About us
The Swedish Paneurope Association has about 180 members. As an NGO, the SPA receives no external funding and relies on the membership fees, at present approximatively 20 € annually. These funds are mainly used to cover expenses in connection with seminars and luncheon meetings. A very small percentage goes to administration, which is carried out benevolently. However, the modest funding reduces the possibilities to undertake larger actions that stretches beyond the members. The SPA is always looking for collaboration with other institutions and organisations and has thus managed to get support among others from the Information Office of the European Parliament. This support has mainly been in kind, such as free access to meeting rooms for seminars, refreshments at those occasions and the like.
The Board of the association consists of 11 ordinary members among which the president, the vice president, the general secretary, and the treasurer. Other members have defined regular tasks, such as organising the monthly luncheons or arranging for the visits at the embassies. Ad hoc groups are set up to organise seminars. The SPA is very careful to stress that it is not affiliated to any political party: the Board members are elected on grounds of their European commitment and experience. Thus a former minister of the socialdemocratic party – having served as the first Swedish Commissioner at the EC – sits on the Board alongside active or former members of the conservative and liberal parties.
There is a growing awareness of the presence of the SPA, in particular at the governmental level: at the Foreign Affairs, at the special department headed by the Minister for European Affairs by the Prime Minister, but also within important organisations such as the Association of Swedish Employers, or the political parties. The SPA was invited by the Minister of European Affairs to participate in consultative meetings in view of preparing the Swedish presidency.
The Paneuropean Movement is a supranational organisation whose goal is the unity of Europe. Although the Paneuropean Movement is independent of all political parties, it holds clear and well-defined principles by which it appraises politicians, parties and institutions. The Paneuropean Movement has branches in most European countries and plays an active role for Europe´s unity.
During recent years the programme of the Association has been concentrated to three main activities, seminars, monthly luncheon meetings with invited speakers and visits to European embassies in Stockholm.
In addition to seminars connected to current events, such as meetings with candidates to the European parliament before the elections, efforts have been concentrated on a yearly half-day seminar on a European topic, build on the model ”Four talks about...” thus with four subtopics, with three speakers discussing on each of them, followed by a session of QaA for each subtopic, and finally concluded by remarks from the moderator.
These seminars have attracted some 80 participants, mainly because of the quality of the high-level speakers: several ministers, secretaries of state, heads of government agencies, professors/heads of departments at the Academy of Science and so on. In addition to members, invitations have been largely spread to the media, institutions with connection to European issues, ministries and governmental agencies.
In 2009 the main topic was ”Europe in everyday life” with the subtopics
1. How can we develop patient mobility in Europe?
2. How can education and research in Europe be more competitive?
3. How can European asylum politics show more solidarity?
4. Money – should Sweden join the EMU?
The previous seminar ”EU after 50 years” was likewise focussed on four issues:
1. Climate, energy and environment
2. The interior market
3. Security and human rights
4. Education and research.
Topics of previous years include Europe and Islam, The Baltic Region – a new Hansan?(*), Europe and Russia, Europe and the United States.
(*) Hansan – a medieval trade organisation around the Baltic
The Board of the association consists of 11 ordinary members among which the president, the vice president, the general secretary, and the treasurer. Other members have defined regular tasks, such as organising the monthly luncheons or arranging for the visits at the embassies. Ad hoc groups are set up to organise seminars. The SPA is very careful to stress that it is not affiliated to any political party: the Board members are elected on grounds of their European commitment and experience. Thus a former minister of the socialdemocratic party – having served as the first Swedish Commissioner at the EC – sits on the Board alongside active or former members of the conservative and liberal parties.
There is a growing awareness of the presence of the SPA, in particular at the governmental level: at the Foreign Affairs, at the special department headed by the Minister for European Affairs by the Prime Minister, but also within important organisations such as the Association of Swedish Employers, or the political parties. The SPA was invited by the Minister of European Affairs to participate in consultative meetings in view of preparing the Swedish presidency.
The Paneuropean Movement is a supranational organisation whose goal is the unity of Europe. Although the Paneuropean Movement is independent of all political parties, it holds clear and well-defined principles by which it appraises politicians, parties and institutions. The Paneuropean Movement has branches in most European countries and plays an active role for Europe´s unity.
Activities
During recent years the programme of the Association has been concentrated to three main activities, seminars, monthly luncheon meetings with invited speakers and visits to European embassies in Stockholm.
In addition to seminars connected to current events, such as meetings with candidates to the European parliament before the elections, efforts have been concentrated on a yearly half-day seminar on a European topic, build on the model ”Four talks about...” thus with four subtopics, with three speakers discussing on each of them, followed by a session of QaA for each subtopic, and finally concluded by remarks from the moderator.
These seminars have attracted some 80 participants, mainly because of the quality of the high-level speakers: several ministers, secretaries of state, heads of government agencies, professors/heads of departments at the Academy of Science and so on. In addition to members, invitations have been largely spread to the media, institutions with connection to European issues, ministries and governmental agencies.
In 2009 the main topic was ”Europe in everyday life” with the subtopics
1. How can we develop patient mobility in Europe?
2. How can education and research in Europe be more competitive?
3. How can European asylum politics show more solidarity?
4. Money – should Sweden join the EMU?
The previous seminar ”EU after 50 years” was likewise focussed on four issues:
1. Climate, energy and environment
2. The interior market
3. Security and human rights
4. Education and research.
Topics of previous years include Europe and Islam, The Baltic Region – a new Hansan?(*), Europe and Russia, Europe and the United States.
(*) Hansan – a medieval trade organisation around the Baltic