It has often been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. It was with this thought in mind that the Board of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) realised the need for the hospital pharmacy profession in Europe to more precisely chart and define the future practice goals and roles that it should achieve in all European countries. This was the essence of the European Summit on Hospital Pharmacy, and the 44 European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy that it created. The statements now form the primary foundation for delivering EAHP's practice development mission, and a charter for improving patient care in hospitals that every EAHP member country can make use of.

This special edition of the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy explains more about the purpose and intent of the statements and the reason they matter for practice improvement in all European health systems.

The project took as its basis the excellent work of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)'s hospital pharmacy section …

Correspondence to Dr Roberto Frontini, European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Rue Abbé Cuypers. 3, Brussels B-1040, Belgium; president{at}eahp.eu