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MEETINGS
EAPT members meet annually to network, share and provide updates on national Pharmacy Technician practice and to execute the business of the association. The annual meeting is chaired by the EAPT President and discusses the current membership, reviews the EAPT finances and sets annual budgets, carries out EAPT Board elections (every three years) and sets the future annual EAPT activities and projects. Each national member can be represented by two delegates approved by their national association. The meetings are hosted by the country of one of the national association and are inclusive and engaging and allow the coming together of Pharmacy Technicians across Europe.
2024 // EAPT ANNUAL MEETING IN OSLO / NORWAY
The EAPT’s 2024 Annual meeting was held in Oslo, Norway. The agenda included a report on all the exciting news and activities of the EAPT since we last met in May 2023. The members unanimously approved a number of governance documents, the treasure’s report, and the addition of two new member countries.
There were representatives from Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden. The Danish representative sent their apologies.
Our President, Cristiano Matos, officially opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. He thanked Norway for hosting the meeting and for their hospitality, which included a fabulous welcome dinner. It is always great to meet our colleagues in person and not in an online meeting, as we achieve and learn so much more from other countries.
Since our last meeting 2023 we launched two new groups in the EAPT, the EAPT Academic Network (EAN) and the EAPT Advisory Group. More information about this two new Groups you will find here on our website: Advisory Group
After all the housekeeping which included updates to our Statues, Internal Rules, and Code of Ethics plus lots more, we had time to talk about the search for new members.
The EAPT is continuing to grow.
Our President has had the opportunity to talk to the Pharmacy Technician organisations from Slovakia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Luxembourg, and Belgium. We were also able to establish contact with Malta, Northern Ireland, Spain, Lithuania, Türkiye, and Scotland.
Slovakia and Montenegro submitted their membership applications and relevant documents to the EAPT Board. After review, the membership applications were brought to the EAPT members for approval. Both applications were unanimously approved, and we are delighted to welcome both Slovakia and Montenegro to the EAPT and look forward to meeting them in person at our 2025 annual meeting.
EAPT Collaboration
The EAPT continue to collaborate with a number of other groups. Both our President and Secretary met with the EAHP in Brussels in September 2023 and discussed the problems facing both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians including medicine shortages and staffing issues. Our President met with the EAHP President and participated in a plenary session at the EAHP congress in March 2024. He continues to work with the FIP Pharmacy Technician Advisory group. More information can be found on our website and Facebook pages.
Europe at a crossroad – advocacy strategies and political influence
We had a guest presenter from Norway, Mr. Rolf A. Vestvik - International secretary of YS. He is a former diplomat in the Norwegian foreign service and has also worked as a political adviser in the Norwegian parliament and as Director of Advocacy and Communication in the Norwegian humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council.
In his exciting presentation, he reported about the problems in the EU, the increased inequality of the people, 10 % of the richest people control 60 % of the development, the backlash on human rights worldwide, the conflicts with the migration and the climate change.
The democracy is under pressure, the decline of demographic rights, the media financing and increasing controlling. He also talked about the role, the EAPT plays in all this, what can we do, what can we archive, what makes us unique. Thank you Mr. Vestvik for this great lesson.
A very inspiring talk and thank you, Unn-Kristin Olsen, President of the Norwegian union Parat for inviting Rolf A. Vestvik to our meeting.
Country Annual Reports
The next point on our agenda were the reports from our member countries. Every year it is exciting to hear what is happening in the other Pharmacy Technician organisations, the pharmacies in their countries, the working conditions, and the delivery problems.
What concerns us in pharmacies across Europe are supply difficulties, medicine shortages and how pharmacies deal with them. The solutions being considered are similar in almost all countries, namely the demand for visibility of supply routes in order to compensate for the shortage in one part of the country if goods are still available elsewhere. Larger stockpiling ordered by the state, in some countries, this applies to pharmacies, while other countries collaborate with wholesalers in this regard. Both solutions are unsatisfactory, because what do we do in the pharmacy or the wholesaler with the unsold and perhaps expired medicines and who replaces them? Some countries have imposed an export ban on important medicines or there are massive export restrictions. Another problem everywhere is counterfeit medicines, which are increasingly appearing on the European market.
The next topic was the lack of staff everywhere in pharmacies, caused by constant stress, unfriendly customers, increasing bureaucracy, poor pay, and the lack of career opportunities, particularly in community pharmacies. Furthermore, a massive exodus of employees from public pharmacies to industry, hospitals, or health insurance companies due to the generally better pay and more pleasant working hours. Many pharmacy technicians are also turning their backs on pharmacy altogether and looking for new opportunities. Here too, the strategies for retaining employees are similar: burnout seminars, more responsibility, more family-friendly working hours, team events and, unfortunately less frequently, better pay.
In regard to education, the training and the curriculum for pharmacy technicians has to be updated in many countries as it no longer fulfils today's requirements. In some countries the pharmacy technician is not recognised or there are no statutory regulations for pharmacy technicians.
More information to the member countries you will find here on our website: Members
EAPT Board elections
As agreed at the 2023 AGM the Vice-president post was left vacant for one year. A nomination was received for the position in advance of the 2024 AGM. The nominee was Anita Sveum Nilsen (Norway & EAPT Board member), and the nomination was approved by all members.
An EAPT Board member post became vacant as a result of the filling of the Vice-president post. A nomination was received for this position from Sweden. The members approved the nomination of Juliana Keta as board member to the EAPT Board. Congratulations to both on the successful appointment to their new roles on the EAPT Board.
EAPT Activities 2024/2025
Cristiano Matos spoke about the plans and activities for the rest of 2024 and into 2025. Registering the updated Strategy, planning of a Mid-year Meeting 2024 (the EAPT EAN will organise this meeting). Promoting Pharmacy Technician Day 2024 (15th October). The Board will prepare new EAPT messages for this day, which the members can post on their social media pages. We will connect with APTUK in relation to UK’s Pharmacy Technician progression as they can be considered a benchmark for pharmacy technicians in EU countries. The EAPT have also applied to be part of the Critical Medicines Alliance CMA), which was set up in January 2024 and is a consultative mechanism bringing together relevant stakeholders from EU Member States, key industries, the civil society, and the scientific community.
Meeting summary and close
Thanks to the Czech Republic for agreeing to host the meeting next year which will take place in Prague in May 2025.
All business was concluded, and the President closed the meeting, thanking our hosts, Norway, thanking the members for joining a highly successful meeting.
EAPT Meeting in Oslo 2024
From left, 1st row: Laura Lyons, Ireland; Lucie Bernard, Baptistine Nonque, France; Veronika Luñákova, Martina Šopková, Czech Republic; Svjetlana Jakovac, Croatia;
2nd row: João José Joaquim, Luis Dupont, Cristiano Matos, Portugal; Bodil Røkke, Monika Nilsen, Anita Sveum Nilsen, Norwegen;
3rd row: Jutta Brielich, Veronika Ehmann, Germany; Juliana Keta, Gunilla Anderson, Schweden; Tarja Seilonen, Sirpa Moilanen, Finland
