European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare is a Directorate of the Council of Europe that traces its origins and statutes to the Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia.

The signatories to the convention, – 39 member states and the European Union as of March 2020 – are committed to the harmonisation of quality standards for safe medicines throughout the European continent and beyond. In addition to the member states there are currently 30 observers, including the World Health Organization and the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. The EDQM's quality standards for medicines are published in the European Pharmacopoeia, which is recognised as a scientific benchmark worldwide and is legally binding in member states.The EU pharmaceutical legislation refers directly to the Ph. Eur. and to other activities for which the EDQM is responsible, demonstrating the shared commitment of the European organisations to public health protection.