The Federal Committee of the UEF, meeting  on  6 November 2005 in Brussels, elected Dr. Friedhelm FRISCHENSCHLAGER as new Secretary-General of the UEF. With an academic background in political science, Dr. FRISCHENSCHLAGER, 62, has been a Member of the Austrian Parliament (1977-96), Minister of Defence in the Austrian government (1983-86), a Member of the Parliamentary  Assembly  of the Council of Europe (1980-83) and  a MEP (1996-99). Between 2001 and 2003 he worked in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

Mr. Bruno BOISSIERE, the outgoing Secretary-General, who had been in office since April 1997, will become the Permanent Representative in Brussels of the International Centre of European  Training (Centre International de Formation  Européenne) which is based in  Nice and Berlin. Mr. BOISSIERE, a former MEP, like his successor, is also the Secretary  of the Federalist Intergroup for the European Constitution in the European Parliament.

Note to editors

The UEF, founded in 1946, is an independent and non-governmental European organisation, campaigning for a federal Europe. Since April 2005, it is presided over by Mrs. Mercedes BRESSO, President of the Italian Region of Piedmont, Member of the EU Committee of the Regions.