights the value which these delegations provide to the European medical technology industry, most especially the delegations in Washington, Beijing, Tokyo, Delhi, Riyadh and Brasilia, all of which have over the past years facilitated interactions with various governments to address various concerns regarding access to those markets. A special note of support to the EU delegation in Kyiv which has continued to operate throughout the war and the Russian attacks on Kyiv, in spite of damage to the facilities they continue to be a valuable resource to help humanitarian support reach Ukraine.

Furthermore, engagement in global organisations and dialogues is very relevant when discussing both global health issues and global access to medical technologies, including during moments of global health emergencies. As such we would like to emphasise the importance of continued EU engagement and as necessary funding at: The level of the G7 and G20 health initiatives which have been growing in interest, importance and impact. Continued funding and support for global institutions which are key to global health notably the WHO, the WTO and the OECD.

Finally, engagement in initiatives which seek to facilitate regulatory harmonisation worldwide, both through existing mechanisms (such as the IMDRF) and through bilateral dialogues (such as dialogues under CETA or EU-Republic of Korea FTA, and other bilateral dialogues with key trading partners). Overall, we would like to take a moment to emphasize the real importance and impact which the external actions from the EU have on enabling the medical technology sector to continue to effectively operate on the global stage and remain a driver of EU exports to the world and we encourage investment especially in regulatory cooperation between the EU and key non-EU partners to further promote reliance on European certificates (CE) for medical devices and diagnostics to support market access for European exporters.