Governing Structures

The Forum has the following structures for its governance:

The National Organisations as Members
The National Organisations as Corporate Members are the core of the Forum. While legally independent, by virtue of their membership of the Forum they are responsible for:

- recruiting new members to the European Forum;

- participating in the decision-making processes of the Forum, and contributing to its policy development and finances;

- implementing the decisions of the Steering Committee within their own organisation and giving continuous information to members about the European Forum and its activities;

- appointing a person to serve as National Correspondent and be responsible for the contacts between the national organisation and other members, the Steering Committee and Executive of the European Forum.

The General Assembly
The General Assembly convenes every two years during the European Intervisitation Programme (EIP), and discusses and approves overall policy and financial issues. It comprises all members of the Forum present at the Intervisitation Programme.

The Steering Committee
Membership is made up of the presidents/chairs of the member national organisations or their nominees, together with members of the Executive, Past Presidents and the Honorary Members. It normally meets three times during a period of two years. Its main function is to determine the policy and structure of the Forum and its activities, within the general framework set by the Constitution and decisions of the General Assembly.

National Correspondents
The National Correspondent is the representative of each national association who co-ordinates its activities with those of the other countries, and acts as an essential link for communication between the Forum and its constituent members. In some cases National Correspondents represent their national Presidents as members of the Steering Committee.

The Executive
This comprises the President, the Vice-President, the Honorary Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Publications Officer and usually meets twice a year. It prepares the business of the Steering Committee, implements its policies, and ensures the continuing management of the Forum.