The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) is a Directorate of the Council of Europe that traces its origins and statutes to the Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia (an international treaty adopted by the Council of Europe in 1964: ETS 50, Protocol). The EU pharmaceutical legislation refers directly to the Ph. Eur. and to other activities for which the EDQM is responsible (e.g. the Certification procedure or “CEP" and the OMCL Network – see below), demonstrating the shared commitment of the European organisations to public health protection.