Quaker Council for European Affairs
|
Abbreviation
| QCEA
|
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Formation
| 1979
(45 years ago)
(
1979
)
|
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Focus
| |
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Area served
| Europe
|
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Key people
| |
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Website
| www
.qcea
.org
|
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The
Quaker Council for European Affairs
(QCEA) is an
international not-for-profit organisation
which seeks to promote the values and political concerns of the
Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers) at the European level. It undertakes research and advocacy in the fields of
peacebuilding
and
human rights
policy, notably in relation to the
European Union
and the
Council of Europe
. Founded in 1979 by Quakers who worked in the European institutions, it is based in
Brussels
,
Belgium
and is registered under Belgian law.
[1]
Work and issues
[
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]
QCEA undertakes policy research, political advocacy and “
quiet diplomacy
” on peacebuilding and human rights issues in the context of European politics. Its efforts currently focus on building support for nonviolent conflict resolution, shared security, and the human rights of
refugees in Europe
. In general, QCEA’s advocacy efforts focus on the European Union and the Council of Europe, where many of the political decisions relevant to its work are made.
More generally, QCEA argues in favour of peaceful cooperation between European countries, and in defence of the European
human rights framework
established after the
Second World War
. It hosts conferences and tours for Quakers from across Europe which explore these themes further.
Prior to 2016, QCEA was also responsible for EU-level Quaker advocacy on matters such as
economic justice
and
sustainability
.
Inter-institutional cooperation
[
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]
QCEA is a member of several civil society working groups and umbrella organisations in Brussels, including the
European Peacebuilding Liaison Office
, the
Human Rights and Democracy Network
, and the European NGO Platform on EU Asylum and Migration Policy.
[2]
[3]
[4]
It also collaborates bilaterally with other NGOs on specific matters.
QCEA also possesses “participatory status” at the
INGOs Conference of the Council of Europe
, allowing it to contribute to the work of the Council in a formal capacity.
[5]
Structure
[
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]
QCEA is established as a non-profit association under
Belgian law
(
association international sans but lucratif / internationale vereniging zonder winstoogmerk
). Its ultimate decision-making body is its General Assembly, with a smaller Executive Committee empowered to make decisions.
[6]
Support groups, which fundraise for QCEA and also participate in its governance, have been established in the
United Kingdom
,
the Netherlands
and
Ireland
.
History
[
edit
]
A small, informal Quaker presence in Brussels was already in existence in the 1970s, consisting of both locals and
foreign bureaucrats
living in the city. Motivated by both the increasing international profile of Brussels and the
linguistic schism
taking place in Belgium at the time, steps were taken to formalise this presence from 1975 onwards.
The newly-established Brussels Monthly Meeting began issuing a regular newsletter,
Around Europe
,
[7]
still published today, which rapidly became a source of updates on European political developments for Quakers around the world. This galvanised support for a “Quaker International Affairs Representative” to be posted in Brussels, as well as for an associated body to oversee their work. To that end, QCEA was established in September 1979.
[8]
Quaker House Brussels
[
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]
QCEA’s offices are located in the
European Quarter
in Brussels, close to the EU institutions and
Schuman metro station
. They occupy a townhouse on Square Ambiorix which was acquired shortly after QCEA’s foundation; it also serves as the main
Meeting House
for Quakers in Belgium and
Luxembourg
. The building itself, built in the 1890s by the architect
Georges Hobe
, is a well-preserved example of
art nouveau
architecture and has protected heritage status.
[9]
See also
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External links
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References
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