The service mandate between Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, and the Swiss Confederation is established for a period of four years. It governs the services that the Agency must supply to the Confederation and how they are financed. The current service mandate, for the years 2007 to 2010, was approved by the Federal Council on 21 December 2006, and was the second of its kind for Swissmedic since its foundation in 2002. It has been completely revised and currently includes a section on the strategy of the owner and a presentation of Agency's financing, broken down by various product groups.

Each year, a service agreement specifies concrete objectives that are laid down in the service mandate. This is the result of an agreement between Swissmedic and the Federal Office of Home Affairs, with the latter representing the owner (the Swiss Confederation).

Swissmedic's strategic plan
Swissmedic's strategic plan consists of its guiding principles and the strategic objectives.

The guiding principles - which consist of our mission, vision, values and conduct - form the basis for our organisational culture. Within the Agency, they serve as a general guideline for our approach and our activities. Beyond it, they constitute a clear statement of what our stakeholders can expect from us, and what they can count upon. The guiding principles apply to us all, whatever our role within the Agency.

The strategic objectives show the way in which we shall achieve our vision. Measures for implementing the strategic objectives are defined, with the Balanced Score Card (BSC) approach used as a tool for doing so. The objectives are formulated from various perspectives: our social responsibility, stakeholders, finances, processes and employees.

The strategic plan is embedded within a matrix of legal provisions (Act on Therapeutic Products (ATP) / Ordinances) and the mandate on the part of the owner: the service mandate for 2007 - 2010 and the service agreement (annual).