On the occasion of the Fifth IPCI Conference in Istanbul EPF organized meetings of its Executive Committee and its Council. In addition to preparing its members for the role they could play in the forthcoming 2 days of meetings, both meetings served as a good opportunity to prepare our members for the forthcoming Family Planning Summit in London in July.

The gatherings also saw exciting new changes come about for the future of EPF. At the EPF Council meeting we were delighted to welcome and officially approve the membership of two new All-party Parliamentary Groups; from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Italy. Both countries’ parliaments stand to benefit from the support and expertise that their APPGs’ membership of EPF will bring, and we greatly look forward to deepening their involvement with the EPF network.

At the Council meeting we were also delighted to vote upon the new configuration of EPF’s Executive Committee. Here we are pleased to announce that Hon. Öznur Çalık, MP (Turkey) and Hon. Petra Bayr, MP (Austria) were both elected as Vice-Presidents. Meanwhile former Vice-President Baroness Jenny Tonge has changed role, and now will occupy the post of EPF Treasurer. Finally EPF is delighted to welcome Hon. Jani Toivola, MP (Finland), Hon. Monica Ferro, MP (Portugal) and Hon. Ulrika Karlsson, MP (Sweden) among its Executive Committee members, and we greatly look forward to deepening the fruitful collaboration that has already begun with them.