Members of the European Parliament's Public Health Committee have completed an official visit to Greece to evaluate the country's pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and its role in European health security.
The delegation examined new production hubs in the industrial area of Tripoli, where domestic pharmaceutical companies are executing major investment programs to expand drug manufacturing.
The visit comes as the European Union seeks ways to address drug shortages, improve supply security, and reduce reliance on third countries by expanding production of essential medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients within Europe.
The Public Health Committee, known as SANT, is the European Parliament's dedicated subcommittee tasked with addressing healthcare policy, medicine accessibility, and cross-border health threats across the member states. European health authorities have placed renewed emphasis on reshoring pharmaceutical manufacturing following recent global supply chain disruptions that exposed critical vulnerabilities in essential drug supplies.
Greece currently operates 51 medicine production facilities and 31 research and development centers across the country. Domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers are carrying out an investment program totaling 1.8 billion euros targeting manufacturing infrastructure, advanced technologies, research facilities, and workforce development.
Tripoli pharmaceutical manufacturing hub
During the mission, lawmakers visited the Industrial Zone of Tripoli, where a new regional pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster is being established through investments from DEMO, WinMedica of the ELPEN Group, and FARAN.
Tripoli, the capital of the Arcadia region in the central Peloponnese of southern Greece, has developed into a strategic industrial location for manufacturing expansion. DEMO Pharmaceuticals is among the largest drug manufacturers in Greece, specializing in injectable solutions and hospital medications. WinMedica operates under the ELPEN Group umbrella, one of the country's established pharmaceutical enterprises, while FARAN is a major domestic producer and distributor of medical treatments.
The delegation inspected DEMO's newly built facilities in Tripoli, which are dedicated to the research, development, and production of oncology treatments and penicillin-based pharmaceutical products.
Presentations delivered during the visit also detailed parallel infrastructure projects by WinMedica and FARAN designed to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem in the Peloponnese region.
Industry representatives noted that the industrial development in Tripoli demonstrates how regional manufacturing growth aligns with European health priorities while creating highly skilled jobs and advancing research and technology capabilities.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients and supply security
Active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs, are the biologically active components inside finished medications that produce intended therapeutic effects. European health regulators have increasingly focused on APIs because a large proportion of raw materials and active components used in European medicines are currently imported from manufacturers in Asia, creating supply chain vulnerabilities.
The Panhellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, known as PEF, presented the domestic sector's operational capabilities to the visiting European lawmakers in Athens and Tripoli.
PEF representatives emphasized that Greek pharmaceutical production capacity serves both domestic healthcare needs and the wider European market, functioning as an integral component of the European Union's supply chain infrastructure.
The industry association stated that Greece possesses the core elements required for an expanded role in Europe's emerging pharmaceutical architecture, citing a strong industrial base, scientific expertise, a skilled workforce, and sustained investment momentum.
European strategic autonomy and investment
Dimitris Demos, vice-president of PEF and chairman and chief executive officer of DEMO, told the visiting delegation that capital investments made in Greece today represent direct contributions to European manufacturing capacity.
Demos said that Greece can make a substantial contribution to reinforcing European resilience, supply chain security, and strategic autonomy in healthcare.
He noted that the presence of the SANT delegation in Athens and Tripoli provided a vital opportunity to demonstrate existing national capabilities to European legislators while confirming the growing importance of Greek manufacturers in continental discussions regarding the future of drug production.
Industry leaders stressed that national infrastructure, technical expertise, and private capital investments must now be integrated into a cohesive European strategy to increase domestic manufacturing, build supply resilience, and guarantee medicine availability.
