European Economic
and Social Committee
EESC RENEWAL: Krzysztof Balon, new Vice-President of the EESC Civil Society Organisations’ Group
EU Member State responsible for his nomination as EESC member:
Poland
Nomination as representative of:
Polish Committee of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN Poland)
Educational background and professional experience:
I hold a Master of Science degree in Social Management from the University of Krems (Austria). My mother tongue is Polish, and I am also fluent in both English and German. In Poland, I co-founded and led numerous civil society organisations – large ones like the Working Community of Associations of Social Organisations (WRZOS) but also grassroots ones like the European Dialogue Foundation. I was also managing director and now president of the German-Polish association EUROSOZIAL (makes part of the larger German Parity Welfare Association, Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband). Nowadays, I am especially active as a Vice-President of the Polish Committee of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN Poland). My commitment to civil dialogue is demonstrated by my membership – dating back over 20 years – of the Council for Public Benefit Work (RDPP), a main statutory civil dialogue body (I have twice been elected by civil society organisations as co-president of this assembly) as well as of the National Committee for the Development of the Social Economy (KKRES).
Motivation for the Vice-Presidency:
EXPERIENCE, COLLEGIALITY AND TEAMWORK: having already twice been Vice-President of the Civil Society Organisations’ Group – thus a member of an excellent team – I am still very motivated to invest my time, skills and energy for the benefit of our Group. Since 2010, I have served the Civil Society Organisations’ Group by making key contributions to the work of EESC bodies as well as by drafting a large number of opinions in the SOC, ECO, INT, TEN and REX sections. In doing so, I have learned that collegiality also means reaching good compromises. After all, our members are active in NGOs tackling poverty and social exclusion, in consumer organisations, in organisations for people with disabilities, in movements for democracy and equality and against climate change, in organisations representing farmers, liberal professions, social economy and in many other areas. And still, all those activities have something in common: shaping participatory democracy and developing active citizenship.