27–28 May 2026, a delegation of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine took part in the 124 meeting of the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA). The meeting was held at the invitation of the Pharmaceutical Services of the Republic of Cyprus, which holds the presidency of the EU Council.
HMA is a network that brings together the heads of national regulatory authorities of the EU and European Economic Area countries responsible for the regulation of medicinal products. The organisation plays a key role in coordinating the European regulatory system and interacts with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Commission.
“When we talk about European integration in the field of healthcare, it is important to be where professional decisions are made and common approaches are formed,” says Edem Adamanov.
The meeting in Paphos became a platform for exchanging views, agreeing priorities and promoting cooperation on key public health issues. In particular, the participants discussed:
- Updates and current issues of the activities of the NMA, EMA and the European Commission;
- Future directions for the development of the EU regulatory network, including the NMA concept paper on megatrends;
- Progress in the implementation of key initiatives, such as the EU NTC 2026-2028 Strategy, IncreaseNET;
- Cooperation in the field of regulation of medical devices;
- Responding to new challenges, in particular those related to antimicrobial resistance and medical disinformation;
- Reports of the key Working Groups, in particular on joint inspections and communication.
Particular attention was paid to the adaptation of regulatory procedures to the EU acquis, the development of clinical trial safety FAST-EU, benchmarking of regulatory agencies, digitalisation and the development of the quality system, and the development of international cooperation.
For the Ukrainian side, participation in the NMA meeting was important for deepening professional dialogue with European regulatory agencies and discussing further harmonisation of the Ukrainian regulatory system with EU approaches.
"Such meetings are not only an opportunity to study European experience, but also a chance to share our own achievements with partners, in particular in the field of clinical trials. This is true European integration — not only the implementation of norms and procedures, but also full participation in professional dialogue as an equal partner," continued the Director of the Center Edem Adamanov.
Within the framework of the event, representatives of the Center discussed bilateral cooperation with the national agencies of the European Union countries, in particular the Swedish Medical Products Agency, the Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices, the State Medicines Control Agency of Lithuania and others.
Participation in the HMA meeting became an important step on Ukraine's path toward integration into the European regulatory environment and the development of partnership with leading European regulators.
