European Pirate Party
Thierry Fenasse
Public
Seen by 63
1) TUTORIAL ON VOTEIT
We've organised a tutorial session of the VoteIT platform, where the next Council Meeting will take place, destined for everyone (the board, delegates, and any volunteers).
The tutorial will take place next Sunday the 14th of May at 14.00 h (CEST) at the PPEU channel of the German mumble :
- Server: mumble.piratenpartei-nrw.de
- Port: 64738
We'll have the failsafe of the PIRATA.CAT mumble if by any chance the first one is down:
- Server: veuip.pirata.cat
- Port: 64738
Please try to attend to ensure a smooth running of the Council Meeting or, if this is not possible, to at least send someone else who can get familiar with the platform and transfer that knowledge to the rest.
We recommend that you register to the platform and create your user in advance.
2) VOLUNTEER SEARCH
The board is looking for volunteers who can help out drafting the first version of the Rules of Procedure that we will use in the Council Meeting, and which will be discussed for any ammendments and approved from the 25th-28th of May.
https://ppeu.piratenpad.de/Council-Meeting-2017-RoP-1st-draft
The board is also looking for volunteers to chair the meeting.
Please spread the word among your members and colleagues who might be willing to help.
3) NEW BOARD
The deadline is due and the Board hasn't received any nomination at all for new board members.
Our statutes say:
"(3) All nominations shall be done at least a month prior to the meeting at which the election takes place."
However, it later adds:
"(7) The Council may decide on additional rounds of voting and the admission of new candidates, if a position could not be filled."
The current Board recommends that the Council decides during the Meeting to hold those additional rounds of voting and admission of new members in order to have at least a minimal new board and hence be able to function as an organisation.
It also strongly recommends the Council Members to actively look for candidates to nominate at that time.
4) QUORUM AND COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
We don't need to meet a particular quorum to elect a new board, discuss to postpone the fee payments, or other matters, but we do need a quorum of 2/3 of the "MEMBERS ENTITLED TO VOTE" in order to approve statutes amendments. However, our statutes also say that the members who do not meet their financial commitments will lose all voting and speaking rights within the organs and bodies of the association (although the Council may allow them to delay/relieve their anual contribution). Therefore, the Board proposes to move the Membership Fee discussion to the beginning of the meeting, because this will determine which members can vote and whether we have a quorum or not.
New proposed agenda:
* Opening of the meeting (25th of May)
* Rules of procedure (25th-28th of May)
* Membership fee (29 of May-1st of June)
* Decision on changes of statutes (2nd-9th of June)
* Election of board (10th-12th of June)
* Admission of new members (13th-14th of June)
* Closing of the meeting (15th of June)
5) MEMBER ATTENDANCE TO THE COUNCIL MEETING
At the moment, we have received confirmation of attendance from the members in the list below:
CONFIRMED:
- PPFR (verified delegate)
- PPIS (verified delegates)
- PPCAT (verified delegate)
- PPDE (verified delegates)
- PPIT
- PPCZ
NOT CONFIRMED:
- PPAT
- PPBE
- PPEE
- PPFI
- PPHR -> Domain does not work anymore. Previous board members report it is currently inactive.
- PPGR
- PPLU
- PPNL
- PPNO
- PPPL
- PPRO
- PPSI
- PPES (Pirate Confederation)
- PPSE
- PPCH
- Young Pirates of Europe
- PPJP -> domain does not work anymore and emails are bounced back (but since they an observer member, at least it doesn't count in the quorum)
Please, send a list of your delegates (and a link to you party's official decision) as soon as possible if you plan to attend the meeting.
6) COUNCIL MEETING PUBLICITY
It would be great if you could promote the event by sharing these posts in your social media, specially if you have colleagues in member parties who haven't confirmed their attendance.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1941298699490540/
https://twitter.com/EuropeanPirates/status/859447265030701057
Don't hesitate in writting back to us if you have any inquiry regarding the Council Meeting or any other matter.
Best regards,
Koen De Voegt Wed 18 Oct 2017 6:31PM
Thank you Renaud,
As you so kindly point out, PPBE has formally decided to join PPEU in 2014. We have never formally decided leave the organisation. So technically we are a member and in doing so have obligations both in representation and and financial contributions. I have merely asked to either take up those responsibilities or formally resign from the organisation. And that we should make this decision clear before the planned Council meeting in Prague. I plan to attend that meeting as observer regardless of any decision by PPBE. And I am willing to defend any position PPBE is taking if asked to do so. I would gladly see an international team/squad in Belgium re-emerge. That is the reason I organised an event for the last PPI online GA. I would be happy if interest is higher. It offers a real possibility to contribute to the international development of the Pirate movement.
It is absolutely true that PPEU so far has failed to achieve even the most fundamental things it's required to do by it's statutes/GA. So indeed there are valid reasons to leave the organisation. My personal position on PPEU has shifted back and forth a lot during the last year or so. Currently I favour staying in the organisation. Leaving an organisation because it is not functioning the way you like feels like an NVA approach. I believe we should try to contribute constructively to the further development of PPEU. The large membership costs are one of the main arguments for leaving I see. Now I will repeat my original question, shall we confirm our membership before the planned meeting in Prague, or shall we leave the organisation. And how will we take that decision. Here on loomio? Doesn't feel like the right place. There is next to nobody here. Waiting for the next GA then maybe?
And I would like to thank HgO for his last email proving my point about not informing himself.
Vincent Wed 18 Oct 2017 6:48PM
There is a 3rd way, actually: Article 8 of PPEU's statutes allows us to be an observer member.
No offense ment, but I don't think PPEU's membership is worth 300€ today.
Speaking of the membership fee, I wouldn't be suprised if PPBE had accepted to be a member before this condition was added. In that case, since (to my knowledge) we have never paid that fee, we are de facto at best observer members.
Koen De Voegt Wed 18 Oct 2017 6:58PM
Well actually yes, stupid of me to not think about that, I suggest we become an observer member of PPEU for the time being.
Vincent +1
HgO Wed 18 Oct 2017 6:59PM
Koen, could you stop attacking me ? You don't know me, so please keep your opinion of me for yourself. Thanks.
I propose to discuss about this during the next lab, on 28th October.
For the membership, I agree with Vincent that we could be an observer member until we have made our decision.
Thierry Fenasse Wed 18 Oct 2017 7:51PM
It is also possible to start a proposition here on Loomio. It's open, transparent and public.
Subject
Let's consider PPBE as an observer member of PPEU
** Content **
According to Article 8 of PPEU status, do we - PPBE - agree to become an observer member and to have .... (Koen if you wish?) as our representative.
During your vote, add a comment if you want to involve yourself on a PPBE and international pirates project (squad) and contribute to build relations between PPEU, PPI, and other Pirates parties and movements.
Remember this vote and comment is public.
** Closing date**
Some time before the Prague meeting?
This is an example, copy/paste it or adapt it. @koendv it will be coherent if it's you who launches it.
Regards
Koen De Voegt Wed 18 Oct 2017 8:28PM
No that is not what Vincent said, and it's not a viable option. If you would have read Renaud's mail you would see that we are a member since 2014. Technically we seem to have an outstanding debt to PPEU of 1200 euro. (Membership fees for 2014/2015/2016/2017, 300euro each) I don't believe PPEU will actually force us to pay that sum, as several members have not paid their fees. Still I believe it best we take a decision on the matter before the next Council meeting, or at the very least before the end of the year. Then again we might be kicked out, or kicked down to observer member at the next Council meeting, because we have not for filled our obligations to the organisation, regardless of our decision.
Josse Wed 18 Oct 2017 8:39PM
I would like us to pay gladly the 1200 euro if they would dare to make the point at the European Union and explain its gigantic democratic deficit.
HgO Wed 18 Oct 2017 8:42PM
As stated in the PPEU statutes :
(8) If a Member Party did not pay their due membership fee for two consecutive years until the first Council meeting of the second year, they are deemed to have left the Association by resignation automatically.
Therefore, according to their statutes, we are currently not an ordinary member of the PPEU. And there is no way we will pay 1200€, since we weren't represented at the previous GA, according to the minutes Renaud pointed.
Koen De Voegt Wed 18 Oct 2017 9:21PM
Hmm, it would have made more sense if that would have been in section:
Article 12 – Resignation, Exclusion, Suspension, Loss of Membership and Death / Dissolution / Bankruptcy
So seems we were member in 2014 and 2015, and have a debt of only 800 euro. (Which I don't think we will ever have to pay) Good news in a way, I guess. That means we were invited in error actually. Looking a bit further at their website that actually means PPEU has no parties as member at all. Or we might still be overlooking a Council decision that wavers the fees or something...
Great to see that you did finally read something, maybe there it hope for you yet.
Renaud Van Eeckhout · Wed 18 Oct 2017 3:07PM
"Pirates inform themselves" of course, but they also provide the information in the best possible way for sharing.
So I tried to gather the info that I could find about PPEU (only PPEU, not talking about PPI, otherwise we will all be lost).
That is basically all I can find on PPEU, so it's a bit hard to find reasons to keep being a member when it's such a black box. Not even mentioning the fact that it is very odd to have such an opaque and hierarchical organization above us (it complicates everything with delegations, representative democracy etc).
And on a personal note, I'm very happy of what @hgo brings to the PPBe since years, it has been most helpful to help sharing the information between us and organize better in many ways. But let's keep this topic to PPEU :)