[Guarantee of drug quality for animal health and consumer protection]

The creation of the single market and the intended free trade of goods, individuals, capital investments and services lead to the question if the quality standards of veterinary drugs are going to be changed in view of an improved animal health and consumer protection. However, the comparison between registration and surveillance criteria that result from the German Law for Medicinal Products and the criteria valid in the European Union as a consequence of Regulations and Directives shows that no changes leading to a reduced quality are to be expected. On the contrary, the application of EU Directives to the respective national law results in a number of improvements, like for example the environmental assessment of veterinary drugs.