Mon, 15 Jan 2007

Signature campaign aims to give anthroposophy a political voice at the EU

LÖRRACH, Germany (NNA) – A campaign to collect a million signatures in support of anthroposophy by next July has appealed for more support.

The Eliant initiative was established last summer and has as its aim to give the anthroposophical movement with all its practical fields of application a political voice at the EU in Brussels.

In order to be taken seriously in Brussels, evidence of popular support is required. Such support is now to be demonstrated across Europe through this campaign.

The collection of signatures started in November and by the end of December over 6,600 signatures had been registered.

But the one million signatures is only a start. The longer term objective was five to seven million signatures, including from non-EU countries, to demonstrate the worldwide support for anthroposophical initiatives, Eliant co-founder Michæla Glöckler said.

According to Eliant, EU legislation caused ever growing problems for anthroposophical products and services. Children’s food required the artificial addition of vitamins, medicines were no longer allowed to be sold and biodynamic preparations had fallen victim to the fight against mad cow disease (BSE). EU regulations were increasingly preventing the development of anthroposophical initiatives to the extent of threatening their very existence.

A charter for the Eliant initiative was adopted by representatives from a number of European anthroposophical organisations in Brussels last June which has already been translated into various languages. In this context a conscious decision had been taken to highlight the anthroposophical identity of Eliant.

The time had come for initiatives working on the basis of anthroposophy to declare themselves openly and to work towards common goals in Europe with other civil society networks and organisations, the Eliant founders said.

END/nna/ung/cva

Link: www.eliant.eu

Item: 070115-02EN Date: 15 January 2007

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