On 13 and 14 January 2026, Ireland kindly hosted representatives of the Beneluxa Initiative in Dublin for the biannual Steering Committee Meeting and the annual General Assembly. The meetings provided an opportunity for member states to take stock of current work, discuss current policy developments, and set priorities for the coming period.
An important milestone for the Initiative was marked with the introduction of the first General Manager of Beneluxa, Michal Stanak. During the meetings, he shared his vision for the role and outlined his ambitions to further support cooperation and coordination across the Initiative.
On 13 January 2026, the Steering Committee addressed a range of strategic and organisa-tional topics relevant to the ongoing evolution of the Beneluxa Initiative. Discussions included:
• Recent national and geopolitical developments, including the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) policy in the United States.
• Reflections on the work plan of the General Manager
• Medicines in the pipeline, identified through the International Horizon Scanning Initia-tive, which are eligible candidates for joint HTA
• Optimising procedures for joint reimbursement negotiations, based on lessons learned from previous experience
• Future priorities and activities of the initiative
The meeting allowed for in-depth exchanges on how Beneluxa can continue to respond effectively to shared challenges.
On 14 January 2026, the General Assembly offered a broad inspiring agenda to the participants:
Collaboration of public institutions under the umbrella of the Societally Acceptable Expenditure on Medicines programme (MAUG) in the Netherlands resulted in a report on socially accepta-ble pricing, which is of interest to all Beneluxa member countries.
The Most-Favoured-Nation policy and potential implications for European countries was another topic of discussion. Beneluxa countries are keen to continue exchange on the develop-ments in the US, and collaborate on this topic in the future.
Another session evolved around the EU HTA Regulation. The Initiative is proud to that Beneluxa countries are involved in six out of fourteen Joint Clinical Assessments (JCAs), and will share learnings among its members in the process.
A dedicated part of the agenda was devoted to acknowledging and celebrating ten years of the Beneluxa Initiative. This anniversary prompted reflections on the development of the collaboration over the past decade and on how lessons learned can inform future work. Discussions highlighted the value of sustained cooperation at both policy and technical levels in the initiative, with the General Manager foreseen to play a facilitating role in strengthening these exchanges.
We kindly thank colleagues of the Department of Health Ireland for hosting these meetings in beautiful Dublin. The constructive dialogue during both the Steering Committee Meeting and the General Assembly contributes to the continued development of the Beneluxa Initiative and supports its objective of improving patient access to affordable and available medicines through cooperation.
Last update: 20 January 2026
Photo credits: Beneluxa Initiative