Key points:
- In 2025, Ukraine has made progress in European integration in the healthcare sector
- Screening with the European Commission has been completed and negotiating positions have been prepared
- Reform of pharmaceutical regulation and creation of a new regulatory authority launched
- Ukraine joined EU joint procurement and pharmaceutical partnerships
- The European Commission assessed Ukraine’s progress as good
In 2025, Ukraine took a significant step forward in its rapprochement with the European Union in the field of healthcare and pharmaceutical regulation. During the year, the state not only fulfilled its commitments, but also laid the foundation for systemic changes that directly affect access to medicines, quality control, and participation in joint European mechanisms.
One of the key results was the record-fast completion of bilateral screening with the European Commission. In September 2025, Ukraine completed the verification of the compliance of its legislation with EU standards within the framework of the negotiation chapters, in particular Chapter 28, which covers consumer protection and health care. At the same time, the government formed and approved its negotiating positions, which allowed Ukraine to declare its readiness to open negotiations on all clusters.
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In terms of practical integration, the European Commission approved Ukraine’s access to the European market surveillance platform for cosmetic products and supported the participation of Ukrainian experts in the work of EU competent authorities on biocidal products as observers. This was an important sign of confidence in the country’s regulatory capacity.
Throughout the year, the Ministry of Health adopted a number of strategic documents that bring the system closer to European standards. These include a health care development strategy until 2030, documents on combating antimicrobial resistance, state drug policy, a law on the mental health system, and roadmaps for the implementation of European rules in the field of social protection and patient rights. In its 2025 EU enlargement report, the European Commission assessed Ukraine’s progress as good, giving it a score of 4 out of 5.
An important part of the reforms was the preparation for the creation of a State Control Authority — a single regulator in the field of medicines, medical devices, cosmetic products, and substances of human origin. In 2025, the Twinning project was launched with the support of the European Commission, within which experts from Lithuania, Poland, and Germany are helping Ukraine to build a modern regulatory model based on the European model.
A separate area is strategic partnership with the EU in the pharmaceutical sector. Ukraine has joined the European Union’s joint procurement mechanism, which provides access to vaccines and medicines on more favorable terms and enables Ukrainian manufacturers to integrate into European supply chains. In addition, in 2025, a systematic dialogue was launched between the state and the pharmaceutical industry on the production of critically important drugs.
At the same time, Ukraine invested in the development of specialists. Throughout the year, Ukrainian specialists participated in TAIEX missions, training programs of the European Medicines Agency, and exchanges of expertise with EU partners. This strengthens the institutional capacity of the system ahead of the next stages of European integration.
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