Pharma Germany maintains its criticism of the joint EU-US statement on tariffs.
28.08.2025 13:30
Pharma Deutschland maintains its criticism even after the joint declaration on transatlantic trade tariffs published by the EU and the US on August 21. While the proposed cap of 15 percent import tariffs on pharmaceuticals from the EU provides a degree of planning certainty, it also creates a new, structural risk for international healthcare and the European pharmaceutical industry.
„The details of the trade agreement are neither a reason to sound the all-clear nor a victory. Pharmaceutical companies must adapt to the new trading conditions, but negotiations must continue,“ explains Dorothee Brakmann, CEO of Pharma Deutschland. „The previous zero-tariff agreement was the foundation for the industry’s competitiveness and innovative strength and supported the European pharmaceutical strategy – even in times of crisis. It is and remains the best solution for everyone. Only in this way can genuine stability in terms of global supply be achieved.”.
What is needed now are targeted countermeasures. These include confidently continuing negotiations to restore the full exemption of pharmaceuticals from customs regulations, as well as focusing on a location and trade policy that equally considers security of supply and competitiveness for Europe.
The ongoing Section 232 investigations in the US concerning pharmaceutical products offer, according to the association, a crucial window of opportunity: "This phase must be used to make clear what is at stake for Europe and the US regarding the supply of medicines if a return to duty-free trade is not achieved," Brakmann concluded.