Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU)

What Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) does

The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) is a non-profit professional association registered under Belgian law as an AISBL (Association internationale sans but lucratif), headquartered at Rue du Luxembourg 19, Brussels. It serves as the unified voice of community pharmacists at the EU level, representing 33 European countries through 40 national associations (26 Ordinary Members and 7 Observer Members), spanning EU Member States, EU candidate countries, and EEA/EFTA countries. Its membership collectively represents over 200,000 community pharmacies across Europe. PGEU engages with EU institutions including the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and other EU bodies to influence pharmaceutical legislation, medicine shortages policy, vaccination, digital health, antimicrobial resistance, and falsified medicines prevention.

PGEU's "products" are policy and advocacy outputs rather than commercial goods: annual reports, position papers on key pharmacy topics (medicine shortages, AI, digital health, vaccination, AMR, pharmaceutical legislation), medicine shortages surveys, press releases, and the "Pharmacy 2030" vision document. The organization facilitates professional collaboration through three formal working groups — the Advisory Working Group (AWG), the European Pharmacists' Professional Forum (EPPF), and the Economics Working Group (EWG) — and convenes members twice yearly through General Assemblies (June and November) plus an annual conference. PGEU holds a founding seat in the European Medicine Verification Organisation (EMVO), embedding it in the operational infrastructure of the European Medicines Verification System.

Operationally, PGEU runs on a lean Brussels-based secretariat of 5 to 16 staff under Secretary General Ilaria Passarani, with rotating annual leadership drawn from member countries (Dr. Mikołaj Konstanty of Poland serves as President for 2026, with Ly Rootslane of Estonia as Vice-President). The 2026 operational income is €851,500, funded 97.47% by membership fees from national pharmacy associations, with the residual from Brussels office subletting and the EU-funded BeWell project. There is no software platform, no API, no proprietary technology, and no traditional commercial revenue stream — PGEU is a membership-funded advocacy body whose value is delivered through policy representation, publications, and convening.

Name

Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU)

Legal name

Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union

Website

https://pgeu.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PGEU is a Belgian AISBL non-profit association representing community pharmacists across 33 European countries through 40 national associations. It advocates for the profession at EU institutions, publishes policy positions, and operates via membership fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAJ)

Keywords

• Pharmacy advocacy
• Professional association
• Pharmaceutical policy
• Medicine shortages monitoring
• EU health policy lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The primary revenue source is annual membership fees paid by national pharmacy associations and professional bodies from 33 European countries. Member contributions represent 97.47% of the overall PGEU budget.
2. Space Rental: Revenue generated from renting space in PGEU premises in Brussels.
3. EU Funded Projects: Funding from EU projects such as BeWell, representing a minor portion of operational income.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PGEU is a not-for-profit professional association that represents the interests of community pharmacists across 33 European countries. It advocates at the EU level on pharmaceutical legislation, medicine shortages, vaccination, digital health, falsified medicines, and public health, and delivers this through policy position papers, annual reports, medicine shortages reports, working groups, and twice-yearly General Assemblies. The organization is a founding member of the European Medicines Verification Organisation (EMVO), embedding it in the European falsified medicines verification infrastructure.

Product overview

PGEU is a professional association representing community pharmacists across 33 European countries. Rather than offering a traditional software product, PGEU provides a portfolio of publications and professional services including Annual Reports documenting pharmacy activities, Position Papers on policy issues (medicine shortages, AI, digital health, vaccination, AMR), Press Releases announcing developments, and Medicine Shortages Reports tracking supply challenges. The organization also facilitates professional collaboration through Working Groups (Advisory Working Group, European Pharmacists' Professional Forum, Economics Working Group) and hosts an Annual Conference. PGEU does not offer a software platform or digital product in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Reports Annual reports documenting the activities, achievements, and policy positions of PGEU and European community pharmacy for each year.
• Position Papers Formal policy position papers on key topics affecting community pharmacy including medicines shortages, AI, digital health, vaccination, AMR, and pharmaceutical legislation.
• Press Releases Official press releases announcing PGEU activities, survey results, elections, and policy developments.
• Medicine Shortages Reports Annual survey reports documenting medicine shortages across European community pharmacies, tracking trends and impacts.
• Pharmacy 2030 Vision for Community Pharmacy in Europe Vision document outlining the future direction and role of community pharmacy in Europe, launched in 2019.
• PGEU Annual Conference Annual conference held in conjunction with the June General Assembly, featuring expert speakers from pharmacy, European institutions, and academia.
• Advisory Working Group (AWG) Advisory Working Group serving as the main consultative body covering a wide range of policy areas.
• European Pharmacists' Professional Forum (EPPF) Forum dealing with professional issues including pharmacist mobility, qualifications, education, training, and patient safety.
• Economics Working Group (EWG) Working group addressing economic issues, health policy developments, pricing, reimbursement, and digitalization in healthcare.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200,000 pharmacies represented across Europe
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Medicine Verification Organisation (EMVO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPGEU is a founding member of EMVO, which operates the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS). In 2026, PGEU contributed 58,114.55 euros to EMVO's operational costs. This partnership is central to PGEU's role in preventing falsified medicines from reaching patients.
• BeWell (EU Funded Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeWell is an EU-funded project that provides supplementary funding to PGEU's operational budget. This partnership supports specific initiatives aligned with EU health and pharmacy objectives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP): FIP is the global federation of national pharmacy associations and pharmacists, headquartered in The Hague. It is the most direct global counterpart to PGEU, sharing the membership-based model, professional advocacy focus, and representation of pharmacists across multiple countries.
• European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA): EFPIA represents the research-based pharmaceutical industry in Europe from Brussels. It is a peer in the sense of being a Brussels-based, membership-funded pharmacy/pharmaceutical advocacy body engaging the same EU institutions (European Commission, EMA) on overlapping legislative files such as the EU Pharmaceutical Strategy.
• Association of the European Self-Care Industry (AESGP): AESGP represents manufacturers of non-prescription medicines and self-care products in Europe. It is a Brussels-based, membership-funded association engaged with the same EU regulators on overlapping topics (pharmaceutical legislation, health claims, self-care) where PGEU also advocates for community pharmacists.

Others

• European Public Health Alliance (EPHA): EPHA is a Brussels-based NGO coalition active on public health policy, vaccination, AMR, and health system sustainability — all areas where PGEU advocates for community pharmacy. It is a peer in the Brussels advocacy ecosystem and a frequent counterparty in EU policy consultations.
• European Patients' Forum (EPF): EPF is a Brussels-based umbrella NGO representing patients' organizations across Europe. It is comparable to PGEU as a Brussels-based, EU-registered advocacy organization that interfaces with the same EU institutions on topics including medicine shortages, vaccines, and digital health.

Regional players

• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA): PhRMA is the US counterpart trade association representing the pharmaceutical industry, with a similar lobbying, policy-publication, and membership-funded model. It is comparable to PGEU as a peer-association archetype, though serving a different geography and pharmacy/manufacturing segment.

Direct peers

• European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP): EAHP represents hospital pharmacists across Europe and operates from Brussels with a similar advocacy-and-policy model to PGEU. It is the closest direct peer because it overlaps with PGEU on pharmacist representation, EU policy engagement, and Brussels-based secretariat operations.
• Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME): CPME represents European doctors and operates from Brussels with a very similar membership-based, policy-advocacy model to PGEU. It is a direct peer because it engages the same EU institutions on scope-of-practice, professional qualifications, and digital health — topics where community pharmacy and medicine intersect.
• Council of European Dentists (CED): CED is a Brussels-based representative body for the dental profession in Europe. It mirrors PGEU's structure — a membership-based association of national professional bodies engaging EU institutions on professional regulation, recognition, and public health policy.

Emerging players

• European Community Pharmacy Network (ECPN): ECPN is a sector-level network of community pharmacy practitioners and academic researchers focused on community pharmacy practice and research. It overlaps with PGEU on community pharmacy practice standards and is a relevant peer in the EU community-pharmacy evidence-and-policy space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PGEU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pgeu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU)