How to form a new association

The New Members working group has looked at how best to support and encourage those associations who are in the process of setting up, as well as supporting those who have recently been established. The working group has tried to build on and consolidate the work already done in this group last year.

It seems that what is most helpful is for individual associations to continue hosting events for the spouses/partners from the embassies of new EU member states, as well as the accession and candidate countries, in their capitals. This is generating a network of spouses aware of and interested in spouse/family associations and EUFASA. It is very useful to share as much information as possible, ideally in the form of documents that can be taken away. It is also important to generate a discussion of the issues that are important, and raise awareness that these are the issues that concern EUFASA’s membership. It will be useful to make reference to this website at future meetings, and demonstrate how useful the charts can be to a new association.

This website is useful for associations who are trying to establish themselves, especially having access to the EUFASA charts. It is also hoped to include information and documents generated within this working group, as well as some used last year, in the public area.

Communication between the Chair of EUFASA and the MFA or the Minister of Foreign Affairs of each of the new EU member states has been helpful in the past and should continue as and where possible. For some of the new EUFASA members this might be especially useful in securing financial support from the MFA.

EUFASA MEMBERSHIP

CURRENT MEMBERS

• Established members
• Recently rejoined member
• Recently joined members
   

FUTURE MEMBERS

Immediately eligible

• Newly-formed associations, ready to join (joining in 2005)
   
• Those who have started the process of establishing an association
   
• Those who have made little or no progress in forming an association

Eligible in the future

• Accession states – Bulgaria, Romania
• Candidates – Turkey, Croatia

To join EUFASA

A new member association should have similar aims to the other EUFASA members

• To include the spouses of diplomatic officers of its MFA in its membership, as well as other spouses/partners in its MFA as decided by that association.
   
• To be a source of support and information for its members.
   
• To identify the needs of its members.
   
• To liaise with its MFA on issues of importance on behalf of its members.

When a new association has been established and recognised by their MFA they should contact the Chair of EUFASA.

The Chair will take note of their contact details and inform the EUFASA membership of their interest in becoming a member.

The Chair will provide the new member association with the details of the next Conference.

What EUFASA has done to help new EU member states to form spouse/family associations

• Has invited them to Conferences as observers since 2000 in Stockholm.
   
• In Athens Hungary was allocated time to describe the genesis of their newly-formed association.
   
• As well as the three new member state associations who attended Dublin 2004 as full EUFASA members, seven new EU members and two of the three candidates attended Dublin 2004 as observers and were invited to actively partake in the session on the EU accession states.
   
• In Athens a working group was established to explore ways to help new associations set up.
   
• Has encouraged associations to hold events in their capitals to share information with spouses about EUFASA and individual associations.
   
• Has generated, updated and circulated a list of those who have attended these events in an effort to create a network of spouses.
   
• Has encouraged individual associations to send copies of newsletters and other documents to new members.
   
• Working group has continued for another year, encouraging associations to host another round of events.
   
• Prague Conference - DSFA in conjunction with the Czech Foreign Ministry held a two day Conference in October 2003 for Human Resources personnel to raise awareness of the importance of good family policy in the MFA and the need for a spouse/family association.
   
• Letter was sent by Chair of EUFASA to the Foreign Ministers of all the EU accession states describing EUFASA and encouraging them to send a delegate to Dublin.
   
• In autumn 2004 a follow up letter was sent to attendees of Prague Conference asking for an update.
   
• This website allows new members, and their MFA’s, access to more information about EUFASA including the EUFASA charts.

What new members can do to help themselves

• Establish a relationship with the MFA
   
  • Seek recognition
     
  • Urge the setting up of a family office or the allocation of a family officer.
     
  • Request an office, and, in the meantime, access to office facilities such as computer, email, photocopying, stationery, postage, diplomatic bag.
     
  • Ask for payment of EUFASA website subscription.
     
  • Ask for payment of travel expenses to attend EUFASA Conference.
     
  • Ask the MFA for help in compiling the EUFASA charts.
     
• Recruit members
   
  • Use EUFASA list of attendance at events for new members to get in touch with colleagues who are aware of what a spouse/family association is – ask their help in recruiting more members.
     
  • Ask MFA to send email (or other message) to all officers informing them of your new association, or your plans to set up one.
     
  • Ask MFA for list of officers and use this to contact spouses/partners.
     
  • Make contact with a spouse in each of your largest missions and ask her/him to pass on information to others and gather information on members.
     
  • If your MFA holds an annual meeting for Heads of Mission, or other officers posted abroad, see if you can make use of this opportunity to address their spouses, or pass on information about your association.
     
  • Try to host an event for spouses/partners – something simple to which all spouses are welcome is best. In the summer just before people leave on posting, or in the autumn when people have returned from postings, can be a good time.
     
• Set up a committee
   
  • Even if it is only 2 or 3 people to start, set up a committee to share the work.
     
  • Send a registration card/questionnaire to members.
     
  • Keep records – lists of members, correspondence – a database is very useful but not essential.
     
  • Write a simple newsletter (a page is fine to start with) to inform members of any progress made.
  • Draw up a constitution.
     
  • Fill in the EUFASA charts and compile a list of priorities.

Useful documents that EUFASA and individual associations can share with new members

• Information for new members of the individual associations.
  Click here to download an information sheet / first newsletter for a new association that could be sent to all potential members.
   
• Registration form / questionnaire
  Click here to download a registration Form
   
• Constitution / statutes
  Click here to download a constitution of a EUFASA member association
   
• Newsletters
   
• Information on compiling post reports
   
• Information for liaison officers
   
• What is EUFASA?
   
• What is a spouses’ association?
  Click here to download information about a spouses association

How the EUFASA charts can help New Members

• A very useful starting point for assessing your association.
   
• A way to identify what is lacking, and this list can be prioritised into a plan of work.
   
• It will probably be necessary to research what your MFA provides – this is a good way to open dialogue with your MFA.
   
• Their availability on the public website means your MFA can also access the information – you can easily bring to their attention what other associations have.

How EUFASA can continue to help new members
Individual associations can continue to host events in their capitals

• Sharing information about EUFASA and their own association.
   
• Providing as many of the listed useful documents as possible.
   
• Demonstrating the usefulness of the EUFASA public website, especially the charts, ideally by having access to it at the meeting.
   
• Taking the contact details, especially the email addresses, of those who attend, and circulating the list of those who have already attended such an event.
   
• Listening to the concerns of those present and feeding this information back to EUFASA.
   
• Raising awareness that the issues that concern most EUFASA members fall into the categories of employment, health, education, spousal pensions/compensation and information about postings.
   
• The Chair can send a letter to the Foreign Affairs Ministers of those new EU member states who have not yet joined EUFASA, asking them to encourage and facilitate the setting up of a spouse/family association.
   
• The Chair can send a letter to the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the new EUFASA members, asking them to support and facilitate the spouse/family association, and perhaps outlining the importance of some initial financial support to enable the association to pay its website subscription and to attend the EUFASA Conference.
   
• EUFASA can continue to identify means of supporting new members, and should encourage discussion of relevant issues on the website and at Conferences.

The way forward

New members

• Establish a relationship with the MFA
• Recruit members
• Set up a committee
• Use the website and other available information

EUFASA

• Keep the issues alive on the website and at Conferences
• Continue to seek new ways to help

Individual associations

• Host events
• Share information
• Listen to concerns of new members
  Chair
• Write to Foreign Ministers and Ministries