A former Brussels Correspondent of the Financial Times, Giles is a journalist, author and broadcaster who has specialised in the study and analysis of European public policy issues since 1978. Since 1984, Merritt has been a columnist for the International Herald Tribune and Project Syndicate and his articles range widely across EU political and economic issues. Merritt began his newspaper career in 1968, when he joined the Financial Times. From 1972 he was successively FT staff correspondent in Paris, Dublin/Belfast and Brussels, until leaving the newspaper in 1983. In 1982 he published "World Out of Work", an award-winning assessment of the unemployment crisis in industrialised countries, and in 1991 "Eastern Europe & the USSR: The Challenge of Freedom", published in four languages.

Email Giles at: giles.merritt@friendsofeurope.org
Tel: +32 2 893 98 19

Geert Cami co-founded Friends of Europe in 1999. Prior to that, he worked for in the Information and Communications Unit of the then newly set-up European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), where he was responsible for the setting up of media events (exhibitions, seminars, press conferences, concerts, television debates, Humanitarian Days in Member States, etc). He also headed Forum Europe and produced music programmes at the BRTN (Belgian Public Radio) as well as special television reports for international organisations as NATO and CSCE.

Email Geert at: geert.cami@friendsofeurope.org
Tel: +32 2 893 98 19

Nathalie Furrer is the Director of Friends of Europe. In this role she manages the experienced team and develops the overall programme of the think tank, liaises with members, partners and the press. She also coordinates all debates and publications, as well as other initiatives co-organised by Friends of Europe on subjects ranking from energy, EU-China relations and the financial market to Latin America and EU health strategy. Prior to joining Friends of Europe she was working in an institute for public policy research organising international conferences throughout Europe. Nathalie graduated in Political Science from the University of Geneva and has a Masters in Communication from the Sorbonne in Paris. In addition to her native French, she is fluent in English and Italian and has a good knowledge of German.

Email Nathalie at: nathalie.furrer@friendsofeurope.org
Tel: +32 2 893 98 13

Shada Islam is responsible for policy oversight of Friends of Europe’s initiatives, activities and publications. She has special responsibility for the Asia Programme and for the Development Policy Forum. Shada is the former Europe correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review and has previously worked on Asian issues at the European Policy Centre. She is closely involved with initiatives to promote Asia-Europe exchanges including within the context of ASEM (Asia Europe Meetings). As a journalist, Shada also worked extensively on development questions including relations between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states as well as on world trade, including the Doha Round. Shada continues to write on EU foreign and security policy, EU-Asia relations and trade and development issues for leading Asian, European and international publications.

Email Shada at: shada.islam@friendsofeurope.org
Tel: +32 2 893 98 15

Aiichiro Yamamoto is currently Principal Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the European Union, based at Friends of Europe. JICA is the development aid agency of the Government of Japan, established in 1974 and operating in over 130 developing countries with an annual budget of approx. €10bn. He joined JICA in 1979, and has filled numerous posts both in Tokyo and overseas, including a post as Senior Assistant to JICA’s Director-General of Africa Department 2005-2007. His tasks included monitoring international aid trends and donor coordination on Africa as well as promoting the “One Village One Product” movement, which is to promote community-based business activities and to create a pro-poor value chain for small producers in Africa.

Email Aiichiro at: aiichiro.yamamoto@friendsofeurope.org
Tel: +32 2 893 98 18