• improve the technical and secretarial support to the harmonisation activities particularly for the Efficacy, Safety, Quality and Biotechnology Working Parties and for ICH-related activities • support the quality, consistency and production of guidance documents and their dissemination • establish contacts with specialist working groups and European learned societies to further improve dialogue with the scientific community • develop the principle of a multidisciplinary approach to address new issues related to the use of transgenic animals, transgenic plants and cells for the production of medicinal products • support the ad hoc working group on blood products, the working group on influenza vaccines and a number of specialised working groups e.g. on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), including Creutzfeld-Jacob’s Disease (CJD), on the quality of plasma derived medicinal products and on gene transfer products • coordinate as required several clinical or multidisciplinary ad hoc CPMP working groups, e.g. on AIDS or oncology