In two weeks, on March 19th, the environmental, public health and food safety (ENVI) committee of the European Parliament will vote on the reform of the pharmaceutical legislation. This proposal put forward by the European Commission in April 2023 has been the centre-stage of a deeply rooted divide in the European Parliament. It opposes Members of the European Parliament wanting to find a short term solution at EU level for the accessibility of medicines – even if such an issue is done to the detriment of the actual future development of medicines – and those not willing to sacrifice Europe’s ability to innovate for the benefits of patients.