The management board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a new document entitled "Implementing the European Medicines Agency's Road map to 2015: The Agency's contribution to Science, Medicines, Health; From Vision to Reality". The implementation plan follows the adoption in December 2010 of the EMA Road map to 2015, and sets out how this is expected to be developed. Both the Road map and its newly adopted implementation plan focus on optimising EMA's performance in 3 strategic areas: addressing public health needs, facilitating access to medicines, and optimising their safe and rational use. To tackle the first area - public health needs - gaps in medicine development will be looked at, as well as how best to respond to new and emerging scientific developments, among other things. The second aim of facilitating access to medicines will be achieved through actions which include increasing the focus on medicine development processes. Finally, the goal of optimising the safe and rational use of medicines is to be achieved by increasing the focus on patient safety, and improving information and communication tools for stakeholders.