Today, at its General Assembly meeting, the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) has elected Clare Fitzell from the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) as PGEU President for 2025 and Claude Hostert-Pfeiffer from the Union of Luxembourg Pharmacists (SPL) as PGEU Vice-President. They will start their mandate from 1st January 2025. 

In her acceptance speech Clare Fitzell stressed: ”I am truly honoured to have been elected to serve as PGEU President. 2025 will be a crucial year to determine the course of the European Union action on health matters. The upcoming mandates of the newly elected European Parliament and the next European Commission present an unparalleled opportunity to continue working to keep health at the top of the EU political agenda and to build a strong European Health Union. I will work hard to ensure that community pharmacists’ voices are heard by the EU policymakers, especially during the negotiations on the reform of the EU pharmaceutical legislation  that will continue over the next year. We need to ensure a regulatory framework that recognises the role of community pharmacists in the healthcare system and brings real benefits to patients by improving access to medicines and mitigating shortages. Supported by the valuable cooperation of PGEU members, I am determined to work for shaping the future of our profession”.  

Clare Fitzell is a qualified pharmacist with over 24 years of experience in community-based practice. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, she has served both as a community pharmacist and a community pharmacy manager. Throughout her career, Clare has undertaken a wide array of roles, gaining extensive experience in pharmacy service delivery, regulatory affairs, and quality management in pharmacy practice. Currently, Clare holds the position as the Head of Strategic Policy at the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).  

Claude Hostert-Pfeiffer stressed: “I am very proud to have been elected as PGEU Vice-President. I look forward to working closely with all my European colleagues and with the PGEU Secretariat in Brussels. Together, we will foster a dynamic exchange of best practices and experiences among our national associations in order to address the challenges that we all are facing and ensure that PGEU’s views and concerns are taken into account during the new EU legislative term. Strengthening our collaboration within the PGEU network is vital for advancing pharmacy practice and showcasing the pivotal role community pharmacists play in national health systems, ensuring a better healthcare for patients”.  

Claude Hostert-Pfeiffer is a community pharmacist since 1994. She runs her own pharmacy since 2007. 

She is a founding member of the association pharmacare.lu which aims to develop pharmaceutical care in Luxembourg. Since 2018 she is a board member of the SPL (Syndicat des Pharmaciens Luxembourgeois) where her main work field is the development of pharmaceutical care services in Luxembourg. As part of the task force with the Ministry of Health and the National Health Care System she takes part in the negotiations for new services for community pharmacists in Luxembourg. Claude is the co-author of the white paper ‘Pharmacie 2030: une vision pour la pharmacie d’officine au Luxembourg’.