Malta’s government has backed a new EU law that will lead to higher medicine prices for consumers, PN MEP candidate Peter Agius said on Saturday.
Agius said Malta’s vote in favour of the EU Urban Wastewater Directive was another example of the government “treating people like fools.”
The directive was agreed upon by EU member states at a meeting held on Friday. Sources told Times of Malta that Hungary and Estonia were the only two member states that did not back the deal, which only required a qualified majority to be approved.
Part of the EU’s Green New Deal package of legislation promoted by the von der Leyen Commission, the directive will require medicine producers to pay 80 per cent of the cost of treating wastewater.
Many of Europe’s rivers are polluted with traces of pharmaceuticals and antibiotics. A study in the UK found traces of drugs used to treat diabetes and epilepsy as well as antidepressants, antihistamines, anaesthetics and antibiotics in British rivers.
But the pharmaceutical lobby has said that the EU requirement for producers to pay for wastewater treatment will lead to higher prices of medicines for end consumers.
Last October, as negotiations concerning the directive were underway, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli went on record to note that Malta was worried that the requirement made of pharmaceutical producers could impact patients.
On Saturday, Agius said Malta had voted in favour of the directive, despite those concerns and without including any safeguard for price increases on medicines.
He said Maltese consumers were already disadvantaged when it comes to medicines, paying higher prices and getting less access to innovative medicines when compared to mainland Europe.
Locally, far fewer medicines are provided for free through public health insurance than in Europe, he added, citing data by the European Federation of Pharmaceuticals Industries indicating that while 45% of medicines are covered for free in Europe, in Malta that percentage drops to 6%.
‘Malta’s situation points to a clear national imperative to take all measures to protect the Maltese consumer from additional price increases on medicines. What does the Government do instead? It supports an EU Directive which will leads to price increases and greater challenges with medicines availability,” Agius said.
“I find it hard to see the logic in the government’s actions in Brussels. This adds to the list of reasons for which we need to see a stronger voice for Malta in Europe at the forthcoming MEP elections on June 8,” Agius added.