In a year of rapid transformation, significant challenges and promising new opportunities, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) worked hand in hand with its stakeholders to safeguard public health and uphold trust in public health protection. Collaboration and solidarity have never been more vital, and throughout 2025 we demonstrated that together we can rise to the occasion. From embracing digital transformation to strengthening global partnerships and reaffirming our long-standing commitments, this year brought our purpose and values into greater focus.
We quite literally closed the book on the paper version of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) and ushered in a new all-digital era starting with the 12th Edition. This signalled the end of the previous online version and the launch of a completely redesigned platform to better meet the needs of our users, along with a simplified licence model.
It was also a year of renewal for the European Pharmacopoeia Commission (EPC), with a new Chair and Vice-chairs being elected in May. Then in November, at the 183rd EPC Session, over 1 000 experts were (re)nominated to the many Ph. Eur. groups of experts and working parties, embarking on a new journey to transform lives and shape public health. We are grateful for the work and commitment – past, present and future – of all our experts and chairs.
The CEP Conference in September reaffirmed the role of CEPs in elevating quality and driving trust in the pharmaceutical field. Over 125 experts, regulators, academics and industry representatives convened in Budapest to discuss this vital tool for the protection of public health, ensuring regulatory efficiency and promoting global harmonisation.
We seized new opportunities to extend our global outreach and co-operation by committing to help strengthen African medicines regulation, in collaboration with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Our long experience in running the European Network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories (OMCLs) has positioned us ideally for this initiative. And as a mark of trust in the OMCL Network, Egypt joined as an associated member this year.
Our active participation in the Council of Europe Conference on the Protection of Health, which fostered dialogue between experts, regulators and a wide variety of stakeholders, shone a spotlight on our prominent role in ensuring the quality and safety of medical products and healthcare in a challenging public-health landscape. Other key events such as the Blood Conference and the Stakeholder Event on Plasma Supply Continuity – bringing together over 240 and 170 participants, respectively – strengthened our collaboration and advanced solutions to ensure safe and sustainable access to essential SoHO therapies.
Our recently launched thematic CoE_Health social media accounts on LinkedIn and X provide up-to-date information on the role the Council of Europe plays in protecting health, including the work of the EDQM.
Taking stock of our achievements in 2025 would not be complete without noting the new editions of two state-of-the-art standard-setting guides for healthcare professionals, both released in May. The EDQM published first the 9th edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation, then the 22nd edition of the Guide to the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components (also available in French), providing once again comprehensive support in the field of substances of human origin.
This short overview – impressive as it may seem – simply cannot do justice to the level of commitment shown by our stakeholders and partners throughout the year. As the bedrock of our organisation and everything we undertake, we value their collaboration and support above all else and we look forward to continuing our work together for better health for all in 2026.