How we work

To fulfill its mission, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) works closely with national competent authorities in a regulatory network. The Agency also implements policies and procedures to ensure it works independently, openly and transparently and upholds the highest standards in its scientific recommendations.

EMA brings together scientific experts from across Europe. We so by working closely with the national regulatory authorities in European Union (EU) Member States. 

We also work in partnership known as the European medicines regulatory network.

The network pools resources and expertise in the EU and gives EMA access to thousands of European scientific experts. They take part in the regulation of medicines.

The independence of scientific assessments is a high priority for EMA. We ensure that our scientific experts, staff and Management Board do not have any financial or other interests that could affect their impartiality.

We strive to be as open and transparent as possible about how we reach our scientific conclusions. EMA's European public assessment reports describe the scientific basis for our recommendations on all centrally authorised medicines.

We also publish a large amount of information in lay language about our work and about medicines. 

EMA also seeks to publish clear and up-to-date information on how we operate. This includes planning and reporting documents and information on funding, financial management and budgetary reporting.

For more information on our work, see: 

• About us

In this section

• Access to documents
• Anti-fraud strategy
• Data in regulation: Big data and other sources
• European medicines regulatory network
• External whistleblowing policy
• Governance and reporting
• Handling competing interests
• Information management
• Public hearings
• Regulatory science strategy
• Services and databases
• Transparency

Code of conduct

The European Medicines Agency code of conduct

AdoptedReference Number: EMA/385894/2012 rev.1

Appendix to the European Medicines Agency Code of Conduct

Code of good administrative behaviour

The European Medicines Agency code of good administrative behaviour

AdoptedReference Number: EMA/264257/2013Summary:

The Code of good administrative behaviour applies to all Agency staff employed under the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of employment of other servants.