Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences

Belgium's proposed hospital reform introduces a four-tier system with strict bed thresholds that will force many hospital sites to either grow, merge, reconvert to specialized care facilities, or cease operations entirely by 2031. Sites falling below the minimum requirements face critical decisions about their future structure, governance, and service delivery models.

The Council has adopted its position on the EU Pharmaceutical Package at first reading, with legally and linguistically revised texts now available. While the main elements of the political compromise remain intact, several clarifications warrant attention as companies refine their implementation plans and the legislative process continues toward completion.

The Council of the European Union has formally adopted the EU Pharma Package, marking the most significant revision of EU pharmaceutical legislation since 2004. This comprehensive reform introduces substantial changes to regulatory protection periods, innovation incentives, medicine shortage protocols, and market access mechanisms that will fundamentally reshape how pharmaceutical companies operate across the European Union.