The EU has been losing ground in pharmaceutical innovation. European patients still suffer from inequalities in the availability of information about medicines, whilst counterfeits are on the rise. To address these challenges, the Commission has tabled a package, consisting of four key parts: 1. A communication to launch reflections on ways to improve market access and to develop initiatives to boost EU pharmaceutical research. 2. A proposal to tackle the growing issues of counterfeiting and illegal distribution of medicines, 3. Proposals to enable citizens to have access to high-quality information on prescription-only medicines and 4. Proposals to improve patient protection by strengthening the EU system for the safety monitoring, the so-called pharmacovigilance of medicines.