French

President of Euromontana since October 2008.
André Marcon is hotel manager at Saint-Bonnet le Froid (Haute-Loire) where he offers trips to discover the local nature. He is the president of UCCIMAC, Union of chambers of commerce and industry of Massif Central. He is also President of the Chambers of commerce and industry and inter-consular organisations at local, regional, and inter-regional level, and vice-president of ACFCI at national level since 1995. He has been vice-President of the economic and social committee in France since 2004, member of the Permanent Board for Massif Central Committee since 1994, of the Permanent Commission of the National mountain council since 2002, of the Permanent conference for Tourism in rural areas since 2001, of the National conference for spatial planning and territorial management since 2006. Locally he is also Mayor of Saint Bonnet le Froid since 1989 and vice-président of the “Communauté de commune du pays de Montfaucon”.

contact: e-mail

French

Arrived in Euromontana mid-July 2008 to replace Kristiina for the time of her maternity leave, Alexia Rouby studied agronomy and economics of rural development in France. After a short stay in Romania for her Masters’ thesis in political economy, she did a 5-month traineeship at the European Commission and then briefly participated in the work of Euromontana in 2003 before she entered the French Permanent Assembly of Chambers of agriculture as a task manager, where she coordinated the network of Breeding offices for 4.5 years. She speaks French, English, Spanish and has some understanding of Romanian.  

contact:
skype name: alexia.euromontana
e-mail

French

She joined Euromontana in April 2007, thanks to the “Volontariat International” French Programme. Marie is an agro-economist with a Master of Sciences in rural development and agricultural policies. During her studies, she did internships in the mountainous areas of Poland and Czech Republic where she participated to research on the changes of farming practices and structure. Fluent in French and English, she can also communicate in Spanish and she has basic knowledge in Czech.

contact: e-mail

Romanian

Joined Euromontana in May 2009. She studied History in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and afterwards, European law and politics in Strasbourg, France. During her studies, she did 2 internships at the European Parliament, one with a Romanian deputy working in the Agriculture and rural development committee and in the Regional development committee, and a second one in the Directorate-General for Internal Policies, the department for the structural and cohesion policies. Ancuta is not at her first experience inside an ONG as she has been active since 2002 in the “Europrietenia” a town-twinning association between a Romanian village from Transylvania and a French one from the Vercors mountains. She speaks Romanian, French and English fluently and she has some knowledge of Italian and Russian.

contact: e-mail

Polish

Daria has a Master of International Relations in Political Science and studied also in France where she did a Certificate of European Political Science. She did an internship at the Permanent Representation of Poland to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. She speaks Polish, French and English and has basic knowledge of Italian and Russian. She joined for 10 months Euromontana at the end of February 2009, thanks to the European Voluntary Service of the Youth in action programme of the European Commission, managed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency.

contact: e-mail

PRESIDENT: André MARCON
France, UCCIMAC

President of Euromontana since October 2008.
André Marcon is hotel manager at Saint-Bonnet le Froid (Haute-Loire) where he offers trips to discover the local nature. He is the president of UCCIMAC, Union of chambers of commerce and industry of Massif Central. He is also President of the Chambers of commerce and industry and inter-consular organisations at local, regional, and inter-regional level, and vice-president of ACFCI at national level since 1995. He has been vice-President of the economic and social committee in France since 2004, member of the Permanent Board for Massif Central Committee since 1994, of the Permanent Commission of the National mountain council since 2002, of the Permanent conference for Tourism in rural areas since 2001, of the National conference for spatial planning and territorial management since 2006. Locally he is also Mayor of Saint Bonnet le Froid since 1989 and vice-président of the “Communauté de commune du pays de Montfaucon”.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Martin PRICE
Scotland (United-Kingdom), Perth College

Professor Martin Price is Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies at UHI-Perth College, within the emerging University of the Highlands and Islands. He established the Centre in 2000 following previous work at the Universities of Oxford and Bern, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (USA). He has undertaken activities related to the sustainable development of, and global changes in, mountain areas around the world since the early 1980s, and was centrally involved in the development and implementation of both the mountain chapter of *Agenda 21* (1992) and the International Year of Mountains (2002). He has been the coordinator of two major studies on European mountains for the European Commission (2002-4) and the European Environment Agency (2008-9) and has worked with many other international organizations on mountain issues, including FAO, IUCN, UNEP, and UNESCO * which designated him UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development in 2009.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Fabrizio FERRARI
Italy, IREALP

Fabrizio Ferrari has been the president of IREALP since 2005. He has worked 20 years in the bank sector. He has been mayor of Castione della Presolana, in the province of Bergame, and Regional councilor of Lombardy, president of the Mountain Committee and Secretary of the Italian Foundation of Mountains. During the IVth legislature of the Lombardy region, Fabrizio Ferrari was member of 3 regional commissions where he dealt with themes linked to mountain, agriculture and environment. One of the project in which he has the most been involved was the writing of the Mountain law. He is also at the origin of the law on ski lifts installations and other initiatives in the sector of tourism, mainly in favour of mountain in the Lombardy region. During the VIIth legislature, he was Vice-president of the IVth Commission (productive activities, Agriculture and tourism) and among its more important initiatives, he was the rapporteur of the new Regional Forest Law.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Danut GITAN
Romania, CEFIDEC, Training and development agency of the Carpathians

Executive director of  Training and Innovation Center in the Carpathians – CEFIDEC Vatra Dornei and vice-president of Euromontana from 2004. Specialized on agricultural mechanics and agri-food economy, Danut has participated in implementing rural projects in the mountain area of Romania, financed by EU, the World Bank and the Romanian Government.   

VICE-PRESIDENT: Tor BREMER
Norway, County council of Sogn og Fjordane

Born in Sogndal 9 February 1955. Farmer by profession, producing milk and meat. Currently the vice chairman of The County Council of Sogn og Fjordane. Leader of The Labour Party of the county of Sogn og Fjordane. Member of the board of The Regional Council for Western Norway, an organization for co-operation consisting of 4 County Councils on the Western coast of Norway.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Juan Andrès GUTIERREZ
Basque Country (Spain), Department of agriculture of the Basque Country

Geographer, with studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, DEA in Geography, ecology and development of mountain areas at the University of Grenoble and Interuniversity Degree in cartography and teledetection at the Universities of Louvaine-La-Neuve, Liège and the Free University of Brussels. Professional experience in spatial teledetection at the laboratory "Surfaces" of the University of Liège. Since 1989 works at IKT (public participation enterprise by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government). Currently responsible for the Department for Agricultural Analysis and Studies at IKT. Also a member of the Committee of Directors of the World Rural Forum (NGO working in the field of cooperation) and Naturgintza (private environmental foundation).

TREASURER: Vlatko ANDONOVSKI
Macedonia, MAKMONTANA – Association for the Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions

Executive Director of MAKMONTANA  and the President of the Balkan Foundation for Sustainable Development from 2005. He is associate professor at the University in Skopje, teaching Forest Genetics and Tree Improvement and Landscape Design. Since 2008 he is vice-president of the Macedonian Chamber of Tourism in charge for the Rural Tourism Cluster.  

MEMBER: Thomas EGGER
Switzerland, SAB, multisectoral national mountain organisation

Dipl. Geographer. 1991 - 1996: Scientific collaborator ARW, Dr. Peter Furger AG in Visp. 1996 - 2001: Head of regional office of the Swiss center for mountain regions (SAB) in Brig. From 2002: Director of the Swiss center for mountain regions in Berne. Observer at the Alpine Convention on behalf of Euromontana. Member of the board of directors of Schweizerische Beratungsgruppe für Regionen und Gemeinden. Member of the board of directors of Schweizerische Studiengesellschaft für Raumordnungs- und Regionalpolitik. Secretary of the Parliamentary Group Mountains . Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Municipalities from tourism villages in mountain areas. Committee of the Eggiwiler Symposium (partnership cities - rural areas). Committee Chance BeO (Berner Oberland). Committee Pro Val Lumnezia (regional development). Committee Pro Safiental (regional development). Committee Landschaftspark Binn (regional development).

MEMBER: Jean-Louis CAZAUBON
France, APCA National Network of the Agricultural Chambers

Jean-Louis CAZAUBON is farmer in the Pyreneese mountains (dairy farmer, processing milk in yoghurt). He is an elected representative in several institutions: President of the Chamber of Agriculture of Hautes-Pyrénées, President of the Regional Chamber of Agriculture of Midi-Pyrénées, Vice-President of APCA (Permanent Assembly of Chambers of Agriculture at the national level), in charge of the comissions "territories", of the Mountain group and of the group "quality of products",  Vice-President of Crédit Agricole Pyrénées-Gascogne, and Vice-President of the group Rural Development in COPA-COGECA. He is also advisor of the French Economic, Social and Environmental Committee. He is the Mayor of Poueyferre, a commune of 900 inhabitants, since 1995.

MEMBER: Thierry PERCIE DU SERT
France, ARPE regional environmental agency

Mr Thierry PERCIE DU SERT manages environment and sustainable development issues as a Deputy Director in Agence Régionale Pour l'Environnement. He is also in charge of the ARPE office in Bagnère de Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées).

MEMBER: Elena DIBELLA
Italy, Province of Turino

Elena Di Bella is the director for Rural and Mountain Development in the Province of Torino. She also represents she province of Torino at the board of director of Euromontana, where she co-leads with APCA (French Permanent Assembly of Chambers of Agriculture) the theme of mountain quality food products.
Originally graduated in agricultural economics from the Turin University, she has worked as agricultural extension officer at the Italian Farmers’ Federation of Piedmont and as free lance in advising farmers and industries on analysis and control costs and fund raising, as well as on the reorganisation of the dairy cooperatives of the Pinerolese area. She has also occupied the function of interim director of Euromontana before joining the province of Torino where she has been working since 2001 as a director for Rural and Mountain Development. Her main field of activities are the agricultural and rural and mountain development sectors and quality products: local development projects planning and coordination in the framework of strategic political lines of Province of Torino, European projects planning for rural and mountain development, coordination of studies and feasibility studies.

MEMBER: Isobel MAC CALLUM
Scotland (United-Kingdom), The Highlands Council

Counsellor for the Highland council.

MEMBER: Domenico MASTROGIOVANNI
Italy, National Farmers' Union (CIA)

Vice-president of Euromontana, coming from Abruzzo in Italy, Forestry economist by education, Member of the National Management Board of Italian Farmers Confederation and Management Board of Research Institute for Mountain and Forest. Extensive working experience in the field of sustainable management of mountain areas and their environmental and socio-economic aspects (Structural Fund programmes, Leader and Interreg projects) at different levels.

MEMBER: Sylvain MARMIER
France, FNSEA

Farmer in the department of Doubs (dairy farm)

MEMBER: Robin CLARKE
Scotland (United-Kingdom), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE)

Head of international affairs for HIE (agency for economic development in the Highlands and Islands).

MEMBER: Drew RATTER
Scotland (United-Kingdom) Crofters Commission

Convenor of Crofters Commission, Board Member NHS Shetland, crofter raising cattle and sheep in Shetland, freelance journalist and writer

MEMBER: Svein BORKHUS
Norway, County Council of Hedmark

Svein is vice-chairman of the Hedmark County Council, territorial community of the south-east part of Norway, bordering Sweden.

MEMBER: Andreja BOREC
Slovenia, Faculty of agriculture of the University of Maribor

Andreja is associated professor in Agroecology and Rural Development. Since February 2007, she has been working on the EuroMARC project (on consumption and retailing of mountain quality food products), coordinated by Euromontana.

MEMBER: František STRELEČEK
Czech Republic, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice

Vice-rector for development

MEMBER: Antonio MACHADO
Portugal, ADRAT (Agency for regional development)

General secretary

Robert DUCLOS
past President of Euromontana and Honorary President of Euromontana, France

Founding President of the Groupe Montagne within FNSEA. Founding President of SIDAM. Founding President of AFDI (Agriculteurs Français et Développement International). Past President of the Chambre d'Agriculture de la Loire. Honorary President of Euromontana.

Jörg WYDER
past President of Euromontana and past tresurer, Switzerland

Frank GASKELL
past president of Euromontana (2000-2008), Scotland (United-Kingdom)

Frank has been the President of Euromontana since 2000. He was employed as Head of International Affairs within Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the UK Government's economic development and training agency for the whole of the North of Scotland. He is a member of the Monitoring Committee for the Northern Periphery Interreg III Programme and of the Management Committee of the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme . He was the Chairman of the LEADER II Monitoring Committee for the Highlands of Scotland. Frank is also a Board Member and past-President of EURADA, the European Association of Development Agencies.
Key speeches as president of Euromontana

Ian MacAskill
past tresurer, Scotland

Main experiences have been in economic development in the Highlands of Scotland where he was the chief official for the main development agency. He also chaired the Government agency for Crofters (Small Farmers), was a member of the Land Fund which help fund communities to buy their local properties, Chaired a formal Broadcasting Body responsible for funding television and radio programmes for a minority language (Gaelic). Has a special interest in developing the culture and arts in Gaelic.

Gérard BEDOS
past Vice-President of Euromontana, France

Breeds organic suckling calves. Occupational responsibilities: President of the Caisse Locale du Crédit Agricole (Quillan - 11), Vice-President of the Chambre d'Agriculture de l'Aude, President of SUAIA Pyrénées (an organisation that promotes farming development on behalf of the Chambres d'Agriculture Pyrénéennes), Member of the Conseil National de la Montagne.

Annie BENAROUS
past Delegate General of Euromontana, France

Andrea NEGRI
past Vice-President of Euromontana, Italy

Member of the National Management Board of the Italian Farmers Confederation. President of Turismo Verde and Anagritur, the national consortium of the Italian agri-tourism association. Was one of the founding fathers of Euromontana in 1996. Was in charge of CIA's Mountain policy. Representing Euragritur with COPA-COGECA. Academic training as a journalist. Published a variety of feature pieces on mountain farming.

Radu REY
past Vice-President of Euromontana, Romania

Born in 1940. Veterinary doctor, specialized on food hygiene and mountain rural economy. Prof.dr - at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine - Mountain Faculty - Iasi. Member of the Academy of Agricultural and Forest Sciences - Bucharest. More than 200 publications, 2 reference books for mountain agri-rural development. 1990-1993: President, Secretary of State, Romanian Mountain Area Commission/Ministry of Agriculture. 1994-2002: Director General, Director - National Agency of Mountain Area/MAPDR. 2002-2004: Director (adviser)/ Minister's Cabinet/MAPDR- for mountain area. 1994-2004: Program coordinator - Training and Innovation Center for Development in the Carpathians - CEFIDEC Vatra Dornei. 2000-2004: Member - Executive Bureau of Euromontana. Honorary president - ANDRM "Romontana" and Mountain Farmers' Federation - Dorna. Main author of official normative papers: "Mountain Law" (2004), "Delimitation of mountain area", "Strategy of sustainable development of mountain area" (2004). Initiator: agri-mountain, vocational and university educational system. Rapporteur for the European Council.