Royal Philips

As a global health tech leader, Philips is committed to do what it takes to drive environmental impact and transition to a circular economy. A circular way of doing business can contribute to long-term economic growth, coupled with care for our planet and society.

Many thanks for the opportunity to provide our feedback. You find here attached our recommendations for a revision of the Public Procurement Directive, as well as the overall framework for procurement of medical and digital health technologies in the European Union.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the targeted revision of the EU rules for medical devices. Philips shares the concerns as raised in the call for evidence. We believe a reform of the regulatory framework is necessary to ensure availability of medical devices for patients and to strenghten EU competitiveness. The announced revision is an important pilar of the EU Life Science Strategy.

Public procurement plays a critical role in addressing health systems' challenges through strategic purchasing decisions that focus on the value a given solution brings to the broader healthcare system. It can also be a powerful tool to drive innovation and the competitiveness of European industry.

We appreciate the efforts of the European Commission to simplify the taxonomy and welcome several of the proposed changes. However, we are still concerned that some of the criteria in this draft delegated act will exclude entire sub-sectors of electric and electronic equipment, including and especially manufacture of electro-medical equipment (medical devices), from alignment with the EU Taxonomy.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the EU CVD Health Check Protocol. Philips strongly supports the European Commissions commitment to reducing premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) across the EU by 2030. We recognize that the development and implementation of a comprehensive EU Protocol on Health Checks is a critical step toward achieving this ambitious and vital public health objective.

Duly responding to the increasing pressures of disasters and pandemics, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response has as one of its objectives to increase supply of medical devices in the European Union, and fund procurement and stockpiling of medical countermeasures.