There is substantial variation among policies on conflicts of interest at medical schools and other research institutions. This variation, combined with the fact that many scientific journals and funding agencies do not require disclosure of conflicts of interest, suggests that the current standards may not be adequate to maintain a high level of scientific integrity.

HighlightsMost EU Member States developed HEPA policies on “Sport”, “Health”, and “Education” sectors (27, 23 and 27, respectively).Seventeen countries developed policies on “Environment, Urban Planning, and Public Safety” and 16 on “Working Environment”.Less than 50% of the countries (N = 13) developed policies on the “Senior Citizens” sector.Few countries have implemented policies covering all areas of the monitoring framework.