A brief review is presented on the chromatographic separation techniques used in the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph.Eur.). The corresponding general chapters and the application of each technique in the individual monographs are covered. Special attention is paid to the discussion of the efforts of the Ph.Eur. aiming at the improvement of the reproducibility and reliability of the chromatographic methods in the monographs. In addition to showing the present policy of Ph.Eur. in the application of chromatographic techniques for different analytical purposes the paper also gives an overview on the changes to be expected in the near future.