What is ELEC ?

Founded in 1946 by Paul Van Zeeland (Belgium), Josef Retinger (Poland) and Pieter Kerstens (Netherlands) – who were rapidly joined by other European figures including Edmond Giscard d’Estaing (France), Harold Butler (Great Britain) and Herman Abs (Germany) -, the European League for Economic Cooperation celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2011.

It has never been a mass movement, although it was present at The Hague in 1948 among the founding organisations of the European Movement (www.europeanmovement.eu). Nor is it a lobby defending the interests of a given sector or particular profession, nor yet a think-tank capable of mobilising teams of researchers. ELEC could be described as an “intellectual pressure group” in the service of the European project, anxious to carry out its mission in complete independence of private interests or the public authorities. This mission includes the European education of its members by circulating information among them and by organising debates on the great European themes.

ELEC’s members

ELEC’s members, in the countries of Europe in which it is currently represented, mainly come from the economic and financial world, but they also include senior national and European officials, and people from academic and political backgrounds. Together, they form a European network with significant expertise and influence. ELEC thus has advisory status at the Council of Europe and on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

To be sure, Europe today has a variety of clubs, associations and groups pursuing similar aims. ELEC stands out because of the very diverse nature of its membership, the wide range of their interests, and a particular concern for independence in formulating their opinions. This gives its internal debates an openness and frankness which participants find intellectually stimulating, even if unanimous agreement is sometimes difficult to achieve. But it is this diversity and independence that prompts ELEC to ask the right questions and, in the answers it provides, to give priority to the common European interest.

Organisation and operation

First and foremost, ELEC hinges on its national sections, which enjoy considerable autonomy in recruiting their members, assembling their financial resources and organising their own activities. It is mainly through national sections that members are attracted to ELEC and participate in its national and international activities. Citizens of countries where there is no national section of ELEC, as well as officials at international or European institutions, can become associate members.

The Central Council

The Central Council, which is ELEC’s managing body, brings together twice a year the presidents of national sections in activity and individual members elected for their personal contribution to ELEC, under the leadership of the International President. It alone is empowered to adopt resolutions in ELEC’s name and to circulate them by whatever means it chooses.

Commissions

This is also the forum in which the programmes of ELEC’s working commissions are debated and approved, and their work evaluated. Open to all ELEC members, there are currently six of these commissions covering various areas of economic activity and cooperation in Europe: Agriculture, Economic and Social, Infrastructures, Mediterranean, Monetary, and Neighbourhood. It is in the commissions that ELEC’s essential research is carried out, as well as the drafting of position papers that give rise to various publications. They frequently call on external experts to present the issues which they examine. The Monetary and the Mediterranean commissions organize from time to time onferences, which are open to a larger public, including non-ELEC members.

ELEC is financed through yearly contributions of the national sections.

Governance

Central Council

The Central Council which is ELEC’s managing body, brings together twice a year the presidents of national sections under the leadership of the International President. It adopts and circulates resolutions in ELEC’s name. This is also the forum in which the programmes of ELEC’s working commissions are debated and approved, and their work evaluated.

Members

International President: Javier Arias

Secretary General: François Baudu

Vice-Presidents: Rainer Boden, Olivier Klein, Franz Nauschnigg

Honorary Presidents: Bernard Snoy et d’Oppuers, Anton van Rossum, Daniel Cardon de Lichtbuer (†)

Members ex officio

Ramon Buisan (President – Andorra section)
Bénédict de Tscharner (†) (President – Swiss section)
Alois Ochsner (Secretary General  – Swiss section)
Thomas Cottier  (Secretary General  – Swiss section)
Radu Deac (President – Romanian section)
Maciej Dobrzyniecki (President – Poland section)
Francesc Homs Ferret (President – Spain section)
Philippe Jurgensen (Honorary President – France section)
Olivier Klein (President – France section)
Andreas Grünbichler (President – Austrian section)
Branimir Botev (President – Bulgarian section)
Antonio Martins da Cruz (President – Portugal section)
Wim Boonstra (acting as President – Dutch section)

Individual members

Olivier Giscard d’Estaing (France)​
Massimo Deandreiss (Italy)
Carles Gasoliba (Spain)​