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How is the association organised and run?

An introduction to the Association

in About Us

How is the association organised and run?

The European Parliament's Stagiaire Association abides by the principles of democratic representation and equality. Accordingly, its leaders represent all of the political groups of the European Parliament, and the principles of gender parity are strictly adhered to.

The European Parliament's Stagiaire Association is led by an elected Steering Committee, elected in March and September of each Parliamentary Session. The Steering Committee is a college of 7 individuals.

Aiding the Steering Committee's work are 7 party delegates + 1 liaison delegate of the Trainee Association, each elected by the stagiaires of that political group. The party delegates serve as clear contact points within each political group and can also engage in individual work within party lines.

Each member of the steering committee is responsible for the work of one working group (the Stagiaire Association has 3 of them). The steering committee, through this process, divides the work of the Association and ensures maximum flexibility within the structure.

Plenary meetings and working group meetings

Once per month the Stagiaire Association organises a Plenary Meeting in one of the rooms of the European Parliament. All those who attend this Plenary Meeting form a quorum capable to take decisions on any matter proposed by the Steering Committee. Vote is by absolute majority meeting 50% + 1 vote are necessary to make a motion pass. The Plenary Meetings also have an 'Open Space' whereby half the meeting is a space where discussions on any subject can be brought up by those present.

Working group meetings are organised by the individual working group and are meetings where the day-to-day work of the Association actually take place. They are where the real progress of the Association takes place.

4 working groups ensure maximum effectiveness

The three working groups of the Association are:

Working Conditions
Socials
Communication

You can find out much more about each of these working groups by reading our section entitled 'Working Groups'

Each working group has its own individual frequency of meetings as determined by the chair of the working group. Also, the working priorities of each working group are determined by the chair in consultation with the members of the working group.

Any stagiaire can join as many working group as they wish, they are also entitled to attend whenever they wish. It is best to officially join a working group as this will mean the stagiaire is kept in the loop about future meetings and on-going discussions.

How do we elect our leaders?

In the February and September plenary meetings, the sitting Steering Committee announces the opening of elections and announces the modalities - such as when will the elections take place, deadline for the reception of candidatures, etc.

Those running for a post must send their candidature to the Steering Committee. Whilst a candidature dossier does not necessarily need to be long or extensive, the minimum requirements must be met for the candidature to be accepted. The applicant should send their candidature electronically either fully by e-mail or in a Word Document. In an application dossier the candidate must:

Full name of the candidate
Gender of the candidate
Party the candidate works for if applicable
Post the applicant is applying for (for the Steering Committee, this will be seen as a preferential vote with the exception of the Chair)
A letter of motivation
A brief CV - not a professional one but one that shows experience relevant to the post being applied for
An electronic picture

As the information is posted on the website of the Stagiaire Association to help other Stagiaires learn about the applicant before making their choice at the Plenary, it is important that the candidate not submit any information that they do not wish made public. Once the elections are completed, the posted information will be removed from the website.

How do we ensure gender parity?

Whilst ensuring gender parity creates a complex result of elections, the Stagiaire Association is committed to ensuring equal visibility of men and women in its leadership. Two different systems run in parallel to ensure gender parity is maintained by at the steering committee level and at the party delegate level.

The election elects the gender parity steering committee. To make this happen, the chair elected is the individual with the highest number of votes. The chair's gender determines how many vice-chairs slots per gender will made available. The candidates with the highest votes having those genders are then selected. The Steering Committee Designate then works out amongst themselves who will take on which working group's work.

For the party delegates, the first gender of the delegate must rotate per term. Thus if in one term the Green party delegate was a woman, in the next term the Green party delegate must be a man.

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