The European Movement UK is electing its new National Council - and we want you to get involved! Here's how it works and why you should play a part in our Movement's democracy...

The European Movement UK is holding elections that will help steer our Movement through the crucial months to come.

A new Chair, two Vice-Chairs and a new National Council will be elected by our more than 13,000 members, with the results to be announced at our Annual General Meeting on 27th November 2021.

You can read more at our AGM hub by clicking here, and members are encouraged to register for the AGM right away. If you're not a member yet, you need to join us by 30th September 2021 to be eligible to take part.

The National Council

But what about the National Council? What does it do, how will it work and - most importantly - why should you vote and even stand for the National Council?

The National Council is the European Movement's largest democratic body. Its job is to set the movement's campaign direction, pass the movement's budget, and more. It also scrutinises the National Executive, and elects the President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and up to four additional members of the National Executive.

In other words, it has a really important role to play. And not only that, it is a voice of the European Movement, bringing together representatives of our members, our affiliated branches, our Youth Movement, and representatives of the devolved nations.

The National Council's members

So who sits on the National Council?

The National Council will have members representing these groups:

• Officers - The Chair and two Vice-Chairs, all elected by the members, plus the Secretary and Treasurer which are elected by the National Council at its first meeting.
• The Branches Forum Chair - the person elected by the European Movement's affiliated branches to represent them.
• Young European Movement - the President of our youth wing, the Young European Movement, plus two other members of YEM.
• Branches representatives - 36 members elected by the affiliated branches of the European Movement.
• Wales, Scotland, & Northern Ireland representatives - 18 members elected by our sister organisations in Wales, Scotland, & Northern Ireland (6 from each). These are currently Wales for Europe and European Movement in Scotland.
• Members representatives - 54 members elected by the all the European Movement members to represent them on the National Council.

The National Council can also co-opt representatives from the parliamentary political parties and other major groups.

The National Council will usually meet four times a year, using online meeting software, and it can also form working groups to work on other projects.

As a member of the European Movement, you can vote and stand in the election of the 54 members representatives. So here's how it's going to work...

How the election works

Each of the nine former European Parliament regions of England will elect 6 members representatives, through an online voting system. There will be quotas stating that from each region at least 3 women are elected, helping to ensure that there is gender balance.

There is also a quota to ensure that each region elects 1 BAME representative and 1 representative under 35.

If insufficient candidates satisfying these criteria are elected, the National Council may co-opt an additional member from such backgrounds.

The timetable for the election can be found here, and the results will be announced at the AGM in November.

Why you should stand!

The European Movement needs the passion, the experience, and the skills of our amazing members. The National Council is bigger and more democratic than ever, and this is a great opportunity to bring new people with new experiences into our movement.

Whoever you are, whatever your background, and whatever your prior experience we want you to consider standing for the National Council.

We are determined to make being on the National Council accessible to all - whether you work full-time, have childcare or caring responsibilities, or whatever else your situation. If you would like to discuss further, feel free to contact us at [email protected]. 

We are especially keen for our members who are LGBT+, people of colour, women and non-binary people, and others from historically underrepresented communities to consider standing. If you would like to reach out and discuss this in confidence, please feel able to contact Maura at [email protected].

If you want to nominate yourself for election, you must do so by 11.59pm on 23rd October 2021. Don't miss out on this opportunity to help craft a stronger European Movement - click here to submit a nomination.