President of the European Free Alliance

At the General Assembly in Venice, 2010, Prof. Dr. Eric Defoort was elected the new President of EFA. You can read the speech explaining his vision for the party here

The past two years (2007-2009), he was the president of the Flemish Popular Movement (VVB), a non-party linked movement advocating Flemish autonomy. This experience taught him how to deal with a movement in which different ideas are present.

As Historian he studied in depth the history of nationalism and published on topics like identity. These academic insights will be put at the service of EFA and its members.

Eric Defoort is a member of the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA), a party that became a full member of EFA in 2010. They supported his candidacy for president of EFA.

As president, he will see to the organisation and strategy of the European Free Alliance.

Jill Evans was born in the Rhondda in 1959 where she still lives. Jill attended University in Aberystwyth and then worked as a Research Assistant at the former Polytechnic of Wales where she gained her M.Phil. Degree.

She worked for the National Federation of Women's Institutes in Wales for six years before taking up a post as Wales Regional Organiser for CHILD - The National Infertility Support Network.

Jill Evans was a councillor for seven years - on the former Rhondda Borough and Mid Glamorgan County Councils and then Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council.

She was elected as Plaid Cymru's Alternate Member of the Committee of the Regions in 1993 and served for four years, and was also the party's representative on the European Free Alliance, working with Plaid Cymru's sister parties throughout the continent.

Jill was Chair of Plaid Cymru between 1994 and 1996. In June 1999 she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Wales.

Jill Evans was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2009 and is a member of the Green / European Free Alliance (EFA) Group - the fourth largest group in the Parliament.

She is the President of EFA, and first Vice-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the EP. Jill also deputises on the Delegation for Relations with the Palestine Legislative Council.

She is a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Delegation for relations with Iraq. She deputises on the Agriculture Committee and on the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council.

She is Vice President of Plaid Cymru, party spokesperson for European and International issues and chair of CND Cymru.

-Vice-President of the European Free Alliance

-Regional Deputy in Auvergne

-University Professor private law;

-President of "Partit Occitan", since 1987;

-President of "Régions & Peuples Solidaires", since 1995;

Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC).
Born in Vic, Catalunya.

Secretary of International cooperation and European Policy of ERC.

Graduated in Law and nowadays finalizing Political Sciences. She has worked as lawyer and as law professor at the Police Academy of Catalunya.
At the moment she is also coordinating the Catalan Agency for International Development.

Fabrizio Comencini
nato a Garda (Vr)
il 06 nov.1953

Studi:
Scuola dell’obbligo
Maturità conseguita all’ITIS Galileo Ferraris di Verona;
Studi Universitari di Ingegneria, Università di Modena e Politecnico di Milano;
Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia Università di Trento Laurea in Scienze Storiche: storia moderna.
Corso, di Giornalismo all’Università Cattolica Brescia.
Sociologia dei processi culturali e comunicativi, Università di Trento.

Professione attuale:
Consigliere Politico Ministero dei Rapporti con il Parlamento e delle Riforme Istituzionali, Roma.

Precedenti esperienze lavorative:
Libero professionista;
Tecnico e consulente;
Direttore Generale Comune di San Bonifacio (VR);

Esperienze professionali complementari:
Giornalista, iscritto nell’albo dei Giornalisti del Veneto

Incarichi politici:
Fondatore della LIGA VENETA REPUBBLICA, poi Veneti d’Europa – Liga Fronte Vneto:
primo Segretario.
Attuale Segretario Generale della Liga Fronte Veneto- Veneti d’Europa.

Incarichi politici istituzionali:
-Consigliere presso l’assemblea ex USL 25 di Verona;
Parlamento Veneto:
-Consigliere Regionale del Veneto IV legislatura; vicepresidente della VI commissione ( cultura, istruzione assistenza scolastica ecc.)- Componente della Commissione Biblioteca.
-Consigliere Regionale del Veneto V legislatura; vicepresidente della VI commissione, dal 1993 componente la I commissione consiliare, -Componente della Commissione Statuto e Regolamento, Componente della Giunta delle Elezioni.
-Vicepresidente del Consiglio dal 1993 al 1995,per gli ultimi due anni di legislatura.
-Consigliere Regionale del Veneto VI legislatura, Vicepresidente vicario, componente la I commissione consiliare.
-giugno 2006,
Consigliere Comunale di Garda Vr.

Residenza: Via Belvedere 37, 37010 Costermano (VR)

Member of the National Council of the BNG and responsible for the Migration Comision. Spokeswoman of the BNG in the European Parliament in the frame of the Galeuscat coalition. Lawyer, expert in European and International Law for the Catholic University of Leuven, she obtained study grants from the German Council of Ministries and the Leonardo program. Assistant to the BNG MEP Camilo Nogueira in the European Parliament 1999-2004.

Author of various articles referring to the galician diaspora and European and International Law. She has participated in both the Sao Paulo Forum and the World Social Froum of Portoalegre, and she has constant contact with Galician Centres all around the world as well as political parties and governments in Latin America.

Ian Hudghton was first elected to the European Parliament in 1998, where he sat with Winnie Ewing until she was elected to the Scottish Parliament. He then became one of the four Scottish members of the Committee of the Regions.
In the European Elections of 1999 he was leading the list of the SNP, and got elected together with professor Neil MacCormick. In 2004 and 2009 he once again took the lead of the SNP-list and got elected to the European Parliament.

Mr. Hudghton was elected vice-president of the EFA-group in July 2009. He is also the president of the Scottish National Party since September 2005, being re-elected every year since that.

He has several different areas of attention in the EFA Bureau ( Internal Enlargement - Relation with Council/ Regional Development/ fisheries/ Canada/ Internal Market and Consumer Protection / Croatia

Sybren Posthumus studied Economics and Management in Grins/Groningen. Has been active in several Frisian-language organisations and has also been a member of the 'Ried fan de Fryske beweging' (Council of the Frisian Movement').
He has been in the board of youth organisation FYK (Fryskynternasjonaal kontakt).

Between 2002 and 2007 he was member of the city council of Ljouwert/Leeuwarden (capital of Fryslân/Friesland), for the FNP (Fryske Nasjonale Partij, Frisian National Party).

Nowadays working as Frisian language officer for the Province of Fryslân. Has been member of the Bureau of EFA since the beginning of 2007.

Sebastián Colio is the International Policy Secretary of Eusko Alkartasuna, our member party from the Basque Country. In EA, he is responsable for all matters concerning the European Union, and any other aspects related with the international Policy of Eusko Alkartasuna.

In the EFA Bureau he will be charged with all matters concerning Fiscal Autonomy & Peace and defence issues.

Mr Ioannou is a member of the Political Secretariat of The European Free Alliance – Rainbow and a long time activist of the Macedonian minority in Greece. He is 34 years of age and fluent in Macedonian and Greek, with a basic knowledge of English.

Mr Ioannou’s also has the support of OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN. He is a joint candidate and a representative for South Eastern Europe – an important region in the future for EFA.

In the bureau, his specific functions will include Linguistic affairs, Relations with the Council of Europe and the Balkan.

Born 24 april 1944.
Married, with two children

Education: business economist

Career:
- Sales manager and Accountant in Sweden 1979 — 1983
- Managing director Åland Chambre of commerce, Mariehamn 1983 -2003
- CEO Ålands Tidnings Tryckeri AB, Mariehamn

Other:
- 1982 : Board member in several businesses
- 1992 : Honorary consul for The Kingdom of Denmark.

Reinhild Campidell, born on November 5^th 1979, is a member of the committee (Hauptausschuss) of the Süd-Tiroler Freiheit, and she was the first EFA-Trainee in a long and glorious line.
She has been active in politics since 1994, and occupies a seat in the district council in Meran since 2000. Reinhild is a member of the commission of finances in Meran, and of the provincial committee on gender equality.

She will take up the Bureau-tasks related to EFAy and youth policies, and external communication and action.

Lucy Collyer was born on the 27th of May 1982 in Watford, England. Her family moved to Mallorca on Christmas of 1987. They settled in the village of Campanet were she went to school and became fluent in Catalan and also Spanish.

She studied Geography and sustainable development at the university (2000-2005), then specialized in Aid and Development. During her years at the university Lucy became an environmental and social activist, and then in 2007 she joined PSM-Entesa Nacionalista youth branch.

During 2008 and 2009 she was coordinator and Secretary General of EFAYouth and worked at the EFA Secretariat in Brussels. She has also worked in environmental consultancy.

Lucy is the Secretary of European Politics of PSM-Entesa Nacionalista since 2008. Now she is Advisor to the Regional Minister of Environment at the Government of the Balearic Islands.

Lucy Collyer will become a full member of the EFA-Bureau in October 2011, replacing Mrs. Ana Miranda. Together with Reinhild Campidell, she will look after EFAy and Youth Policies in the Bureau. Lucy will also be in charge of the Environmental Policies of the party.