Appointments to the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory: Willems president, four academics as members

The Minister of Economy D. Clarinval has appointed Sonja Willems as the chair of the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory for a four-year term. The same ministerial decree appoints four academics as members of this body, which is consulted on pharmaceutical policy. The text, dated September 15, 2026, was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on September 17, 2026, page 50593, under reference [C − 2026/006612].

A four-year chairmanship

Article 1 of the decree entrusts the chairmanship of the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory to Sonja Willems for a four-year mandate. The appointment takes effect on September 15, 2026, the effective date set by Article 3 of the text.

The Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory is the body established to monitor and inform pharmaceutical policy in Belgium. Its composition and organization were established by the Royal Decree of June 30, 2026, upon which the appointment decree explicitly relies.

Four academics appointed

Article 2 appoints four members representing the academic world, specializing in fields such as macroeconomics, industrial economics, taxation, pharmaceutical development, and innovation. Their mandate is also for four years:

• Leo Sleuwaegen;
• Olivier Witmeur;
• Marcus Dejardin;
• Stijn Kelchtermans.

These four appointments complement the chairmanship entrusted to Sonja Willems, bringing the number of designations enacted by the same decree to five.

Legal basis and procedure

The decree is issued pursuant to the Code of Economic Law, articles V.15 and V.17, 2°. It is based on the Royal Decree of June 30, 2026, establishing the composition and organization of the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory, in its Article 2, paragraphs 1 and 3.

The procedure follows the joint proposal from Pharma.be and the Health Science & Technology group dated April 17, 2026. The decree was signed in Brussels on September 15, 2026, by D. Clarinval, Minister of Economy.

Entry into force

Article 3 provides that the decree enters into force on September 15, 2026, two days before its publication in the Belgian Official Gazette. The mandates therefore run from this date for a period of four years.

The publication in the Belgian Official Gazette on September 17, 2026, makes the appointment enforceable and opens the period during which the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory may meet in its new composition.

Scope

With a presidency and four academic members appointed for four years, the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory now has a stabilized composition to carry out its advisory role on medicine policy. Sector stakeholders — industry, public authorities, and the academic world — will find a counterpart whose mandate covers the entirety of the current legislature.

• Source: Belgian Official Gazette of September 17, 2026, ministerial decree of September 15, 2026, appointing the president and four members of the Pharmaceutical Sector Observatory, p. 50593, ref. [C − 2026/006612].