FTA Europe elects inaugural board

FTA Europe has been formally established by five European flexo technical associations, EFTA-Benelux, ATF, ATIF, ATEF and EFIA, with a remit to develop, standardize and extend the continent’s flexo industry.

Lejeune will be joined on the board by Sante Conselvan, president of the Italian flexo association ATIF, as FTA Europe president and Wim Buyle, board member of EFTA-Benelux, as vice president of FTA Europe. Debbie Waldron-Hoines, EFIA director, will serve as FTA Europe’s treasurer and take care of the association’s finances. Beatrice Klose, director of Intergraf, the European federation for print and digital communication, will act as FTA Europe secretary-general.

‘The establishment of FTA Europe is an important step forward for the European flexo community,’ said Conselvan. ‘There are formal or informal platforms for the advancement of flexo in at least 10 countries across Europe, with a total membership that will not be far off from the numbers of our parent organization FTA in North America.

‘Each of the national organizations is doing excellent work in their own country or language region, but so far a common European platform was lacking.

‘With FTA Europe, we are aiming to tackle common European issues that each of us cannot achieve on his own. By establishing our office in Brussels with Intergraf, we will benefit from its existing European connections, and with the engagement of Lejeune in our management, we will have an important liaison with several packaging organizations related to flexo.’