Highlights of Foundation Week- Foundations Work 31 May - 4 June , Brussels

The first ever Foundation Week kicked off at 14h on 31 May at the Square Brussels Meeting Centre, Belgium, with more than 1,000 representatives from foundations, non-profits and the EU Institutions, as well as members of the public coming to attend Open Debates and the Interactive Fair. Read More

Gerry Salole, Chief Executive of the EFC said that “Foundations make a vital contribution to society, providing crucial support to millions of Europeans”. “The impact they have on so many areas is phenomenal and I hope that through Foundation Week we can showcase some of their work.”

Foundation Week generated greater press coverage than any previous EFC event. The whole week was blogged by Alliance Magazine and Foundation Week information appeared on around 100 websites around the world. In particular, EurActiv published two important articles, on how MEPs see a role for foundations in shaping EU policy and the Commission admitting it must do 'much better' on communications.

The Foundation Week Video Blog went live with up to the minute highlights of the events unfolding throughout the week. EFC staff and volunteers welcomed visitors coming from around the world to the Open Days sessions which ranged in subject from Entrepreneurship, Climate Change and Poverty to Religion and Democracy. Read More

The first day of events was brought to a close with a dazzling performance of Puccini’s most famous arias. Sopranos Mimma Briganti and Silvana Froli, tenor Fulvio Oberto and baritone Massimilano Valleggi from Accademia di Alto Perfezionamento del Festival Pucciniano in Torre del Lago delighted their audience in the concert hosted by Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca.

As the final open day sessions came to a close, the second half of Foundation Week began with the opening of the 21^st EFC Annual General Assembly and Conference entitled “A conversation with the Institutions”.

The conference days brought together some 560 participants to discuss the role of foundations in the European project, their relations with the Institutions, and how to facilitate the further development of the sector for the benefit of Europe and its citizens.

Following remarks from Emílio Rui Vilar of Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Chair of the EFC and Luc Tayart de Borms of the King Baudouin Foundation, the Opening Plenary went on to debate the results of an EFC/Gallup poll on MEPs’ attitudes about and knowledge of foundations moderated by Jacki Davis of the European Policy Centre.

The debate panelists included; Nadja Hirsch, Member of the European Parliament (MEP); Manuel Medina Ortega, Former MEP; and Gerry Salole, Chief Executive of the EFC. Read More

At a Special Plenary entitled, “The European Game Plan”, Mark Walport, of the Wellcome Trust, outlined the role foundations should play in research in the EU and underlined the particular importance of supporting the “brightest minds” in the sciences.

He was proceeded by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, who described the European Foundation Statute as “a sensible idea” and added that “I hope that you will ultimately succeed in this endeavour’’ Read More and see Video

The winner of this year’s EFC photo competition, ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’ was King Baudouin Foundation with its entry ‘Hero rats saving people’s lives’. Read More

©Sylvain Piraux

During the Closing Plenary Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, was awarded the European Mercator Fund's Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy. A Sudanese businessman, he started his own scheme for Achievement in African Leadership which offers a prize of $5m to former leaders who have promoted good governance, with $200,000 per year for the rest of their lives. Read More

As afternoon sessions came to an end, delegates gathered in the atrium and patio of the BELvue museum and the Magritte museum, generously hosted by the King Baudouin Foundation. This was followed by late night networking as well as dancing in the Bon Vivant.