EMEA Management Board moves for greater transparency
Press releaseCorporate
Transparency was the main topic for discussion of the European Medicines Agency's Management Board at its 8 June 2006 meeting. The Board agreed in principle to publish its meeting agendas and minutes, together with all non-confidential documents it adopts. Details will be set out in a policy document to be presented at the next Board meeting on 28 September 2006.
In an additional step forward for transparency, the Board adopted revised rules on access to EMEA documents. Following this revision, the Agency's rules better reflect European Union legislation on access to documents, and the types of documents that can be released have been clarified. The rules also introduce the possibility for the Agency to give partial access to documents when exceptions to release apply to other parts of the document.
The Board also extended the Agency's 2004 policy on handling of conflicts of interest of scientific committee members and experts to include Management Board members. With this inclusion, the Board aims to reassure the public that all the Agency's bodies, including its Management Board, are impartial and independent, and that its decisions are solely guided by public and animal health considerations.
Looking back at the Agency's activities in 2005, the Board carried out an analysis and assessment of the Executive Director's annual activity report. The Board expressed its great satisfaction with the successful implementation of the revised medicines legislation, which came into force on 20 November 2005, and the good progress made with EudraVigilance - the Community data processing network for monitoring of adverse drug reactions. The Board's analysis will be sent with the report to the European Parliament, the Council and the Court of Auditors to be taken into account in the discharge procedure for the 2005 budget.
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Note:
- The next meeting of the Management Board is on 28 September 2006.