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AREG’s main role is to promote the growth of renewable energy in our city – in a phrase, to make Aberdeen as well-known for renewable energy as it is for oil and gas. Our member companies – and there are almost 150 of them – work in all the main renewable technologies – from wind power to wood fuel, from hydro to wave and tidal energy.

The Poverty Alliance is the anti-poverty network in Scotland. We bring together community groups, organizations, academics, trade unions - all working with the Government to try to find better solutions to poverty. We have an informal membership of between 130-140, but we have a much wider network - over about a thousand contacts with whom we are in regular contact. We work formally with a whole range of community organizations and members as well as a informal contact with a wide range of groups.

Interview with David Harker, CEO, Citizens Advice Bureaux

The NHS European Office was set up to represent NHS organisations in England to EU decision makers. We do this through monitoring and engaging with EU policy and legislative developments which have an impact on the NHS as a provider and commissioner of healthcare, an employer and as a business. Although each EU country has its own unique healthcare system, we share common values and objectives and so often work together at EU level. We frequently build alliances and work closely with other like-minded organisations in order to have a stronger voice in EU decision making.

In 2009,The Salvation Army is active in 28 countries around the EU and 117 countries globally. 'There is increasing recognition that the EU shapes the UK and ultimately affects all of our lives. It is our responsibility as citizens to ensure all society’s interests are represented and responded to. Failure to participate entails failure to achieve.', Tim Stone says.

The UK’s chemical and pharmaceutical sector is a £60 billion industry. Every day those businesses – situated across the UK - add £20 million to this country’s balance of trade. The jobs of more than half a million people are dependent on the sector. Those jobs are highly skilled and comparatively well paid. 
 
The industry body in the UK is the Chemical Industries Association (CIA).

Steve Elliott, CIA Chief Executive is based in London but spends a great deal of his time in Brussels because the majority of policy, legislation and regulation that impacts the chemical industry originates from the institutions of the European Union.

David Orr is Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation which represents 1300 independent not-for-profit housing associations in England.

He is also President of CECODHAS, the European Liaison Committee for Social Housing which represents 46 regional and national federations across 19 EU member states providing 22 million homes to 70 million Europeans.

Aidan Stradling works as a consultant, trainer and adviser with organisations across North East England, the UK and the EU. He was previously Europe and Government Liaison Manager at the regional assembly in North East England.

Tony Coleman has not always worked for local government. In fact for most of the past twenty years he has been an actor, producer and director at home in Ireland and in the US. What made him make such a dramatic change of career? He recently did an MA in Cultural policy and management and sees a great similarity between the arts and politics. That similarity is engagement.

Ian Thomson is Mr EU Information in the UK.  He is Manager, European Documentation Centre, Cardiff University, Consultant to the Enterprise Europe Network Wales, Executive Editor, European Sources Online (ES0), has been Director, South Wales Europe Direct Information Centre (SWEDIC) and also finds time to be President of the European Information Association and Chair of the UK European Information Networks: Steering Group

To start with some general context for Age Concern's activities at EU level. Age Concern is a UK operation. It has never set out to operate internationally (Age Concern England's constitution does not give a geographical limit to its area of benefit) but over the years has tended to take on a leading role in EU and international organisations dealing with ageing.

This week sees the NCVO Annual Conference in London (21 February) on the theme of leadership and connecting communities. Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of the NCVO looks back on the past thirteen years of his involvement with the NCVO to see how the voluntary sector has changed and what particular EU influences have affected its development

Industry and Parliament Trust at 30 What is the IPT and what was the original impulse for setting it up? The IPT was established in 1977 to promote mutual understanding between legislators and wealth generators from all sectors of business. Specifically, what we do is provide