How our network started

About Schuman Europe

Schuman Europe was founded in 2010. In the European Union, goods, services and people are free to move across borders. However, we noticed that medical devices were an exception.

Hospitals in different EU countries were often paying very different prices for exactly the same medical devices. We wanted to understand why.

We started by contacting a medical device manufacturer in another EU member state. They referred us back to their Dutch branch. In practice, it was impossible to purchase medical devices outside the national sales network of the manufacturer.

We then tried a different approach. We asked a hospital in a lower-price EU country to purchase a medical device on our behalf. This worked. That moment marked the beginning of our hospital-to-hospital network.

What we do

Schuman Europe operates exclusively within the EU common market. Our work is based on the principle of parallel distribution, which is fully legal under EU law.

Through our network, hospitals can access genuine, original branded medical devices that:

• Are fully authorized under EU legislation,

• Are legally marketed in one EU member state,

• And can be supplied to another member state where prices are higher.

By doing this, we create competition with the same products that are sold through manufacturers or their local representatives at higher prices.

Why it matters

Our network helps hospitals:

• Benchmark prices across Europe,

• Increase transparency,

• Strengthen their negotiating position,

• And most importantly, keep healthcare affordable.

Our daily work reflects two fundamental principles of the European Union:

1. Free movement of goods

2. EU-wide exhaustion of intellectual property rights

Through Schuman Europe, hospitals help each other by sharing access, improving competition, and ensuring that essential medical devices remain affordable for healthcare systems and patients.