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GA 2012 – the programme unveiled
Euralarm's positive structural changes point to the future
GA 2012 – the programme unveiled
As previewed in the April 2012 newsletter, this year's General Assembly (GA) will be taking place on May 19th-22nd in Noordwijk aan Zee in the Netherlands.
Focusing on the theme of 'More efficiency and getting closer to our members', it is being hosted by our Dutch members' associations VEBON and UNETO. Following pre-conference social activities on Saturday and Sunday, delegate registration is to take place on the evening of 20th May, when documentation can be collected – the agenda, name tags, voting cards, etc.
This year's GA will then formally commence on Monday 21st, when General Secretary Dirk Gesenhues starts proceedings by running through administration issues. He'll then hand over to the Finance & Administration Technical Committee Chairman for a budget report, before President Hansjuerg Mahler delivers his President's address.
Revised statutes
Importantly, this year, the President will explain the revised Statutes and recommended organisational changes to Euralarm members (see separate report in this issue), who'll then have an opportunity to ask questions to clarify the proposal's details before a vote is held on them.
Election of new President
The election of a new President for Euralarm will follow, with the result being announced at the 11.30am start of the second morning session – when the new President also has an opportunity to make a short acceptance speech. Candidates to become Technical Committee chairmen will then be named in advance of a ballot vote, followed by the presentation of reports from the three Sections and the Technical Committees. This will take the form of a podium discussion (all reports having been despatched to members before the GA) with a question/answer forum included.
Section Members Meetings/Chairmen elections
The afternoon session is to start with the first part of three Section meetings, taking place in parallel and open to members/delegates-only. As part of these three Section meetings, a vote to elect the Chairman of the Services, Fire and Security Sections has also been scheduled.
Keynote presentation
Day one of the GA will then resume after a coffee break with a Plenary session involving external speakers, which is also open to non-Euralarm members: Dr Christian Ehler MEP will provide a keynote presentation; Christoph Kautz, Deputy Head of the DG Enterprise Research Unit from the European Commission will be discussing 'European security industry policy'; and Robert van Nieuwland is scheduled to talk about UAV – a new angle on fire and security. Following this, attendees will be invited to a Gala dinner – one of the networking opportunities that traditionally form part of each annual GA.
Day two details/workshops
The second part of Section meetings kicks off day two of the GA, followed by Plenary session workshops on the following topics:
- PEA/EARS – Public Emergency Alert/Emergency Alert and Response Systems
- Promotion of innovations by Euralarm
- VSS' and SMEs as a challenge or opportunity for Euralarm?
- Electronic Remote Services and Alarm Verification in the Fire Safety and Security market.
Extended GA
These workshop sessions are to be split by a break for lunch. This means that, unlike previous General Assemblies, which ended at lunchtime on day two, this year's event contains added value for delegates. The additional benefits of this extended workshop programme mean that proceedings will continue until 4pm.
The Presidents of both Euralarm and VEBON will conclude proceedings with a brief summary of this year's GA, as we look forward to the 2013 event.
Euralarm's positive structural changes point to the future
Ahead of this year's General Assembly (GA) on 19th-22nd May, Euralarm has proposed exciting new changes to its Statutes. Designed to introduce a range of improvements to the organisation's future operations, they will be debated and voted on at the GA.
In summary, these innovative proposals aim to implement more direct democracy and make Euralarm, open and transparent, with full member representation provided at Section level. They are also intended to increase Euralarm's efficiency and effectiveness, and improve its responsiveness, with better communications being offered to members as a result.
This positive development responds to recent calls from members to become more involved in Euralarm decision-making, and take more responsibility for the organisation's strategic goals.
Two-part strategy
Analysis of the feedback from both the GA 2011 and members' survey 2011 clearly show that the focus must be on improving the representation of all members, right down to Section level. With this in mind, a seven-strong team tasked with examining this issue has also analysed the current organisation and composition of the Euralarm Board. Chaired by General Secretary Dirk Gesenhues, the team concluded that the Board's existing link to Euralarm's Technical Committees requires strengthening.
"In addition to enhancing the present representation of Euralarm's Sections at Board level, we realised that a more effective Board, capable of key decision-making, would be enabled by providing the chairmen of the Technical Committees with a seat on the Board," Dirk explains.
"Euralarm is currently organised like an Association, with members needing to go through delegates to make their view known – putting them at arm's length from operational decision-making. The radical changes we're proposing seek to provide an effective platform for every member – whether they are national association or individual company – right from the start of their membership. This will provide them with direct access on a one-member, one-vote basis."
How it would work
Following the expansion of Euralarm at the 2009 GA, when a third Services Section was added to the existing Fire and Security Sections, it's now proposed that Section committees will become obsolete altogether and replaced instead by Section Members Meetings that are open to all members.
The annual General Assembly will continue to elect the Euralarm President, but this year new elections are being introduced for the Chairmen of the four Marketing, Lobbying, Finance & Administration, and Horizontal Compliance Technical Committees (who will then also become members of the Board). Meanwhile, each Section Members Meeting will elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman (who will also join the Board).
The Section Members Meetings will additionally elect an Auditor and one sectional delegate to each Technical Committee, as well as a volunteer Secretary (one for each Section). In terms of representation at the Section Members Meetings, each member will be able to nominate a delegate and an alternate/proxy delegate (who will serve for a three-year period).
The Euralarm Board will therefore be composed of 11 people in future: the President, plus a Chairman and Vice-Chairman from each of the three Sections, along with the Chairmen of the Technical Committees. These 11 will be joined by the General Director and General Secretary – both of whom are appointed by the Board but will have non-voting rights.
The benefits – in summary
Besides addressing the need to increase direct member representation at Section level, these proposed changes to Euralarm's Statutes will mean the Board has a more rounded, democratic, accountable and effective composition that will improve its overall management focus – as a direct result of integrating the Technical Committees' Chairmen and Sections' Chairmen/Vice-Chairmen.
The 'leaner' Statutes resulting from this proposal will also reduce Euralarm's administrative burdens – for example, by replacing the current Section delegates' structure, with its need for frequent elections (eg., when member companies merge, or acquire one another).
In conclusion, these proposed Statute changes will provide Euralarm with an organisational structure fit for future requirements, offering increased democratic accountability, faster response, and direct communications that provide the flexibility to meet any challenges posed.