[MCFA Int] Meeting in Brussels

["Olaf Boettger" <zbi03@DROPMEcc.keele.ac.uk>]

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Hi everybody,

After some technical delays, here now our comments on last Fridays' meeting
and some of the messages afterwards ...

***

Olaf, Joerg, Laure, Meinhard, and Oliver were the UK representatives at last
week's meeting between the Temporary Governing Board of the MCFA,
representatives of the local groups and members of the European Commission.

Let us briefly highlight the main outcomes of the meeting. This is just a
summary and will be explained in more detail in the minutes to be published
soon.

1. The target date for the first general assembly is September 1998.
2. The budget has been agreed with the EC, so that the MCFA can really start
work soon and will be supported by UNECIA (the secretariat) and Jose ??? 
as database/IT manager.
3. The statutes will be changed to the effect that the associate members
will have a full vote in the general assembly. 
4. Several working parties have been created (marketing, contacts with
industry, statutes, etc. - further info in the minutes) to open up the 
discussion between the temporary governing board and the members in the 
national groups.

***

After reading Meinhard's posting, you will be aware that the meeting was not
as plain sailing as the summary above indicates. There was a long and very
controversial discussion about the statutes. The main issue - the
distinction between associate and active members in terms of voting - is to
be changed in the statutes soon. The wish of the UK Fellows at the last
meeting - i.e., to change the statutes to the effect that a board of
representatives was created - was defeated by the MCFA members
present. It was felt by the majority that the representation of national
groups should be guaranteed by internal procedures rather than a change of
the statutes to that effect. A working group was created to decide on
possible internal procedures (but not on the statutes).

We think it is necessary to emphasise that the meeting did not decide
against the representation of national groups in the governing board, but
there was disagreement about the best way of doing so. While Meinhard (with
the backing of most of you) argued for a change of the statutes, most of
those present felt it was better to create internal procedures that
guaranteed appropriate representation of national groups. The advantage of 
such a proposal is that changes do not have to go through the Belgian 
ministry but can be changed by simple majority of the general assembly.

During the discussion, it became clear that the statutes hid deeper
issues of controversy between members of national groups (in particular 
the UK group) and the temporary governing board. As Meinhard's posting 
on Saturday clearly shows, there is a certain feeling of exclusion of 
members in the national group. This is, in our interpretation, not so 
much due to bad intentions on the part of the temporary governing board 
but to some lack of transparency in the ways of setting up the MCFA so 
far (and Meinhard refers to such problematic issues in quite some detail, 
e.g. no distribution of the new proposed statutus proposal for the 
meeting).

While it is important to point such problems out, it is also important to
refer to the other side of the coin. This is that members of the temporary
governing board feel that the amount of work they have put in has not 
been valued enough and with the necessary constructive attitude by some 
of the members in the national groups. Now, we can agree with this or not
but the fact that it has been raised should make all of us more sensitive 
to the ways we conduct discussions. As we have seen here on our mailing 
list, discussions can look rather more agressive on email than face-to-face, 
which has the danger of annoying people without the intention to do so. 
Hence, we would encourage all of you (and us, of course), to try to be 
more constructive in the postings. It may also be a good idea to sleep 
over a message before answering to it.

As a way forward, the members of the temporary governing board - in
discussions with us - have realised that there are feelings of exclusion and
agreed to work hard on improving the communication. As Norbert's posting has
shown this morning, such an improvement in communication has already
started. It is also fair to point out that we in the UK group have always
been better informed because Laure's reports from the temporary
governing board have always been prompt and substantial (as the minutes of
our meetings here in the UK show).

The main work for the first general assembly will now be conducted in working
groups rather than in the temporary governing board alone. Please do use this
opportunity to join these working groups and bring in your own ideas and
opinions. These working groups are inclusive and open to anyone! They should
propose and work on proposals which will be brought before the next meeting
of national representatives and the temporary governing board on 12 June
1998. Once the members and topics of the working groups have been published
in the minutes of last Friday's meeting, you will realise that most of the
work you have been contributing to the UK group is directly relevant to the
European group. In fact, we have been commended on all the excellent work
you have been doing. Please keep up this good work!

In reaction, to Meinhard's posting: We hope that most of the work will be
done in these working groups and will eventually be summarised in a
consensus proposal agreed on the next meeting. However, as Meinhard points
out, the statutes give any member of the MCFA the opportunity to bring
proposals before the General Assembly and have them voted on - even without
the support of the temporary governing board. Nevertheless, we think that it
is better for the MCFA as a whole if there is indeed a consensual agreement
on issues which are important for the future of the Association.

Thanks for reading up to here. Please feel free to comment on our opinions
either back to the list or to us directly.

Laure, Oliver & Olaf
===================================================
MARIE CURIE FELLOWSHIP ASSOCIATION --- (UK GROUP)
C/O
Olaf Boettger & Laure Ledoux & Oliver Schwickerath
===================================================
WWW: http://www.keele.ac.uk/koss/mcf/home.htm
Email: mailto:marie-curie-fa-request@DROPMEmailbase.ac.uk
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