In June 2025, the European Commission sent an official warning to Slovenia due to suspected violations of public procurement rules. The issue centers around the exclusion of public pharmacies from the obligation to conduct public procurement procedures when purchasing medicines.

The Slovenian Competition Authority had previously alerted the government to this problem in response to proposed amendments to the Pharmacy Activity Act in November 2024. The authority expressed serious concerns regarding the proposed changes, indicating that the removal of public procurement procedures could lead to reduced competition, higher medicine prices, and poorer availability.

The authority criticized the proposed law for lacking adequate market analysis, failing to differentiate between prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and not providing justified arguments for a systemic deviation from public procurement rules.

Furthermore, the authority noted that the proposal did not sufficiently address the characteristics of the relevant market for supplying medicines to public pharmacies, where two major wholesalers already dominate. The Commission's action reinforces the authority's concerns and highlights the importance of adhering to public procurement rules and properly regulating the pharmaceutical market.