European Medicines Agency: term of office of Executive Director

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Giuseppe GARGANI (EPP-ED, IT), and made some amendments to the Commission’s proposal:

-Parliament inserted a clause stating that the Executive Director will be appointed by the Management Board, on a proposal from the Commission, after hearing the opinion of the representative appointed by the European Parliament, for a period of five years on the basis of a list of candidates proposed by the Commission following a call for expressions of interest published in the Official Journal of the European Union and elsewhere. Before appointment, the candidate nominated by the Management Board will be invited forthwith to make a statement to the European Parliament and to answer any questions put by its Members. The Management Board may, upon a proposal from the Commission, after hearing the opinion of the representative appointed by the European Parliament, remove the Executive Director from his post;

-the term of office of the Executive Director may be extended once by the Management Board after hearing the opinion of the representative appointed by the European Parliament. Parliament deleted the requirement that the extension of the term should be on a proposal from the Commission;

-the Management Board, and not the Commission, must carry out the evaluation. A new paragraph states that the evaluation shall be submitted without delay to the Commission and to the European Parliament.