EU To Force Belgian Pharmacists' Hands

The European Commission is ready to initiate proceedings against Belgian pharmacists for refusing to dispense prescriptions from doctors who are established in other member states, which the European Union says is a failure to fulfil EU Treaty obligations.

The Commission has made representations to the Belgian authorities in an attempt to resolve the problem, and now it awaits confirmation by the Belgian authorities that the country's pharmacists have dropped this requirement. The Commission says that the ban was not specifically laid down by law but was based on an interpretation by the Association of Pharmacists.