Mission Statements by the Core members of the Alliance ELIANT
AEFMUTA, «Association Européenne des Fabricants de Médicaments
Utilisés en Thérapeutique Anthroposophique»
Anthroposophic medicine is in an extreme minority position, which makes it very difficult to convince EU-decision makers to create special rules for the evaluation of quality, safety and efficacy of its remedies in line with the specific therapeutic approach. The support of a large number of citizens, via their signatures, is a very useful tool for our major aim: to gain full registration or authorisation for anthroposophic medicinal products and give them a place on the EU market, thus allowing free trade and free circulation throughout the European Union.
Patrick Sirdey
President AEFMUTA
demeter
Demeter International is the only ecological association that has built up a network of individual certification organisations world-wide and does not exclusively pursue the interests of its own association. As the oldest organic farming association, Demeter has always felt committed to strengthening common social interests. For this reason, and not only for its own economic interests, Demeter International wishes to support an ecologically sound and sustainable agricultural and consumer policy. Demeter International is convinced that the achievement of these aims will serve the public welfare of society as a whole. In this sense Demeter International also feels committed to broader social interests, which, for example, includes developing consumer consciousness and worldwide responsibility.
Although Demeter International has had some successes already in Brussels lobbying work, we strongly support ELIANT for the purpose of achieving a broader alliance for food, health and education. We are convinced that a broad alliance gains the interest and even support of Brussels officials.
Thomas Lüthi
President demeter International
European Co-operation in Anthroposophical Curative Education and Social Therapy
Anthroposophy is rooted in the European tradition
The European Union is based on a tradition of human dignity, individual development and freedom of choice in a pluralist society. This is clear from many articles of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. Areas of anthroposophical work such as Waldorf schools, anthroposophical healthcare, curative education and biodynamic agriculture are based on the legacy of European thinkers, and their principles are firmly rooted in this European tradition. In a European Union of increasing size and complexity, we must wholeheartedly promote the values enshrined above!
We support this European ELIANT Alliance as a means to show that anthroposophy and the initiatives, institutions and businesses developed from it are based on a European tradition of human dignity, individual freedom and freedom of choice in a pluralist society. This is why the joint charter was drawn up.
Adrienne Thier Bernard Heldt
President ECCE Secretary General ECCE
ECCE is based on the EU Charter of fundamental rights
European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education
Although the EU, as an institution, has no direct responsibly for educational policies in the member states there is growing indirect influence that has been accelerated by the Lisbon process. The Council of Ministers meets regularly and, through a process of bench-marking, peer-review and sharing of good practice, there is a tendency for a particular idea relating to educational practice or policy to appear in various countries simultaneously, and a drift towards discrete and informal harmonisation. The European Commission has developed many programmes within their competences of extra measures beyond those provided by the member countries themselves, and these have been used effectively over the years by Waldorf schools. Now however the EU is moving into new territory through the mutual recognition of qualifications and their latest initiative in the field of children’s rights.
The danger is a future consolidation which could detrimentally affect parental right of choice, in the same way that we have seen in the medical and agricultural sectors. To prevent this we need a stronger voice in Brussels, and this can be done by the creation of platforms that have enough baseline support to be taken seriously. ECSWE already participates in a number of these and represents the schools’ movement in the ELIANT Alliance.
Christopher Clouder
Director
European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education
EFPAM
The results of the ELIANT campaign will help us to represent the concerns and interests of our 60,000 members. By joining forces with hundreds of thousands of other citizens in Europe, we can achieve a scale and impact that EFPAM would never be able to achieve on its own. The coordination of interests of all organisations active in the broad field of applied anthroposophy will hopefully lead to an efficient and successful way of approaching the collective problems those organisations are increasingly facing in Europe, which threaten their existence and sustainability.
One of the most urgent topics for EFPAM and its member associations is the availability of anthroposophic remedies in Europe. The present legal situation is inadequate to deal with a fair and smooth registration of a large number of anthroposophic medicines that have been on the market and used by ten thousands of patients all over Europe for decades. Together with the other organizations united under the umbrella of ELIANT our Federation hopes to challenge this unbalanced and discriminatory situation in Europe. The strong support of a large proportion of Europeans, through signing of our joint charter, is vital for our work.
René de Winter
President European Federation of Patients’ Association for Anthroposophic Medicine
FOUNDATION FOR ANTHROPOSOPHIC MEDICINE
The foundation for anthroposophic medicine promotes the concerns of the worldwide anthroposophic medical movement and is recognised as a foundation in civil law. It is tax-exempt in Germany and Switzerland.
It acts as legal entity for planning and realising the ELIANT campaign, having taken on this task at the request of the Alliance since the latter’s founding aims include securing legal safeguards for anthroposophic medicine, and raising its public profile. The foundation sees in the ELIANT campaign a decisive tool for effectively supporting anthroposophy’s cultural mission in the medical field.
Michaela Glöckler MD
Foundation chairperson
Foundation for anthroposophic medicine
gesundheit aktiv
ELIANT offers us considerable support in our concerns, giving our 9,000 members a voice through its campaign at European level. As affiliated sponsor association, we will continue to offer all possible support to the campaign. We regard the concerted campaign on behalf of applied anthroposophy as existentially necessary and vital for the continuation of anthroposophic endeavours in various areas of life.
Hans-Jürgen Schumacher
Manager
gesundheit aktiv
IBDA, Internationaler Verein für biologisch-dynamische Landwirtschaft
IBDA supports ELIANT in fostering network building amongst anthroposophic initiatives in Europe. IBDA is proud to be a partner with the other organisations supporting ELIANT. ELIANT is a necessary tool to reach the goals of public awareness and governmental support for achieving quality of life and cultural pluralism in Europe.
Ueli Hurter
President IBDA
International Coordination of Anthroposophic Medicine / IKAM
IKAM is an affiliation of 16 representatives of various professions and disciplines within the anthroposophic medical movement. It thus forms the international collegial group of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum, see also www.medsektion-goetheanum.ch The ELIANT campaign is seen as vitally important, not just for supporting the creation of the necessary legal basis for anthroposophic medicine (AM) but also, connected with this, for undertaking publicity work to raise the profile of AM’s autonomous, spiritual approach in the context of today’s complementary medicine. In modern Europe AM is still largely invisible.
Jürgen Schürholz / Heike Sommer
Publicity work coordination IKAM
IVAA International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations
The IVAA is the umbrella group of anthroposophic medical associations, and its aims are to secure legal and political safeguards for anthroposophic medicine in Europe and worldwide.
To be able to undertake our activities at EU level with the necessary credibility and support, we need to be able to show that there is broad public demand for AM in civil society. This is why the IVAA considers it vital to continue the ELIANT petition campaign.
Peter Zimmermann MD
President IVAA
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