Press Release: Pharmacists from other Member States find it difficult to supply German hospitals

The Commission has decided to take Germany to the European Court of Justice for provisions regulating the supply of hospitals with medicines by external pharmacies. For example, Germany requires pharmacies not only to supply medicines, but also to provide personal counselling at the hospital by the director of the supplying pharmacy. Bundling “local” elements with other contractual elements leads to a “hidden” regional supply. By requiring that the same pharmacy market must fulfil all requirements at the same time, access for EU-pharmacies is still hampered. In the eyes of the European Commission this constitutes an impediment to the free movement of goods. The Commission is convinced that an unbundled contract, i.e. contracting different tasks to different contractors, does not impair the supply quality.