EUROMIL: a new challenge!
by Emmanuel Jacob – 11/13/2006
At the extraordinary Congress in Berlin on 21 September 2006 I had the honour to be elected as President of our umbrella organisation EUROMIL.
I would like to use this first column to thank once again the member associations and Board members for their support and the trust they have put in me. Especially I would like to thank our Vice-President Bernhard Gertz who during a difficult period of almost one year acted as President.
My election is not the only change in the composition of the Staff and Board of EUROMIL. Due to internal changes in some member associations we already welcomed some new Board members at our Presidium meeting this year in Athens. Also our Brussels office has a new face who has taken over his assignment since September.
This brings me to a short overview of my first weeks as President of EUROMIL. I will not go in detail but briefly highlight two events. My first official visit brought me to Rome. It is a coincidence that this first visit was to a country where the military personnel has to deliver a daily struggle being denied the right of association. I am convinced that with strongly supported projects and a good cooperation between real representative associations, we can have positive political and social results in the years to come in Italy as well as hopefully in France and Spain.
At the end of October I participated together with several leaders of EUROMIL member associations and Staff members of our Brussels office, in a roundtable on military unions and associations in Bucharest. This important and successful event was organised by OSCE-ODIHR, DCAF and EUROMIL and hosted by the Romanian Ministry of Defense. More information on this roundtable can be found on our homepage on "Quick News". One of the first immediate results is the interest from a Romanian association to collaborate with and eventually join EUROMIL.
Both events confirmed my strong conviction that the right of association and participation for all European soldiers is one of THE most important goals for EUROMIL. Not only by working together on an international but also on a national level, we can succeed in our mission. Therefore, member associations need EUROMIL and EUROMIL needs its member associations! Together we are strong!
President
