A needle insertion and retraction mechanism for a medication delivery device for delivering a medicament, the mechanism comprising: a housing; a needle carrier, which holds a needle and is linearly guided, particularly by the housing, to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the needle; a first spring member, which is adapted to move the needle carrier with respect to the housing in a needle insertion direction along the longitudinal direction of the needle; a second spring member, which is adapted to retract the needle carrier with respect to the housing in a needle retraction direction, which is opposed to the needle insertion direction; a control element, which is linearly guided, particularly by the housing, to be moved transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the needle from a starting position via a needle insertion release position to a needle retraction release position, characterized in that the first and second spring members (31,32) are pre-tensioned and the first spring member comprises a first spring arm and the second spring member comprises a second spring arm wherein the first spring arm or second spring arm operate directly or indirectly on the needle carrier - when the control element is in its starting position, the pre-tensioned first spring member is operatively coupled to and the second spring member is decoupled from the needle carrier, and the control element is operatively coupled to the needle carrier to prevent the needle carrier from being moved in the needle insertion direction, - when the control element is in its needle insertion release position, the control element is decoupled from the needle carrier such that the first spring member drives the needle carrier in the needle insertion direction into a needle insertion position; and - when the control element is in its needle retraction release position, the second spring member is operatively coupled to the needle carrier and the first spring member is decoupled from the needle carrier such that the second spring member drives the needle carrier in the needle retraction direction. a housing; a needle carrier, which holds a needle and is linearly guided, particularly by the housing, to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the needle; a first spring member, which is adapted to move the needle carrier with respect to the housing in a needle insertion direction along the longitudinal direction of the needle; a second spring member, which is adapted to retract the needle carrier with respect to the housing in a needle retraction direction, which is opposed to the needle insertion direction; a control element, which is linearly guided, particularly by the housing, to be moved transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the needle from a starting position via a needle insertion release position to a needle retraction release position, characterized in that the first and second spring members (31,32) are pre-tensioned and the first spring member comprises a first spring arm and the second spring member comprises a second spring arm wherein the first spring arm or second spring arm operate directly or indirectly on the needle carrier - when the control element is in its starting position, the pre-tensioned first spring member is operatively coupled to and the second spring member is decoupled from the needle carrier, and the control element is operatively coupled to the needle carrier to prevent the needle carrier from being moved in the needle insertion direction, - when the control element is in its needle insertion release position, the control element is decoupled from the needle carrier such that the first spring member drives the needle carrier in the needle insertion direction into a needle insertion position; and - when the control element is in its needle retraction release position, the second spring member is operatively coupled to the needle carrier and the first spring member is decoupled from the needle carrier such that the second spring member drives the needle carrier in the needle retraction direction.