Launch of Fondation EurActiv

Appointment of Julian Oliver as Secretary General 

Nomination of Fondation EurActiv Advisory Council

EurActiv is pleased to announce that it has set-up a foundation, appointed an experienced Secretary General and gathered an impressive Advisory Council with members stretching from the business community to NGO's, think tanks and the media. 

Fondation EurActiv will initially provide EurActiv.com with guidance on editorial strategy and media independence. Over time it will widen its scope to include coaching on policy information and helping non Brussels-based associated on-line media to get a foothold in EU circles. 

The Fondation EurActiv has appointed Julian Oliver as its Secretary General. Julian, who has worked for ICI and American Express among others, is a former chair of AmCham EU as well as a former board member of the European Foundation Centre. Julian Oliver is well known in Brussels as a writer, regular speaker and presenter on EU Affairs. Willy De Backer,  Editor-in-chief  at EurActiv said "Julian's wide experience of not only EU affairs but also of foundation work will assist us in helping better the Community of EU Actors". 

Julian Oliver says of his new role "I am a convinced European and have long been an admirer of EurActiv. I will be doing my best to promote the mission of facilitating the efficiency and transparency of the community of European actors. It is a particular pleasure to have been invited to share some of my experiences, to mentor others and generally to help promote Europe".

The Fondation EurActiv will be guided by an Advisory Council and an Orientation Committee. The names of the distinguished persons who have agreed to serve on this body are shown below. Christophe Leclercq, the founder, said "We are delighted to have been able to attract such a cross-section of leaders from the policy arena, non governmental organisations, private and public sectors, and media to act as advisors. EurActiv will benefit from being able to draw on the experience and wisdom of these distinguished leaders to pursue our mission of facilitating the efficiency and transparency of the Union". 

Fondation EurActiv became operational following the publication of its statutes in the 'Moniteur Belge' in January as one of the first foundations under a new Belgian law.

Note for Editors

EurActiv is an EU Portal -  www.euractiv.com with franchise operations in eight central and eastern European countries.

Biography of Julian Oliver, Secretary General of Fondation EurActiv:

Julian Oliver, a European of Irish heritage, has worked in Asia, North America and Europe as an economist, diplomat and public affairs professional. He has spent almost half of his working life in Belgium, he arrived first in 1974 as an economist with ICI, the UK based chemical firm; he returned in 1987 as the senior representative of American Express and for seven years negotiated many aspects of the financial services and data protection directives for the internal market. In recent years, Julian has run his own consultancy business advising among others Shell International, the International Express Carriers Conference and a range of smaller companies and associations. While with American Express, Julian was successively elected chair of AmCham EU's financial services sub-committee and then the full EU Committee, he served on the board of the European Foundation Centre. He is also a founder director of the Centre for European Not-for-Profit  Organisations , CENPO. Finally, Julian is a Senior Policy Advisor to The European Policy Centre and sits on their consultative board. Julian is a regular speaker and presenter on EU affairs and the author of a number of essays including a chapter on data protection and privacy in European Union Lobbying, Palgrave, 2002. 

See  http://www.euractiv.com/cgi-bin/cgint.exe/1?11&1011=contact for Julian's photo and co-ordinates at EurActiv

Media Contacts:

Willy De Backer: Editor in Chief T +32 2 788 3664 E  editor@euractiv.com  

Julian Oliver: Secretary General T + 322 226 5825 E   secgen@euractiv.com