Letter to Members, Observers and Sister Fora
EuroPharm Forum News February 2009
Dear Colleagues and Friends
It is no secret that the EuroPharm Forum is experiencing challenges at the moment. As you know, some of our members that have generally been very active and have contributed a great deal to the Forum have left our organisation. We regret this loss and thank them for their past efforts. It has been a substantial loss, and this has made the Executive Committee reconsider the concept of the EuroPharm Forum.
We recognise that significant action is needed to secure the position of the EuroPharm Forum and to strengthen its capacity to become a beacon for pharmacy-related development in the European region.
In support of this conclusion, I am happy to inform you that, on 27 March, WHO Deputy Regional Director for Europe Nata Menabde and I will sign the Memorandum of Understanding for Collaboration between our two organisations. This document forms an excellent basis for the revitalisation of the collaboration with the WHO, and already, we are in the process of developing an observatory working closely with the WHO. If you wish to be present at the event of the signing of the Memorandum, you are most welcome; the
Secretariat will be pleased to provide you with the details.
The Executive Committee believes that there is a need and a place for the Forum, although in a constellation different from the present one. We felt that there is no reason to wait until the Annual Meeting in October to discuss the future of the Forum, on the contrary, as members would most likely appreciate an urgent discussion rather than wait. At the Committee meeting earlier this month, we, therefore, decided to call for a “Consultation for a New Approach”.
The purpose of this Consultation is to invite all parties that have an interest in the EuroPharm Forum to discuss its future. Participants will include representatives from non-member organisations, interested individuals and representatives from our observer organisations. We have, over the past months, increased networking to link our different expertises, eg with the PGEU and the FIP, to improve the outcomes for our members. The activities already under development in the Forum will be displayed and discussed at the Consultation with a view to determine if we are on the right track to satisfy member needs. It is clear, not least in light of the changing pharmacy environment, that different members have different needs, and we need to identify how best to comply with those. Part of the solution for some countries would be the observatory on pharmacy-related issues, and part, for others, would be the reinforced collaboration with the WHO.
The
Consultation will take place on 26 May at the WHO in Copenhagen.
As a consequence of the above, the Executive Committee has decided to call off the Working Conference planned for this spring. It is paramount that the foundation and direction of the Forum are solid before members invest in the professional work. Meanwhile, the approach to the professional development will be reviewed in detail with our programme moderators. This will provide the professional basis to support the discussions of principle with members and other stakeholders in May.
At the last Annual Meeting, in Copenhagen, our members accepted the invitation to have the
18th Annual Meeting in Moldova in October 2009. However, based on members’ advice, the Executive Committee has decided to move the meeting to Hungary, more specifically Budapest. The President of the Association of Pharmacists of Moldova has been most co-operative, and we hope to visit Moldova on a future occasion. By placing the Annual Meeting closer to Central Europe, we have accommodated members’ wishes for a closer venue. If this implies that more members will attend this crucial meeting of the Forum, we would have achieved the purpose of our decision.
Please already reserve the dates of 9-10 October for this event.
Dick Tromp
President, EuroPharm Forum
Welcome to the EuroPharm Forum!