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Political and defence Europe (by Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Blog AnalysisCivil protection

At 14 East Street

(B2) In this garage located in the basement in Boulogne Billancourt, rue de l'Est, at number 14, we had illuminations, projects, actions. In this headquarters of the departmental Red Cross of Hauts-de-Seine, we often met to work but also to phosphorize, to think about what we could do to improve emergency management, and to act.

Between the idea and the realization, there were not often many weeks that passed. The time to gather the volunteers, the means, we did not think too much, we rushed. It is in these entrails, between the oil of the engines, the photocopier, and the offices located on the floors, even at the zero point of the Porte St Cloud, that were born the data processing applied to the urgencies, one of the first servers of NGO information (on minitel at the time - internet did not exist), European meetings with young people from all countries (including on the other side of what was at the time 'the Wall') , and above all a new doctrine of emergency relief and disaster relief.

Between go-getters and organizers Antoine had chosen his camp, to do both: he supervised those who were a little too enthusiastic, knew how to find the right cursor to organize the action, and acted. If the doctrine of disaster relief in volunteer organizations (notably the Red Cross) has evolved, or even been put in place, it is partly thanks to him. Discreetly and efficiently, what was called ORISC, the research and intervention unit of the French Red Cross, was set up, a unit made up of volunteers dedicated to search and rescue. A first book on disaster relief was published, with a foreword by Haroun Tazieff. In the form of a special issue of our cabbage leaf (Message), to avoid arousing national wrath, and with the tacit blessing of international bodies (ICRC and FICROSS). With him, we also welcomed Bernard Kouchner, who had just been promoted to Secretary of State for Humanitarian Action, for our second European meeting of young people (Europa Meeting). A moving moment. His first outing as a minister was a bit of a relay between the 'old' French doctors and the new ones. The current passed because we had the same fiber, that of acting, and the desire to move an old lady, a little too wise for our taste and encased in her comfort. Needless to say that receiving the one who had denounced the inaction of the Red Cross in the 1970s had earned us a salty outburst from the National. Regardless, we continued. And we then found ourselves in Paris or in Savoy (near the Modane training center) to remake the world and engage in another action... ORISC was then recognized and went to several theaters of operation. This is an other story.

Antoine is no more, died of too long an illness on Friday. Farewell Anthony

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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