Femmes d’Europe an old-fashioned body in a modern world

IN the frequently testosterone-charged environment of the European Union, an organisation calling itself Femmes d’Europe can be assumed to be political. What else would survive? most would ask.

But this organisation is one of the old-fashioned kind, made up of wives of diplomats, civil servants and industrialists, men who for the most part run the EU.

They do what wives in such organisations do, raise money for good causes, not just in the EU countries but in the Third World also.

It could be seen as a very non-politically correct organisation. Of course it is, but the position of women power-brokers is not very politically correct either an average of 12% of TDs in the Dáil are women.

In case you think women are simply not cut out for politics, look at the situation of women in academia. About 3% of university professors in Ireland are female despite women being over half of the students and lecturers.

Femmes d'Europe is organised along traditional lines, after all, most of the women have given up their careers to support their husbands in theirs. So the honorary president is Flavia Prodi, the wife of the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and the next honorary president will be the wife of the next EC president.

They tend to divide into national groups, with the wife of the commissioner from the particular country playing an important role. Very hierarchical.

They define themselves as a non-political and philanthropic association, 1,200 women who work voluntarily to raise funds for humanitarian projects.

Annalisa Mancardi is vice-president in charge of press and publicity and accepts that the organisation might easily be passed over as simply a rich and idle women's club. However, that is beside the point. They get on with the work in hand, screening each request for aid and monitoring all funding. In 2002 they financed no less than 87 projects, raising and distributing €379,864. They have distributed €4.8 million to date, and administration costs do not exceed 2%.In the words of their president, Joke Hattinga van't Sant, raising money to help orphaned children in Bujumbura 27 years ago was the beginning of a fundraising activity by European women who, "by mutual respect and understanding not only became friends, but managed to raise money for the underprivileged in the world."

The underprivileged are in both Europe and in the developing countries. In the EU member states they help small projects which for one reason or another have difficulty obtaining funds from public authorities to help them get off the ground. For instance, the latest Irish project they helped was the Irish Cancer Society's breast awareness printing and distribution of educational cards with information on breast health care and early cancer detection.

The society relies on donations and receives no government or EU funding.

Ireland ranks 12th in the incidence of breast cancer, with an annual death rate of 650, which is higher than the European average. There are over 1,700 new cases identified each year.

The big fundraisers for the Femmes d'Europe are an annual Christmas Bazaar and a biannual Gala evening in Brussels within the framework of the EU Presidency inspired by the country holding the presidency.

And this brings the Femmes d'Europe to Ireland, the current holder of the presidency. They have organised a concert at Flagey Theatre in Brussels on April 22 called Macalla Echoes of Ireland.

It will feature the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Choir Anána. The programme includes music by contemporary Irish composers, while Anúna will perform traditional music from the 14th to 20th century. Tickets can be had from Annalisa at [e-mail]