EYF representatives from youth organisations from across Europe are invited to attend the bi annual COMEM meetings and are opportunity to discuss issues relating to the work of youth organisations at a European level. One of the main issues that the EFAy was interested in was the delay by the European Commission on the decision to allocate administrative grants to organisations. Like many other European youth organisations, the EFAy is still awaiting a response from the Commission to ascertain if a new EFAy coordinator can be employed for the next year. A decision is now expected sometime this month.

Thomas Leys, who is the EFAy COMEM representative, took part in the meeting.

Link:

European Youth Forum

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The competence analysis should serve as an instrument for the development of the multilingual region and also convince other regions to investigate the added value of multilingualism. YEN and Junge Spitzen also brought attention by issuing a resolution calling for a European study on the added value of minorities. EFAy welcomes this initiative and like to state that it is of importance for every European citizen to understand the “added value of minorities”. Minorities provide Europe with unique competences concerning multilingualism, culture and democratic participation. Issuing such a study could be perceived as an acknowledgement of the added value of minorities in states across Europe.

Later, during the seminar all delegates were involved in a simulation, in which they had to portray different fictional minorities, which came to a climax in an enacted hearing in the European Parliament.

The EFAy was invited to hold a presentation on youth politics in the European Union. Vice-president Andreas Dahlén held the presentation on Saturday 10th during the general assembly of YEN.

The EFAy is grateful for the opportunity to take part in this years YEN seminar and look forward to further co-operation with the youth organisation.

The whole speech as presented during the YEN general assembly can be found here.

Link:

http://www.gravenstein2008.dk/

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The Mosquito device emits an uncomfortable high frequency sound that only youths can hear and is designed to disperse young people away from public areas where they are deemed to be causing a nuisance. Although the device has been pioneered and already used widely in the UK, there have been reports that the Mosquito is now also being used on mainland Europe. A court in Brittany recently banned the use of the device in one instance and said that is was causing discomfort to the public in the village. However, to date, the European Commission and other European state Governments have refused to ban the device.

The Young Scots for Independence called for a ban of the device last year and this year the Scottish Nationalist Party adopted their position after their Spring Conference. Bethan Jenkins (Plaid Cymru Welsh Assembly Member and former youth leader of Cymru X), has also suggested that Plaid is not in favour of the device.

The full text of the EFAy letter can be found here.

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The Assembly in Bilbo/Bilbao elected Alain Zamorano Barrenetxea as its new Secretary General, who took over from Harkaitz Millan. Zamorano promised to lead a new reinvigoragted Gazte and expressed his committment to the organisation and its activisits. A group of nine representatives were elected to the Gazte Bureau, including Lander de Bilbao − former EFAy President − who will be responsible for international relations.

Gazte have played an influencial role in the EFAy in the past, with one of its previous members being the first President of the EFAy in 2000. EFAy President, Rhisiart Tal−e−bot, attended the Assembly on behalf of the EFAy. In his address he reminded delegates that Gazte have traditionally played a leading role in the EFAy and that it was important for the work of both organisations that this strong link continues.

Gazte Abertzaleak

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Jeunes l'Union Démocratique Bretonne (UDB youth) activist and EFAy Bureau member, Gael Briand, took part in the first French Parliamentary debate yesterday about the ‘regional’ languages spoken within the French state, via a live webcam link.

Gael Briand was invited by an employee of the LCB Assemblée Nationale TV channel to take part in the debate and contacted Gael after viewing his blog site, which he said was interesting. In addition to speaking about the situation of the Breton language, Gael also spoke about the important role of the European Free Alliance and ‘open nationalism’ in a Europe of the peoples.

Gael’s review of his intervention in the debate can be found on his blog by following the link below:

Gael’s LCP blog review

LCB Assemblée Nationale

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Eva will however be staying in contact with the EFAy − and even working in the same office − after she was offered the job of policy advisor with the EFA where she will be taking over from Jordi Perales.

Eva started working as the EFAy Coordinator after the 2005 EFAy General Assembly in Rennes, Brittany where she was formally voted into the position. However after working three years for the EFAy, she said that she was now looking for a new challenge. Rhisiart Tal−e−bot, President of the EFAy, said:

“We will certianly be sorry to see Eva leave the EFAy. Over the past three years she has proved herself invaluable to the smoothe functioning of the organisation and a pillar of strength to Bureau Members.

We wish her good luck in her new job and look forward to working alongside her in her new role.”

The EFAy are now waiting to hear if they will receive funding from the European Commission for a new Coordinator position.

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The document ‘A better Place to Be’ aims to provide a background to a new cultural infastucture strategy for the South West of England and is the latest publication in a series of documents that have focused on culture. ‘A Better Place to Be’seeks to make decisions about the culture of Cornwall by placing the country firmly within the artifical cultural confines of the South West of England, which was created by the Westminster Government in 1999. Culture South West (CSW) is the name given to the SWRA’s cultural consortium that plans to take the project forward.

The issue of the draft strategy was raised and discussed at the EFAy’s Bureau Meeting on 10th April 2008 in Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, where Bureau members were informed about the proposed document by EFAy President Rhisiart Tal−e−bot. The full text of the EFAy letter sent to CSW can be found below:

30/04/08

Dear Culture South West

Consultation of regional cultural strategy: A Better Place to Be

At the last Bureau meeting of the European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy) in Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca on April 9th 2008, members discussed the draft Culture South West document ‘A Better Place to Be’.

The document was brought to the attention of the EFAy by Kernow X, one of our members in Cornwall. The EFAy is a European political youth organisation and campaigns on a broad range of issues, with particular attention to language, culture, identity, social justice and the environment.

After considerable debate, the EFAy Bureau concluded that ‘A Better Place to Be’ did not adequately respect the territorial integrity of Cornwall or its culture and language. The following points were raised by members in relation to the document:

1. That the draft should be thoroughly revised to include a section given over entirely to Cornwall − if Cornwall should be included in this document at all.
2. The EFAy would prefer to see a separate culture document for Cornwall.
3. The Cornish language is not given the promoinence in the document that it deserves. Cornish is after all the only national minority language within the boundaries of your south west region and as you will be aware should be protected and promoted under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
4. The EFAy is concerned that the information included in the document relating to Cornwall was compiled in an amateur way, by persons will little knowledge or understanding of Cornish culture and/or identity. We would therefore recommend that Culture South West contact the Institute of Cornish Studies.
5. The special constitutional position of Cornwall as a Duchy is not referenced at all in the document and neither is Cornwall’s particular legal and cultural rights in relation to this status.
6. Cornish youth culture needs to be given prominence in the final document.

We hope that our suggestions are useful in producing a more reliable document that takes into consideration the unique culture of Cornwall. The EFAy believe that it is important for matters relating to Cornish culture should be discussed and decided upon at a Cornish regional level and not taken out of context and amalgamated into other significantly more prominent cultures such England.

Yours sincerely

EFAy Bureau
European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy)

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On Thursday 17April 2008 an international panel discussion was held in the European Parliament on the Ignored Minorities of Greece: Western Thrace Turks and Macedonians. The conference was very well attended and received much publicity in the press in the days leading up to the event.

The conference was chaired by Hans Heinrich Hansen, the President of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN). After opening speeches from Nelly Maes, the President of the European Free Alliance - European Political Party, Halit Habipoglou, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and Petros Kazias, a member of the Central Council of EFA-Rainbow the following presentations were made:

Kinga Gál, MEP, the Vice Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights spoke about the protection of minorities in Europe.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Halim Cavusoglu made a speech on the Western Thrace Turkish Minority and the Victims of Article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Code.

Petros Kazias of the European Free Alliance – Rainbow made a presentation on the ethnic Macedonian minority of Greece.

A statement from Lazslo Tökes MEP was read out in which he offered to mediate between representatives of the two minority groups and the Greek government.

Next, Panayote Dimitras of the Greek Helsinki Monitor spoke on the tolerance of intolerance of minorities in Greece.

The final presentation was made by Boriss Cilevičs who spoke on Council of Europe standards and minorities in Greece.

The presentations were followed by a interesting discussion in which a range of views were expressed. EFA-Rainbow regrets that some present wanted to manipulate the event for their own political purposes.

The EFA-Rainbow was pleased that the event was attended by a number of MEPs and also by a representative of the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union. In this connection, EFA-Rainbow again call upon the Greek governemnt to begin a dialogue between representatives of the Macedonian and Turkish minorities to discuss all unresolved issues.

The closing remarks of the conference were made by Mikel Irujo Amezaga MEP of the Greens/EFA Group. The EFA-Rainbow would like to thank Mr Amezaga and his staff for all their hard work in organising the conference.

The Press Office
EFA – Rainbow

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The slogan ‘Hello EFAy, Goodbye Spain’ was adapted from the slogan of the original poster ‘Hello Europe, Goodbye Spain’, which was used for the 2004 European elections by the Coalition GALEUSCA, of which Jen took part. The original idea however came from another group again.

The poster was designed by professional designers, some of whom are also members of JEN.

Thanks to Lucy Collyer of JEN for providing us with it – I am sure it will inspire some of our other members!

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Un arouez nevez evit tud yaouank an UDB

Laouen eo re yaouank an UDB da ginnig deoc'h o arouez nevez...gwelet c'hoazh en tu bennaket, a soñj deoc'h ? Normal eo : ur meskaj deus arouez an UDB hag arouez re yaouank an ALE (EFA youth), kar ezel eo an UDB d'al luskad-mañ. An erminiged 'neunt kemeret plas stered an ALE evit diskwel eo sevenadur hor bro ul lodenn a-bouez deus Europa, pinvik-mor a-drugarez d'ar sevenadurioù liesseurt a gaver enni.

Un nouveau logo pour les Jeunes de l'UDB

Les Jeunes de l'Union démocratique bretonne sont heureux de vous présenter leur nouveau logo. Une impression de déjà vu ? Normal, il est une fusion du logo de l'UDB avec celui des jeunes de l'Alliance libre européenne (EFA youth) dont sont membres les jeunes de l'UDB.

Les étoiles du logo de l'EFAy remplacées par des hermines pour mettre en exergue l’identité bretonne comme composante de la diversité culturelle en Europe.

Gwendal Rioual

Responsable des Jeunes de l’UDB

Gael Briand

Membre du Bureau de l’ALE jeunes

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• Resolution on Palestine and Israel

• Resolution on the situation in Tibet

• Resolution on Kosova

• Resolution on Carinthian Slovenians

• Resolution on European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

• Resolution on GMO Free Areas

• Resolution on new Focus for EFAy

The first four resolutions passed were joint resolutions with the EFA.

The EFAy will now begin the process of following up these resolutions and would like to urge its members and supporters to do the same. Resolution follow ups will be posted under each link as they occur.

Could all those organisations who do act on the motions, please inform the EFAy Coordinator (coordinator@efay.eu) and EFAy President (rhisiart.talebot@efay.eu).

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Below is a list of those groups and individuals who wrote something about the GA first:

Joves d'Esquerra Nacionalista (JEN)

FNP-youth

Bayernpartei Jungbayernbund

Suedtiroler Freiheit

Jordi Perales blog

Jo mateixa blog

Miscellaneous

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Les Joventuts de l'Aliança Lliure Europea (EFAY, en les sigles en anglès) celebren aquest dissabte a Palma la seva Assemblea General. Els Joves d'Esquerra Nacionalista (JEN-PSM), com a membres de ple dret d'aquesta organització juvenil europea des de la seva constitució, són els amfitrions de la trobada. Està prevista l'assistència de mig centenar de joves pertanyents a una vintena de partits polítics nacionalistes i progressistes d'arreu d'Europa (Escòcia, Gal•les, Flandes, Baviera, Occitània, Galícia, Euskal Herria, Països Catalans, etc).

Aquest dijous, les Executives d'EFAY i dels JEN-PSM, amb Rhisiart Tal-e-bot i Antoni Noguera com a respectius president i secretari general, han fet una reunió de treball conjunta, a la seu del PSM-EN.

http://www.psm-entesa.org/noticia.php?Codnot=3144&Cod_categoria=2

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Several resolutions were passed on the subjects of Kosova, GMO crops, Israel and Palestine, lesser used European languages, the situation in Tibet and a new focus for the organisation, in what was the EFAy’s 8th GA. The event was hosted by EFA party members Partit Socialista de Mallorca (PSM) and their EFAy member youth branch Joves d'Esquerra Nacionalista (JEN).

In addition to the GA, a series of activities were organised throughout the day and well into the night for delegates from EFAy member organisations from Aaland, Brittany, Cornwall, Flanders, Moravia and Wales to name but a few.

At the event it was also formally announced that EFAy Coordinator Eva Bidania would be leaving the EFAy next month to take up a position of Policy Advisor to the EFA.

EFAy President, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, said after the GA:

“It was a great pleasure to be back in Mallorca among our very enthusiastic and active members of JEN. The event was a resounding success and we are indebted to JEN for not only making us feel very welcome, but for also providing a lot of fun too!

Our GA’s are important times for the EFAy, because they allow our members to make contact on a professional and personal basis, in addition to developing the activities of the EFAy itself. I am sure our members who attended the Palma de Mallorca GA will remember the day as one where old acquaintances were firmly renewed and many new friends met.”

Further details of the resolutions passed will be made available in the next few days.

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Les JERC - Barcelona simulen la mort d’un jove a mans dels militars per protestar per la presència de l’exèrcit espanyol a la Saló de l’Ensenyament

Els joves republicans han desplegat també una pancarta i han repartit un miler d’octavetes entre el jovent que visitava la fira.

Una desena d’activistes de les JERC - Barcelona han realitzat aquest matí una acció en el marc de la fira “Estudia - Saló de l’ensenyament” com a protesta per la presència d’un espai dedicat a l’exèrcit Espanyol. L’acció ha consistit en simular la mort d’un jove davant del mateix estant acompanyat d’un cartell on es llegia: “Jo he estat víctima dels exèrcits”.

Al mateix temps diversos activistes han desplegat una pancarta davant de l’estand sota el lema “ESTUDIAR NO ÉS MATAR”, on també s’hi podia llegir “Fora Assassins del Saló de l’Ensenyament”.

Paral•lelament s’han repartit un miler d’octavetes explicatives entre els joves assistents, on es posava de manifest el rebuig frontal de les JERC - Barcelona per aquesta presència, i es reclamava a la Fira de Barcelona, organitzadora de l‘esdeveniment; i a la Conselleria d’Educació, col•laboradora, que no permetin la presència d’efectius militars en el sí de la Fira. El pamflet exigia també la retirada de l’exèrcit espanyol i francès dels Països Catalans per tal de poder construir una societat lliure, democràtica, pacífica i desmilitaritzada.

Gerard Gómez del Moral, Portaveu de les JERC - Barcelona, ha mostrat el seu malestar davant “la presència de l’exèrcit a un Saló d’estudiants, ja que els valors que les forces armades promouen són totalment oposats als que s’han d’impartir per formar i educar als joves del nostre país”. Gómez del Moral ha recordat que “les JERC seguirem sempre promovent els valors de la tolerància, la solidaritat i de la pau” alhora que ha manifestat la intenció dels joves independentistes de “protestar cada vegada que l’exèrcit espanyol decideixi trepitjar la ciutat de Barcelona”.

L’acció al Saló de l’ensenyament és el quart any consecutiu que es realitza, i s’emmarca en la campanya antimilitarista de les JERC – Barcelona, que protesten cada cop que l’exèrcit espanyol i francès apareixen a la ciutat, bé sigui en autobusos de reclutament o en espectacles com els de “La Festa del Cel” durant les Festes de la Mercè.

Per a més informació >> Gerard Gómez del Moral, Portaveu de les JERC – BCN

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Guest speakers at this event will include Hans Heinrich Hansen (Panel Chair) (President, Federal Union of European Nationalities), Halit Habipoğlu (President, Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe, Nelly Maes (President, European Free Alliance - European Political Party), Asst. Prof. Dr. Halim Cavusoglu (Department of Sociology, Hacettepe University ), Pavlos Filipov Voskopoulos (Member of the Central Council of EFA-Rainbow, political party of the Macedonian Minority in Greece), Hélène Flautre MEP* (Chair, Subcommittee on Human Rights, European Parliament), Dr. Csaba Sándor Tabajdi MEP* (Chair, Intergroup for Traditional National Minorities, Constitutional Regions and Regional Languages), Boriss Cilevičs (Member of the PACE, Chair, Sub-Committee on Rights of Minorities) Panayote Dimitras (Spokesperson, Greek Helsinki Monitor) and Mikel Irujo Amezaga MEP (Greens/EFA Group).

Background information on the Turkish and Macedonian minorities of Greece

The Greek state systematically discriminates against the Turkish minority and denies the ethnic identity of the minority, which whether acquired by birth or through acculturation, is Turkish. Greece prefers to use the term “Muslim minority”, a concept based on the Lausanne Peace Treaty and on the rejection of a “Turkish” identity. Greece’s refusal to accept the minority’s Turkish identity has ranged from banning civic organisations bearing the adjective “Turkish” in their titles – as in the case of “Turkish Union of Xanthi”- to prosecuting individuals who publicly identified the minority as “Turkish”.

The Macedonian minority of Greece is concentrated in the northern part of the country. Although the Macedonian language is spoken by a large number of persons, it is in danger of becoming extinct as it does not enjoy official state recognition and therefore is not taught in the education system. Furthermore, Macedonian speakers and indeed persons expressing a Macedonian ethnic identity have been persecuted by Greek authorities. Greek courts on multiple occasions since 1989 have refused to register the cultural association “Home of Macedonian Culture”.
______________________
* speaker to be confirmed
* Invitation: http://www.florina.org/html/2008/march27_e.pdf

POLITICAL PARTY OF THE MACEDONIAN MINORITY IN GREECE

www.florina.org

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The laws, passed in the wake of the WWII period, legalised the persecution of the Hungarian and German citizens of the former Czechoslovak Republic, by proportioning collective guilt on them for the atrocities that took place in this period of history. The EFAy support the petition to the European Parliament calling on the Slovak authorities to declare the laws null and void and to compensate the victims and their families for the suffering that they subsequently endured as a result of these laws.

The EFAy calls on its members and supporters to sign the petition and to raise concerns with the Slovak authorities.

Part of the text reads as follows:

“The Undersigned request, on the grounds of our commitment to fairness and the protection of human rights, that the members of the Hungarian and German minorities in Slovakia (as former part of the Czechoslovak Republic) receive, because of their persecution between 1945-1948, moral satisfaction and financial compensation, or other appropriate remedy for the human victims, physical sufferings and for the results of the financial damages caused to the social organizations (including public organizations and churches) of the minority (or those playing an important part in its life), its private entrepreneurs and private persons! By signing the present document we also support the concept of the Hungarian-Slovak reconciliation and all the movements and civil organizations (e.g. the petition of the “Never Again Polgári Társulás” civil organization and the associated Southern Slovakian civil organizations), which raise their voice against maintaining that infringement of rights and the legitimization of it.

We demand that the Parliament request Slovakia, in a resolution, to declare its still applicable incriminated legal acts – including the act which exclude the right for compensation related to unlawful actions before 25 February1948 – null and void by the means of deregulation. Furthermore, we request that the Hungarian and German minorities of Slovakia shall be presented formal apologies for the injuries suffered as a result of aforementioned legal acts and legal practices, and because of the crimes caused by Slovakia (as former part of the Czechoslovak Republic), and the Czechoslovak state; they shall receive adequate compensation for the confiscation of property and the mental sufferings. Slovakia shall convict those citizens who committed crimes against properties and humanity.

We request that in case of lack of an appropriate answer, or if Slovakia maintains this massive infringement of human rights, the Parliament should launch an infringement procedure at the Council of the European Union because of the breach of Article 6 (1) of the Maastricht Treaty (as laid down in Article 7 of the Maastricht Treaty), and as final step suspend the rights of Slovakia as a European Member State.”

Website and petition link:
http://www.vilagmagyarsag.com/benes

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Bureau Member, Gael Briand of Jeunes de l'UDB (Youth of Union Démocratique Bretonne), reported that two members, Ana Sohier (25 years old) and Gwendal Rioual (24 years old), were elected in their Municipalities of Rennes and Guimgamp.

Amandine Moretti, who represents the youth of Partitu di a Nazione Corsa (PNC) on the EFAy Bureau, was elected to her Municipality and reported that the elections went very well for the PNC generally, with many people being elected in the smaller municipalities on the island.

The EFAy Bureau wish our other members and supporters who were also elected in the municipal elections good luck in their new roles and look forward to working with you in the future.

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Below Amandine and Gael say a little bit about themselves below, by way of introduction:

Amandine Burguet Moretti

“My name's Amandine Burguet Moretti and I'm an active member of the Partitu di a Nazione Corsa. In my organisation, I'm a member of the Cunsigliu and am an elected representative on my City Council. I'm a graduate of political science and am in Corsica University.

I was very happy to be elected to become a member of the EFAy Bureau, because I'm very interested by the Europe and I think that the one part of the political solution in Corsica lies with Europe.”

Gael Briand

“My name is Gael Briand and I think I have had contact with all the Bureau Members during my training period in the EFA team. I'm 23 years old, member of the Breton's Democratic Union and graduated in Geography last June. I'm now candidate for the elections in Brittany and I need to find a job in the next few months.

I'm really proud to be member of the Bureau and I will try to work with all of you. I already have some projects in my mind with the youth of MK and Plaid Cymru. I live in Lorient which is one of the biggest town in Brittany.

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One of the positions was left vacant following the resignation of Philippe Sour, who represented the youth of Partit Occitan, at the end of last year. Philippe had been a Bureau Member of the EFAy for over three years and left to concentrate on his other political activities.

The two new Bureau Members will represent the youth of Partitu di a Nazione Corsa (Corsica) and Jeunes Union Démocratique Bretonne (Brittany).

The new EFAy Bureau is now as follows:

EFAY BUREAU 2007-2009

MKBY (Cornwall)
RHISIART TAL-E-BOT PRESIDENT
newsletter@efay.eu president@efay.eu

JONG SPIRIT (Flanders)
TIJL VENEENOOGHE VICE PRESIDENT
EFAy email: tijl.vereenooghe@efay.eu

JUNGE UNION (Süd Tirol)

ALAND FRAMTID (Aland)
ANDREAS DAHLÉN. VICE PRESIDENT
EFAy email: andreas.dahlen@efay.eu

MORAVANE. (Moravia)
JURA NOVOTNY. VICE PRESIDENT
EFAy email: jiri.novotny@efay.eu

UPPER SILESIAN YOUTH (Silesia)
MICHAEL SCHULZ. VICE PRESIDENT
EFAy email: michael.schulz@efay.eu

CHOBENALLA ARAGONESISTA (Aragón)
MICHEL MARTINEZ VICE PRESIDENT
EFAy email: michel.martinez@efay.eu

PARTITU DI A NAZIONE CORSA (Corsica)
AMANDINE BURGUEL MORETTI
Efay email: amandine.moretti@efay.eu

JEUNES UNION DÉMOCRATIQUE BRETONNE (Brittany)
Gael Briand
EFAy email: gael.briand@efay.eu

Coodinator

Eva Bidania
EFAy email: coordinator@efay.eu

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