Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Mathias Arnold elected European pharmacists’ president for 2027

Mathias Arnold has been elected president for 2027 by the General Assembly of the European pharmacists’ umbrella group (ZAEU, PGEU). The election took place in Wroclaw, Poland. The 62-year-old pharmacist from Halle (Saale) will take over after Dr Mikolaj Konstanty, who will hold the presidency in 2026.

Vice presidency and Brussels agenda

Ana Soldo from Croatia was elected vice president for 2027. During their term, Arnold and Soldo are expected to represent Europe’s pharmacy organisations towards EU institutions in Brussels.

Track record within the association and ABDA role

Arnold previously served as ZAEU vice president in 2020 and has been a member of the nine-person executive committee since 2026. He has also led the German ABDA delegation at international level since 2018. ABDA is the only German member of ZAEU, which brings together 40 chambers and associations from 33 European countries.

Priorities: shortages, Critical Medicines Act, primary care

Arnold points to increasing challenges in medicine supply and considers European approaches useful where national measures are not sufficient. At the same time, he underscores the importance of the subsidiarity principle and limits on interference with national health systems.

For 2027, he highlights monitoring EU legislation, including work on managing supply disruptions and implementation linked to the Critical Medicines Act. He also stresses the future role of pharmacies in efficient primary care and prevention, alongside the political, legal, professional and digital conditions required.