Electromembrane extraction (EME) was presented as a new microextraction concept in 2006, and since the introduction, substantial research has been conducted to develop this concept in different areas of analytical chemistry. To date, more than 100 research papers have been published on EME. The present paper discusses recent development of EME. The paper focuses on the principles of EME, and discusses how to optimize operational parameters. In addition, pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of EME are reviewed, with emphasis on basic drugs, acidic drugs, amino acids, and peptides. Finally, pros and cons of EME are discussed and future directions for EME are identified. Compared with other reviews focused on EME, the authors have especially highlighted their personal views about the most promising directions for the future, and identified the areas where more fundamental work is required.