Director General’s review and Fimea’s sustainability policies

In recent years, changes in the state of global security have been the topic of much discussion in Finland and around the world. We are facing new threats and challenges, and we need to continue building an organisation where we can effectively carry out our tasks, both in everyday circumstances and in the event of any disruptions. 

There were no signs of improvement in the global economy, and the public economy continued to weaken in 2024. Still, the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea succeeded in improving the efficiency and balance of its operations, which allowed us to provide a stable partnership to our stakeholders and employees. In fact, our personnel are increasingly committed to Fimea’s joint objectives, which is reflected in the results of the personnel survey: the commitment index increased to 4.42 in 2024 (2023: 4.34), and 3.88 would recommend us as a workplace to a friend (on a scale of 1 to 5). 

Worldwide uncertainty has emphasised the importance of foresight, risk management and preparedness. Fimea has actively participated in national preparedness activities, such as the Advisory Board for Health and Welfare in Emergency Conditions and the pool and sector activities coordinated by the National Emergency Supply Agency. One of the priorities of our updated strategy is foresight and preparedness; we want to help ensure that Finland is able to face any changes and exceptional situations. Our measures to promote this objective have included active communications and launching preparedness planning for blood products.

The EU is in the process of reforming its legislation on medicines for human use. The reform would promote pharmaceutical development, ensure the affordability and availability of medicines, reduce the environmental impacts of medicines and streamline administrative processes. Fimea is engaging actively in this work by providing expert support to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in the preparation of the legislation. Fimea is also participating in the development of many other pieces of legislation and developing internal operations to prepare for future changes.

Our work in 2025 will continue with the objective of safe, accessible and rationally used medicines and medical products.

Eija Pelkonen, Director General, Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea

In the picture Director General of Fimea, Eija Pelkonen.
© Fimea / Ismo Henttonen

Sustainability at Fimea

Fimea’s duty is to oversee that all human and veterinary medicines and medical products available on the market meet the requirements set for them in terms of safety, efficacy and quality. Effective and impactful supervision is the basis for ensuring patient safety and human and animal welfare. Fimea also promotes Finnish innovations in pharmaceutical and medical products and research activities through guidance and supervision. In addition, Fimea produces and communicates independent and up-to-date information on medicines and medical products to citizens and health care professionals.

Fimea’s social sustainability is based on our statutory duties, and it aims at safeguarding the well-being of the population and services in alignment with the administrative sector objectives of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (pdf, in Finnish). As part of the central government, Fimea strives to ensure that society develops in a sustainable manner in accordance with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development). We have compiled the concrete actions that are part of our work and the objectives of our work in this sustainability report. From the perspective of its activities and stakeholders, Fimea has identified the four most essential UN SDGs that it can particularly influence through its activities.

UN Agenda 2030 SDG 2 Zero hunger icon. UN Agenda 2030 SDG 3 Good health and well-being icon. UN Agenda 2030 SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure icon. UN Agenda 2030 SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production icon.

Fimea’s sustainability policies are:

•    Promoting access to medicines and medical products 
•    Ensuring safe medicinal treatment of food-producing animals, environmental protection, and reduction of national drug wastage 
•    Supporting innovation and developing infrastructure 
•    Ensuring the safety of medicines and medical products and production of reliable medicines information

Preparation of the sustainability report 

This sustainability report has been prepared to describe the impacts and effectiveness of Fimea’s activities on the surrounding society and sustainable development. The State Treasury recommends that all government ministries, agencies and institutions use a common central government framework to report on all their work that promotes sustainable development. The reports are drawn up every calendar year and summarised by the State Treasury. The focus of Fimea’s Sustainability Report is on the impacts of its actions on identified objectives. In addition, the report describes how Fimea aims to reduce the negative social, ecological, and economic impacts caused by its actions.

The handprint refers to how our core work can promote sustainable development by producing desired positive impacts on the environment, people and society. The footprint refers to the direct impact that our actions have on the environment, people and society. Nearly all activities have some harmful effects.

Fimea has a sustainability working group that coordinates the preparation of the sustainability report in cooperation with other personnel. More information about sustainability reports in central government and identified sustainable development goals is available at exploreadministration.fi. For the time being, the emission estimates of central government are only available to authorities.

More information on Fimea’s activities is on Fimea’s website.