Presidents Message, December 30, 2013

Notes from the President

2013 has been a difficult year for the EAAE. Conflicts within the organisation dominated internal communication during spring and the General Assembly in March. This led to the election of a new Council at the GA in Leuven in June.

To some extent the conflict stays with the organisation. Some members have raised doubts about the future of EAAE, and some are pursuing the accusations presented by the former Council at the GA in June further on. Most members stay loyal with the organisation, and very few schools have actively left the EAAE.

The task for the new Council elected in Leuven is to clarify and stabilize the situation, reinforce the organisations ability to take action and prepare for a new GA in 2014. The Council has met in Leuven (June), in Milan (July), in Chania (September, project leaders attending), in Barcelona (November) and will meet in Prague on the 17th and 18th of January 2014.

The Council has to a large degree succeeded in clarifying the situation. Generally our opinion is that questions and accusations related to EAAE management and economy are sorted out. Meetings with active project leaders have secured that activities in the projects and networks do continue. We are in the process of producing strategic documents that can govern the future of the organisation. A new General Assembly is needed in order to take the next steps in rebuilding the EAAE.

The 2014 General Assembly is scheduled for the 28th and 29th of March and will take place in Hasselt, Belgium. Preparatory documents will be sent out right after the Council meeting in Prague. At the GA the following will be discussed:

  • Report from the Council
  • Report on EAAE management and economy
    • Audit of the EAAE accounts made by PricewaterhouseCoopers
    • The Councils report on statements and evaluations of EAAE management and economy presented at the GA Leuven in June 2013.
  • Mission Statement for the EAAE
  • New EAAE Statuses
  • A proposal for EAAE Strategies 2014 – 2016
  • EAAE website
  • EAAE workplan 2014
  • EAAE budget 2014
  • Supplementary election of Council Members
  • Election of Vice President

I wish you all the best in 2014.
The EAAE needs your support.

 

Oslo, 30th of December 2013
Karl Otto Ellefsen
EAAE President