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Who is on the board? Who are other key members? Who are the people behind the name EBCO? Here you can find an overview of the board. In the section below, you can view various profiles.

EBCO Board Members as elected by the General Assembly in 2004 Gerd Greune President Hans Dijkman Secretary General Jean-Louis Vanderheyden Treasurer Sam Biesemans Vice-President Tim Brown Vice-President Yiannis Glarnetatzis Vice-President Friedhelm Schneider Vice-President and EBCO-Delegate to the Council of Europe Bjørn Klouman Bekken Delegate Norwegian CO Union  Diego Cipriani Delegate CNESC (Caritas Italiana) Tobias Ehlich Administrator International Secretariat Samuele Filippini Delegate Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII Guido Grünewald Delegate DFG-VK Vesselin Iliev Delegate YSPDB Maurice Montet Delegate Union Pacifiste Maria Sannikova Delegate NGO Coalition for a Democratic Civilian Service Igor Seke Delegate EBCO Balkan Julien Soyer Delegate YAP International Andreas Speck Delegate WRI Jordi Tolrà Delegate Moviment per la Pau Claude Verrel Delegate CCSC

Others Jean Van Lierde  Chairman of Honor

Profiles President Gerd Greune Name: Gerd Greune Year of Birth: 1949 Birthplace: Hanover, Germany City and Country living in: Brussels, Belgium Language Skills: German, English and French; active, Spanish and Italian; passive How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? Together with a group of young men from different European countries, who were conscientious objectors like me, I started EBCO in 1979. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? After serving as secretary-general for many years, I am a member of the board as a vice-president since 1999. In addition to that I am the director of the office in Brussels, which is the International Secretariat since 2003. Have you been active for other NGOs / Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? See Gerd's Curriculum Vitae on IFIAS' website.

Secretary General Hans Dijkman Name: Hans Dijkman Year of Birth: 1939 Birthplace: Warnsfeld, Netherlands City and Country living in: Laren (Gelderland), Netherlands Language Skills: Dutch, English, German and little French  How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? After I retired from my work in 1994 I thought it would be a good idea to be more involved in EBCO. It was the time when conscription in Holland ended, and I was looking for a new challenge to work for peace. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? First I was treasurer for almost 5 years followed by a commitment as the EBCO Board's representative to Greek CO's. I was president of EBCO from 2001 to 2004, when I was elected Secretary General.. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? I am an active member of several Dutch CO and peace organizations: Kerk en Vrede, VD-AMOK and Hein van Wijkvereniging. The latter is an EBCO-support union in  which I am active as a treasurer.

Treasurer Jean-Louis Vanderheyden Name: Jean-Louis Vanderheyden Year of Birth:   Birthplace:   City and Country living in: Brussels, Belgium Language Skills: French, Dutch, English How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are?

Vice-President Sam Biesemans Name: Sam Biesemans Year of Birth: 1950 Birthplace: Uccle, Belgium City and Country living in: Brussels area, Belgium Language Skills: Dutch, French, English, Italian, little Spanish,  How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? Together with a group of objectors from different European countries, I was one of the initiators and founding members of EBCO in 1979. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? Until 1997 I was president of EBCO. Since then, I have the status of a vice-president on the board. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? I have been active in various activities and NGOs. Here some examples: Trainer for the Belgian branch of "Mouvement International de la Réconcilation" (International Fellowship for Reconciliation), Secretary of the University Council for Development Cooperation of the V.U.B. (Flemish University of Brussels), Secretary of the International Association of University Days of Peace.

Vice-President Tim Brown Name: Tim Brown Year of Birth: 1942 Birthplace: Penrith, UK City and Country living in: Cambridge, UK Language Skills: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, little Turkish How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? I became involved with EBCO during the years 1995, '96 and '97, when I was working in Brussels for the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA). Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? I presented a resolution on conscientious objection at the Council of Europe before EBCO had consultative status; here in Cambridge I run an account in £s on behalf of EBCO. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? As a Quaker I have been a life-long pacifist. I am Treasurer of the Quaker Peace Studies Trust which supports the Department of Peace Studies in the University of Bradford.by the Turkish government in 2004.

Vice-President Yannis Glarnetatzis Name: Yannis Glarnetatzis Year of Birth: 1967 Birthplace: Serres, Greece City and Country living in: Thessalonica, Greece Language Skills: Greek, English  How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? I participate in the Greek Committee for Conscientious Objectors, and later in the Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors, since 1986. I participated in the first study session in the European Youth Center of Budapest in 1996 and since 1997 I replaced Yiannis Chryssovergis as representative of our Association in the EBCO. I was elected vice-president in 1998. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? Mostly I am involved in the longer standing country campaign of EBCO (Greece), where we still face many problems. I also participate in activities with the Balkans region, before and after my election, I have been (for seminars, meetings, trials, etc.) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia-Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Cyprus; I was also among the organizers of the South-Eastern Europe Conscientious Objectors Meeting in Thessalonica on June 1998. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? I am active in the ecological, anti-globalization and anti-war movements, and a member of the Antiracist Initiative of Thessalonica and the Feminist Group of Thessalonica.

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Tobias Ehlich Name: Tobias Oliver Ehlich Year of Birth: 1984 Birthplace: Wuppertal, Germany City and Country living in: Brussels, Belgium Language Skills: German, English, French, little Spanish How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? As a conscientious objector I applied for a program to do my civilian service abroad. I got accepted and chose to go to Brussels. I started working here for IFIAS and EBCO at the beginning of September 2003. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? My commitment as a volunteer includes all kind of work for EBCO: It ranges from editing The Right to Refuse to Kill,   reorganizing and maintaining EBCO's Yahoo-Groups, internal communication and website-building. At the board meeting in October 2003 I was named delegate to the European Youth Forum. In addition to that, I was elected member of the board at the AGM in March 2004. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? From 1998 to 2003 I was active in my congregation where I co-organized church services and other activities for young people.

Guido Grünewald Name: Guido Grünewald Year of Birth: 1952 Birthplace: Cologne, Germany City and Country living in: Cologne, Germany Language Skills: German, English How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? I got involved with EBCO for the first time in the 1980ies and then again in 1996. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? Unfortunately I am very much occupied with my job. As far as my time allows, I am trying to support individual conscientious objectors. In addition to that I am working on the history of conscientious objection in Europe. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? For the German Peace Society - United War Resisters (DFG-VK) I am active as an international spokesperson. I am also working for the International Peace Bureau (IPB) as a consultant.

Jordi Tolrà Name: Jordi Tolrà Year of Birth: 1963 Birthplace: Yverdon, Switzerland City and Country living in: Barcelona, Catalonia Language Skills: Catalan, Spanish, French, English, Italian, some Serbo-Croatian How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? As international officer of Moviment per la Pau some 10 years ago. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? I have been President of EBCO for 4 years, after Sam Biesemans and before Hans Dijkmann got elected 2001. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? I am active for Moviment per la Pau de Catalunya.

Yannis Chryssoverghis Name: Yannis Chryssoverghis Year of Birth: 1959 Birthplace: Athens, Greece City and Country living in: Athens, Greece Language Skills: Greek, French, Spanish, English, Italian, little Turkish How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? I became involved with EBCO during the years 1995, '96 and '97, when I was working in Brussels for the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA). Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? From 1985 to 1989 I coordinated the initiatives of EBCO for the recognition of the right to conscientious objection in Greece. From 1990 to 1997 I was informing regularly the EBCO on the evolution of our efforts in Greece. I was  vice-president of EBCO 1991 - 1997. Have you been active for other NGOs/Peace Movement, etc. and do you still are? From 1985 on I was the delegate to EBCO for the Greek Committe for Conscientious Objection. I continued to be representative of the Greek COs' Association from 1990 to 1997, when Yannis Glarnetazis replaced me.

Mirko Schwärzel Name: Mirko Schwärzel Year of Birth: 1977 Birthplace: Gelsenkirchen, Germany City and Country living in: Essen, Germany Language Skills: German, English and French  How did you get involved with EBCO and when was that? I started with a voluntary service in the EBCO office in Brussels from July 1996 to January 1998. Later I participated in the work of the EBCO Board: I was representative to the European Youth Forum between 1998 and 2001, and Secretary General from February 2001 until March 2004. Could you briefly describe your commitment for EBCO? As far as time allowed I participated in the organisation of seminars (e.g. in the European Youth Centres), campaigns (e.g. in Bosnia) or other activities (e.g. "Buchenwald"), and tried to support the secretariat in the every-day business.

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