BLOG VERONIQUE SWINKELS

In Frankrijk is het ons gelukt om 5 regionale lijsten te presenteren. Dat betekent dat 92 Newropeans’ kandidaten de komende dagen zich gaan mengen in het Franse debat.

Executive Committee
The transformers

Franck Biancheri, President, FR, Cannes

- Born 1961 in Nice (France), one daughter. He has been living in Paris for many years and now lives in Cannes (when not somewhere else in Europe). He has been involved in European affairs during the last, as a student 20 years ago, he founded the first European students network, AEGEE-Europe. Today Franck works as Director for Studies and Strategy for a major European think-tank.
Details are on www.franck-biancheri.info
@ president@newropeans.eu

Véronique Swinkels, Vice-President, NL, Amsterdam

- Born 1963 in Maastricht, two daughters and two sons. She studied Communications Strategy at the University of Amsterdam and at the City University of London. Her political career started as candidate for the IDE-list for Holland during the 1989 European elections. Her line of business is Communications and Advertising for non-profit organisations, government and culture. She was first a research manager and account manager at several BBDO agencies. Today, she is a managing partner of her own advertising agency BBK/ Door Vriendschap Sterker.
During the 2009 European election campaign she was the national coordinator and candidate for Newropeans in the Netherlands.
@ vswinkels@newropeans.eu

Margit Reiser-Schober, General Secretary, DE, Frankfurt

- Born 1957, married, one son. Works for and with the citizens of a small city near Frankfurt-am-Main. She studied administrative sciences in Konstanz and political science in Berlin. She has decades of experience in politics and has recently founded a reading club on political issues.
For the 2009 European election, she was coordinator and head-candidate in Germany.
@ mreiser-schober@newropeans.eu

Bart Kruitwagen, Treasurer, NL, Nijmegen

- EN Born 1962, he has lived in Nijmegen ( Netherlands) since his student years when he studied law. He became involved in the European student network (AEGEE-Europe) some 20 years ago. Presently he works in the field of electronics and has his own company.
@ bkruitwagen@newropeans.eu

Detlef Winkler, Deputy Treasurer, DE, Dresden

- Born 1960 in Hamm (Westfalia), Detlef works today in Frankfurt/Main and lives with his wife and two kids in Dresden. He is graduated in business management and has a great interest in national economics for a long time.
He used to be politically committed at national level and was a member of a German citizen rights NGO for more than 30 years.
@ dwinkler@newropeans.eu

Harald Greib, Legal Adviser, DE, Montpellier

- Born 1961, two sons. Has worked in European institutions for ten years. Since 2001 he has been Vice-President of the European think-tank Europe 2020. Author of a novel about European politics he lives, works and raises his children in Montpellier in the south of France.
@ hgreib@newropeans.eu

Marianne Ranke-Cormier, Manager of online media presence, FR, Paris

- Franco-German, born in 1960, married 2 children, lives in Bagneux (92) Lawyer, currently stewardship for groups of researchers on an organic farm and Editor in chief as volunteer for Newropeans Magazine. Activist in European policy for 20 years (IDE, Prometheus-Europe, Europe2020, Tiesweb, Newropeans). After 50 years of construction it is finally time to move to another dimension, that of citizens and democracy to meet the challenges of time and the world.
For the 2009 European election, she was head-candidate in France for the Paris-Ile de France district. More: http://blogs.newropeans.eu/paris/ .
@ mcormier@newropeans.eu

Marcello De Vita, Manager of the Universities Network, IT, Salerno

- Born 1980, graduated in law at the University of Pisa, member of AEGEE Pisa for four years and President for two years. He has been active for a long time in the field of associations seeking to improve European youth policy. He has organised several international events and conferences , is a keen supporter of Newropeans and has rapidly joined the Executive Committee.
@ mdevita@newropeans.eu

Taco Dankers, Manager of the e-systems, NL, Amsterdam

- Taco lives in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). He is software developer and associate in a Consulting and Software Engineering company.
@ tdankers@newropeans.eu

David Carayol, Manager of the single electoral law project, FR, Toulouse

- Born 1976 in Albi (southern France). He graduated in business studies and worked as consultant in telecoms and financial services for a multinational company. His convictions in the social field led him towards the fair trade associations sector “Max Havelaar France” first as a volunteer then as an executive. This work experience, a traineeship within the European Commission and his keen interest in free trade and its effects brought him to the belief that Europe has a leading role to play in the regulation of globalisation with a view to fostering fair development in developing countries and for the benefit of people in both southern and western countries.
For the 2009 European election, he was coordinator in France and head-candidate in France for the South West district.
@ dcarayol@newropeans.eu

Christel Hahn, Manager of the e-Agora, DE, Konstanz

- Born 1952, lives close to Konstanz (Germany). Graduated in physics, Christel held various positions in software development until she left to study other non-technical subjects and to take care of her aged parents. Currently she earns her living in a restaurant job, translates and writes articles.
During the 2009 European election campaign she was a candidate for Newropeans in Germany.
Details are on www.christel-hahn.eu
@ chahn@newropeans.eu

Guillaume Médard, Manager of the Newropeans website, FR, Cambridge

- Born 1979, grew up in Nîmes and Montpellier (France) and lives in Cambridge (UK). Research scientist in medicinal chemistry. After a European education - Strasbourg (classes préparatoires and research masters), Montpellier (école d’ingénieur), Frankfurt am Main (training period), Reykjavik (training period), Patras (Erasmus) and London (PhD) - he has been working since 2007 in a small pharmaceutical company halfway between London and Cambridge.
For the 2009 European election, he has been a candidate in the South-West of France district.
@ gmedard@newropeans.eu

Bruno Blossier, member, in charge of Agora & NMC preparation, FR, Paris

- Born 1967, lives in Paris and has 2 children. Since 1996 he has been Director of “Les Salons de l’Aveyron”, a conference centre and restaurant in Paris 12th arrond. Bruno worked as commercial representative for several years having started his career as first waiter on the Pullman Orient Express. He gained a professional diploma for catering and restaurant servicing in 1985 and salesman in 1992.
For the 2009 European election, he was head-candidate in France for the West district.
@ brunoblossier@newropeans.eu

Jose-Maria Compagni-Morales, member, in charge of Spanish translation team, ES, Sevilla

- Born in 1965, married, three sons. Founder and Director of TEIISS, “think tank” that analyses and promotes innovative ways of democratic participation necessary for an integral human development. He took part actively in AEGEE and IDE. He works as a business manager of a Spanish company and also as associate professor of strategy and marketing.
@ jmcompagni@newropeans.eu

François Guérin, Coordinator of the Newropeans Action Team, FR, Reims

- Enologist-winemaker. has worked in France, England and USA those 3 last years. Has got an open mind about those occidental cultures. A democracy watch is more than urgent according to the non-democratic process used by ours current politicians.He really wants continue this process of democratisation of the European society.
For the 2009 European election, he was head-candidate in France for the East district.
@ fguerin@newropeans.eu

Liliana Harhas-Ciobanu, member in charge of Newropeans Academies, RO, Bucarest

- Born 1968, graduated in English-Geography from Bucharest University, holds an MA in Economic Administration and Statistics from Iasi University. She is a school inspector at Vaslui County School Inspectorate, has participated in different exchange programmes (Comenius, Arion, Youth in Action, European Voluntary Service) and leads a volunteering NGO.
@ lharhas@newropeans.eu

Eva Krumm, member, in charge of German translation team, DE, Freiburg

- Born 1950 in the southwestern corner of Germany, trained librarian. She has been living in Spain for 18 years, working in international transports and as a Director’s secretary. Back in Maulburg (near the Swiss border), she now has her own small business, offering translations and office assistance.
For the 2009 elections she stood as a candidate for the EP (German List).
@ ekrumm@newropeans.eu

Flavio Landi, member, in charge of Italian translation team, IT, Trieste

- Born 1976 in Monfalcone (north-east part of Italy), he lives around there. Graduated in Political Sciences in Trieste(one year at the Institute des Etudes Politiques in Bordeaux) and worked as consultant in management and communication skills. Interested in Culture and International Relations topics, was board member of AEGEE-Trieste and Working Groups. Still active in different associations, organising international events, writing articles and promoting intercultural dialogue projects through music and theatre.
@ flandis@newropeans.eu

Ralf Pichler, member, in charge of the trans-European referendum project, DE, Hamburg

- Born 1971 in Romania, migrated 1978 to the City of Siegen in Germany. He is Engineer of Computer Science and lives and works nowerdays in Hamburg as Software Engineer for Embedded Systems. Since his personal experiences while the Internet Stock Bubble beginning of this millenium, he is very interested in economic theories, especially the ones about free trade. In order to be able to use it a base for a concept for a change of the world, the society and the economy he developed his own survey at the end of 2003. Since the end of 2004 he is a member of Attac, predominantly in the EU task group, which he represented on the board of Attac Germany between 2005 and 2008 and member of Newropeans since the beginning of 2007.
For the 2009 European election, he has been candidate #5 in Germany. More: http://www.ralf-pichler.eu/en/ueber….
@ Ralf@Global-Society.net

ReindeR Rustema, member, in charge of new e-social strategies, NL, Amsterdam

- ReindeR Rustema is teaching new media at the university of Amsterdam and has been studying the use of the internet to bridge the gap between politics and citizens since 1994. Since 2005 he runs the Dutch website to petition local and national government, petities.nl. Currently he is building a ’serious game’ which aims to simulate the entire Dutch political process. In 2009 he was a Newropeans candidate in the Netherlands and carries the title ’representative without a seat’.
@ reinder@rustema.nl

Michaël Timmermans, member, in charge of visual content coordination, BE, Brussels

- Born 1981 in Brussels (Belgium) where he now lives. He is graduated in journalism and holding a Master in international relations, with a special focus on contemporary great powers, starting with the USA and emerging China. Convinced that Europe has a decisive role to play in the 21st century, his involvement within Newropeans appeared to him as an obvious move on this way forward.
During the 2009 European election campaign he was the national coordinator and candidate for Newropeans in Belgium.
@ mtimmermans@newropeans.eu

Wencke van der Meyden, member in charge of the political surveys, NL, Amsterdam

- Born 1980 in Bleiswijk (NL). She holds a Master in Health Economics, Policy & Law at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. She works as Senior Consultant at Plexus Medical Group – Hospital & health care sector. She wishes to contribute to Newropeans way of motivating people for a democratic Europe and share with them her belief that policies should better mirror citizens expectations.Wencke lives in Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
@ meyden@plexus.nl

Marek Ágh, deputy member, SK, Bratislava

- Born 1980, lives in Bratislava. He graduated as master of computer science, worked in computer game development and anti-virus software development, currently in the IT field of electronic commerce.
He believes that Europe should grasp the opportunity of its unprecedented coordination to become a hatchery of new ideas, emerging from the civil society, responding to the challenges of the online age.
@

Hervé Brequel, deputy member, FR, Mons

- PhD in material science, with almost 15 years experience in Research and Development of new materials or chemical processes, he has lived and worked in Belgium since 2001, after years in UK and Italy. Trilingual (French, Italian, English) with basic knowledge of German, he considers he is first and foremost a European citizen. It is high time for our voices to be heard at that level so that we can stand up for our citizens’ common interests while protecting our specific cultural specificities. If we don’t do it, nobody will.
For the 2009 European election, he was candidate in France for the East district.
@ hbrequel@newropeans.eu

Kiril De Jacquelin, deputy member, BG, Sofia

- Born 1969 in Sofia. After studying business in Paris, he has actively participated in Prometheus Europe, an organisation whose goal was to promote European projects mainly in the field othe civil society. In 2006, he went back to Bulgaria, his home country, where he developed a translation agency SOFIAMEDIA. He is divorced with a child.
@

Catherine Kern, deputy member, UK, Stuttgart

- Born in the North of England in 1961 to an English father and Dutch mother. Studied Business Studies and German at Manchester Metropolitan University, met her husband during an industrial placement in South Germany in 1981 and moved to Germany in 1984. 3 children aged 21, 19 and 15. She has lived in the South of Germany for the last 25 years, presently 100 km north of Stuttgart, and has been self-employed for the last ten years, running an English language training and translation service. She is a member of Amnesty International and Greenpeace and is involved in local politics.
@ ckern@newropeans.eu

Thomas Kusch, deputy member, DE, Frankfurt

- Member since 2008 - he was born July 1976 in Bytom (Poland). In 1987 he moved to Giessen (Germany) where he did his examination. After his apprenticeship as “IT-Salesmanager” in Frankfurt (Germany) he worked in Avignon (France) before he came back to Frankfurt for his todays employment. He loves literature, traveling and sports like rowing and cycling.
He was very involved in the Newropeans campaign in Germany.
@tkusch@newropeans.eu

Giovanni Mascheretti, deputy member, IT, Bergamo

- Born 1983 in Azzano S. Paolo, in the Bergamo province. He has graduated from a humanistic highschool in 2003 and got his PhD in law sciences in 2009. He has tried to apprehend the judicial, political and social environment of the European Union, for instance by studying the issues of right against discrimination or the transposition of the European directives in the natinal level. Above all, he has focused on the lack of democracy in the Union and at the parlementary level of its institutional system.
@

Petros Petridis, deputy member, GR, Athens

- Born 1960 in Alexandria of Egypt from Greek parents and lives in Athens Greece, one daughter. He studied Mechanical-Aeronautical Engineering in University of London with Masters in Marine Engineering and PhD in Computer Simulation from Glasgow University. Since 1990 is a partner of a group of technology and business consulting firms and since 2005 is President of the Hellenic Technology Transfer Center. He has extensive experience in European Interregional Cooperation Projects and had been advising the Greek and other Local and Regional Authorities as well as Central governments on issues related to European Structural Funds, Community Initiatives and European Community Support Frameworks. Over the past 15 years had served as Technical or Special Advisor to many Ministries, Ministers and Secretaries of State on European Commission issues.
@

Artur Rybak , deputy member, PL, Wroclaw

- Born 1983. He was president of Aegee Wroclaw and is now an electronic engineer.
@

Rita Taudin-Ezquerro, deputy member, FR, Paris

- Born 1954 in Gironde, lives in Paris. One daughter. Degree of spanish literature, then career in the tax administration (income taxation). Convinced of the necessity to reinforce Europe, Rita wishes to make democracy evolve with Newropeans.
@rtaudin@newropeans.eu

Thijs Van der Rol, deputy member, NL, Amsterdam

- Born 1988, studies European Studies at the University of Amsterdam. In the academical year 2007-2008 he studied for a year in Spain by means of the Erasmus-program. Next to his study he works as a part-time project manager at Edburgh consultants; a consultancy firm working with international development cooperation.
In 2009 he coordinated within the scope of his study the international conference ‘Encuentro Latino Europeo’; a conference for Latin-American and European policymakers about development and democracy.
@tvanderrol@newropeans.eu

Julia Watzenig, deputy member, A, Villach

- Born 1988, Julia is studying foreign languages, French and Spanish, at Graz University (Austria).
@

Zdenek Metodeus Zalis, deputy member, CZ, Prague

- Born 1954, is of Czech nationality and has two children. He was born in Broumov, a small town near the Czech-Polish border. He graduated in Philosophy at the University of St.Petersburg, Russia. He has been living in Prague for 25 years and works as a senior project manager in the field of information technologies. He is equally involved in non-profit activities focused on international cooperation, regional development and the strengthening of civic society.
@ mzalis@newropeans.eu