SCI President Visits European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE)

SCI President McLaurin was in Brussels, Belgium last week to attend the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) General Assembly celebrated in the European capital. FACE is a partner organization with which SCI has had a strong relationship for years. The delegation of SCI also included Mr. Carsten Ottesen, SCI International Director and Dr. Zsolt Puha ,President of the Slovak-Czech Chapter, as well as Juan Magaz, SCI’s EU liaison.
 
A full program of three days of European lobbying with European Institutions was organized for SCI. This included an official meeting with Ambassador of Namibia to the Kingdom of Belgium, The Netherlands and Grand Duchy of Luxemburg and Mission to the European Union, Dr Mekondjo Kaapanda-Girnus, meetings with members of the European Parliament including Mrs. Mireia Borras and Mr. Herman Tertsch from Spain, Alex Agius Saliba from Malta, and the offices of 9 other members to advocate for the right to hunt in Europe. They also had the opportunity to discuss relevant issues with Brussel’s media, including the European Debate and The Brussel’s Report.
 
The SCI delegation met officials of the European Movement International, an organization that defends common values in Europe, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Global (SME Global), an organization that defends the business rights of many SCI members.

The newly established BENELUX chapter led by Mr. Jan Dams invited us to a Belgium experience with an excellent dinner. The delegation had time to share hunting experiences with chapter members and share best ideas and hunting activities to grow chapter engagement and membership.
 
SCI congratulates Mr. Laurens Hoedemakers, the newly elected President of FACE and wishes him all the best in his new challenging endeavor to protect the freedom to hunt in Europe. SCI will continue to support and cooperate with FACE and its new President and we thank Mr. Torbjörn Larsson for his longstanding dedication, confidence and intensive work done during the last years as FACE’s President. Pictured above L-R: Dr. Zsolt Puha, President Slovak Chapter, Dr. Laurens Hoedemaker, President of Face, Mr. John Mc Laurin, SCI President, Mr. Carsten Ottesen, SCI International Director, and Mr. Juan Magaz, EU Liaison.