Preface

DiEM25 has a single purpose: To realise the movement’s policies and values as presented in DiEM25’s Manifesto and policy papers. True to DiEM25’s commitment to unifying people across borders, cultures, movements, and political backgrounds, we have a radical transnational (not federated) structure, where all members from all countries interact directly with each other and vote directly on our policies, not via national-level or city-level representatives. 

The Organising Principles describe this organisational structure, how the work is organised, maintaining all activities in a manner consistent with DiEM25’s values and goals. 

Note: To give DiEM25 the necessary legal status, DiEM25 was set up as an International Non-Profit Organisation in Brussels, under Belgian and European Union law, so that it has legal standing throughout the EU without the need to establish DiEM25 as an NGO in 28 different member-states. The relationship between DiEM25’s Organising Principles herein and DiEM25’s official constitution (under Belgian Law – see Appendix) is laid out in section 11 below.

N.B. This document contains legal information. In case of inconsistency or conflict between versions of the document, the English version shall prevail over any translation.

Table of Contents

1. Members
2. Coordinating Collective (CC)
3. Validating Council (VC)
4. Advisory Panel (AP)
5. All-Member Votes (AMVs)
6. National coordination and our political parties: MERA25
7. Local and Thematic Collectives
8. Policy development
9. Our culture and art platforms: mέta
10. Amendment process
11. Financial governance and legal structure (International Association)

1. Members

Members are the backbone of DiEM25’s activity. We…

• organise local DiEM25 campaigns and actions to confront power (section 7, Local Collectives)
• develop policy, by bringing the knowledge of people on the ground into DiEM25’s policy-making process (section 7+8) – informally via the forum and formally via the organisation of Thematic Collectives and People’s Gatherings
• vote on all policies (section 5, All-Member Votes)
• elect fellow members to the Coordinating Collective (section 2) and to all other elected positions, including DiEM25/MERA25 candidates for political office (section 6, National coordination and our political parties)
• may be drawn by lot to be part of the Validating Council for a year (section 3) 
• participate, if inspired, in DiEM25’s arts and culture platforms (section 9) and big national/international campaigns
• support DiEM25 through membership fees and donations, which form 100% of DiEM25’s income as DiEM25 does not accept money from governments or corporations
• receive DiEM25’s support when organising campaigns and events

Nobody can be elected to any position in DiEM25 or in its political parties (MERA25) without being a DiEM25 member.

In order to be a DiEM25 member, it is necessary to

• fully embrace every part of the DiEM25 Manifesto
• respect the Code of Conduct
• register (a single account per member, using one’s real name) and regularly pay a membership fee or have an exemption

Active members, for the purpose of this document, are those who have settled their membership fee and who have logged into the Members Area or the forum at least once within the last 3 months.

2. Coordinating Collective (CC)

Election

Once a year, DiEM25 members elect half of the 12 seats on DiEM25’s Coordinating Collective, leading to a full renewal every two years. All members are eligible to stand as candidates, provided that they meet the basic requirements (e.g. familiarity with DiEM25’s values and principles, not holding an important position in a competing organisation, and readiness to fulfil the obligations of the role) and have gathered 20 signatures from fellow members in support of their candidacy. The election takes place on DiEM25’s electronic platform on a one-member-one-vote basis. As DiEM25 is a feminist organisation, not more than half of the seats on the Coordinating Collective can be held by men.

Work

The Coordinating Collective is responsible for the political and strategic direction of the movement. It approves and decides on all activities (e.g. events, assemblies, campaigns) which represent DiEM25 officially and for which DiEM25 may be held legally responsible. Members of the Coordinating Collective are expected to represent and grow the movement – through appearances at public events, contributions to public discourse, and other means available to them. 

The Coordinating Collective can act quickly in response to events that require a rapid DiEM25 position (e.g. press releases after terrorist attacks). If this response goes beyond the policies that have been approved by a DiEM25 All-Member Vote (section 5),  the Coordinating Collective seeks ex-post approval for its stance from the Validating Council (section 3). 

Members of the Coordinating Collective must dedicate at least two hours per day to the obligations they committed to as elected members. They will meet at least once a week in a teleconference, and ideally every three months in person. The Coordinating Collective members will have their DiEM25-related expenses recompensed and receive remuneration in a manner consistent with DiEM25’s finances, priorities and principles.

The Coordinating Collective is assisted by the executive team which coordinates the internal operations of the movement, e.g. IT, organisation of votes, policy making, campaigns, newsletters, forum, projects, groups, integration of newbies etc.  When a certain area of work demands part-time or full-time dedication, the Coordinating Collective may appoint a person or run an open call, conduct the interviews and hire a person in a manner consistent with DiEM25’s finances, priorities and principles.

End of term

Each elected member serves a two-year term. It is possible to run as a candidate for consecutive terms without arbitrary term limits. Coordinating Collective members who are incapacitated, terminated (following a recommendation of the Coordinating Collective’s majority that has been validated by the Validating Council, or a Code of Conduct case) or who resign, will be automatically replaced by the runner-up in the election round during which they were elected.

3. Validating Council (VC)

Purpose

There are decisions which require an independent assessment of the Organising Principles and Code of Conduct of DiEM25, such as the expulsion of members, the clarification of a rule and so on. For this purpose, 100 DiEM25 members, chosen at random, form the Validating Council. The Validating Council also takes on decisions too minor to be given to an All-Member Vote, such as proposals for new members of the Advisory Panel or approval of press releases that go beyond previously-voted policy. The Validating Council’s purpose is not to supervise the Coordinating Collective or to formulate its own proposals but rather to validate or reject proposals submitted to it.

Selection of the Validating Council

Selection is by sortition: a simple algorithm selects candidates randomly from all active members that joined DiEM25 at least three months ago. The algorithm has only one internal constraint: half of the Validating Council members will be women and the other half men (with a provision for members who choose to declare their gender as ‘other’, in which case they are apportioned to one of the two with a probability of 50-50).

Validating Council members’ tenure lasts for 12 months. Whenever a member’s term ends, they resign or drop out due to inactivity, the algorithm will select a new member to replace them. This new member will have one week to confirm their participation in the Validating Council, otherwise another member is selected.

Work

The Validating Council will be inactive for many weeks when no decision is needed and then suddenly spring into action. Deliberation takes place in a special, private section of DiEM25’s forum and voting is by means of DiEM25’s voting platform (the same as for All-Member Votes). Validating Council members are generally expected to deliver their vote within 48 hours. The decision is by simple majority, without a quorum. Validating Council members are not remunerated as their work should not take much time.

4. Advisory Panel (AP)

From its inception in 2016, DiEM25 has attracted some well-known, influential personalities from across the globe: artists and film-makers, economists and intellectuals, scientists, writers and activists. They have helped to ‘curate’ DiEM25’s thinking, events and campaigns from the very beginning. This group is known as the Advisory Panel.

Members of the Advisory Panel will, naturally, advise DiEM25 on areas they are knowledgeable about and facilitate the implementation of DiEM25’s aims. They help DiEM25 communicate its values and aims to the general public, e.g. by participating on DiEM25’s panels or by spreading the message of DiEM25 in their activities.

As for nominations of new Advisory Panel members, any DiEM25 member can make a suggestion to the Coordinating Collective, which then discusses the proposal and may put the proposal up for approval by the Validating Council. Advisory Panel members do not need to be DiEM25 members.

5. All-Member Votes (AMVs)

DiEM25 strives to promote participatory democracy in the formulation of its policies and practices. Policies at all levels (local, regional, national and pan-European) are approved in All-Member Votes. Even when a policy concerns a local or national issue, all members (across Europe) must approve it by means of an All-Member Vote. This transnational approach is inherent in DiEM25’s radical transnationalism.

Typical topics of All-Member Votes:

• topics of national referenda
• our policy pillars (as the final step of the process in section 8)
• our electoral programs
• our alliances and participation in elections
• our stance on major current events / foreign policy issues, such as Brexit
• amendments to the Organising Principles and to the Manifesto (as the final step of the process in section 10) 

All-Member Votes, including all proposed vote options, must be in line with DiEM25’s Manifesto and the values and principles reflected therein.

Not eligible for an All-Member Vote: non-policy, administrative decisions (e.g. about events, tools, communication and so on). These are made by the people elected or appointed to the international and national collectives, and on a smaller scale by the groups in each location. 

Issues that are low in scope may be submitted to a quick Validating Council vote instead.

Proposing an All-Member Vote

AMV proposals can emerge either directly from the Coordinating Collective, from other bodies of DiEM25, or from individual members. Proposals for electoral activities, due to being sensitive and time-dependent in nature, shall always be submitted directly to the Coordinating Collective. 

Proposals can be submitted via the All-Member Vote submission form. The deadline by which a vote result is necessary must be at least 90 days in the future from the time the proposal is submitted, in order to allow enough time for feedback from the members, planning, editing, translating, promoting and actual voting. The Coordinating Collective will evaluate whether it is in DiEM25’s interest to have a vote on this issue. If the answer is No, or if the suggested time frame is unsuitable (but not if the vote is rejected for not meeting the prerequisites), the member who submitted this proposal can appeal the decision and the Validating Council will decide whether the vote should go through.

Running an All-Member Vote

Prior to the vote, a discussion in the forum is initiated to get feedback from the members of DiEM25 on the proposal (if another form of consultation has not already taken place). Then the Coordinating Collective has time to adapt the text, if they see fit, and to organise translations and organise the vote itself. All-Member Votes typically run for seven days. This period may be shortened to no less than 72 hours if the issue is urgent.

All DiEM25 members will be eligible to vote as long as they have verified their identity and have been members for a minimum period of three months. This minimum period serves to prevent rogue registrations prior to an important vote by people who have no interest in promoting DiEM25’s aims but seek to influence its decisions. Members can vote only once. Anyone trying to manipulate the system or to vote more than once will be immediately banned.

6. National coordination and our political parties: MERA25

In order to change Europe, we need to change our governments. That is why our work must start in our neighbourhoods, in our cities, in our countries. We must democratise our homes! The national level is an important level for DiEM25 to work on change. Not by begging politicians to listen, but rather by bringing the demos to power, everywhere.

Initial coordination and next steps

The first step is for DiEM25 members to create Local Collectives (see section 7) and start working on the local level under the transnational umbrella of DiEM25. Once there is some activity in different cities, the international team will work with the active members to set up first structures like social media accounts in the local language, coordination for the Local Collectives on the national level and other important tasks.

Once the movement has matured in a country, the Coordinating Collective may reach out to the active members on the ground to put together a national strategy for their country. Depending on the political situation in the country, this strategy may include forming a subsidiary of DiEM25’s transnational political party, MERA25. (We know that having a single transnational party is not yet legally possible, but our parties will behave as if they were part of such a structure. This idea is one of our tools for democratising Europe and defeating its oligarchy.) DiEM25’s parties all share the same name: MERA25. They are not just another political party, but a tool for DiEM25’s pan-European revolution. Their model, principles and pathway are laid out here. 

Once a strategy for the country is developed and agreed upon by the Coordinating Collective, a National Collective will be constituted in order to collaborate with the Coordinating Collective on the coordination of DiEM25, the implementation of the national strategy, and/or the set up of MERA25 in the country. Should MERA25 be constituted in a country, the board of MERA25 and the National Collective merge into one coordination body. National Collectives and MERA25 boards work in close cooperation with the Coordinating Collective of DiEM25.

Election processes on the national level

Elections for MERA25 boards or National Collectives will be conducted using DiEM25’s voting platform and respecting the movement’s transnational character. This means that all DiEM25 members will have the right to participate. Naturally, members are encouraged to vote only when they are familiar with the candidates and the specific country’s political environment.

Members will not be elected based on separate mandates, but as equal members. When a country has few active members or few of them volunteer to work in the National Collective, elections can take place via one vote for a list of members that have previously been interviewed and vetted by the Coordinating Collective. Once the organisation of DiEM25 and MERA25 is mature enough in a country (oriented at the numbers laid out in MERA25’s model principles and pathway), the votes can be carried out like the ones of the Coordinating Collective.

Work of National Collectives

National Collectives are expected to self-organise and split tasks according to their areas of interest and expertise. For professional tasks such as communications (press, social media etc.), members should be appointed who have relevant experience and skills. They will work closely with their European-level (Coordinating Collective) counterparts.

A lot of the work will focus on spreading information about DiEM25 through social media and press, helping members and Local Collectives in their country, as well as monitoring their country’s political situation and relaying this information regularly to the relevant person in the Coordinating Collective. National Collectives are also encouraged to develop national campaigns and actions (together with the Campaign Coordinator), to recommend DiEM25 to participate in existing campaigns, and to help create national policy teams (together with the Policy Coordinator).

Beyond the national level

Once there are too many groups and too much activity to be coordinated by one national body, or once electoral laws make it necessary, DiEM25 may proceed to the creation of coordinating bodies for the regional or municipal level.

7. Other Collectives and Task Forces

The previous sections all concerned organs that have to be organised centrally in order for the movement to maintain its cohesion. However, when it comes to actions on the ground, DiEM25 trusts in the power of self-organisation. 

Collectives of ca. 5-15 members will form around a desire to organise a particular local campaign or action, or to bring new voices to DiEM25’s policy creation process. As long as their actions are in line with DiEM25’s Manifesto and Organising Principles, their actions do not need validation. 

The Collectives will elect one or two coordinators from among their group, ideally in gender balance. The coordinators are responsible for maintaining communication between the Collective and other bodies of the movement.

Types of Collectives:

• Local Collectives These Local Collectives are teams that campaign around local issues or that bring international campaigns to their location. They regularly meet with DiEM25’s Campaign Coordinator. Alternatively, Local Collectives can also be formed of members who are primarily interested in policy development for the local or national level. They will organise People’s Gatherings and similar meetings in order to give a voice to people on the ground and find policy solutions that work for their area. They regularly meet with DiEM25’s Policy Coordinator.

• (Online) Thematic Collectives. Thematic Collectives are self-organised groups that meet online around a shared interest in a specific policy topic. Thematic Collectives do not author DiEM25’s official policy on that topic but they can contribute to it. They are coordinated by DiEM25’s Policy Coordinator. For reference purposes, thematic topics offered to members are:

1. 1. Green New Deal For Europe
   2. Post Capitalism
   3. Democracy-in-Action
   4. Transparency
   5. Technological Sovereignty
   6. Education
   7. Health
   8. Gender and Sexuality
   9. Labour
   10. Arts & Culture
   11. Peace and International Policy
   12. Migration

Since Local and Thematic Collectives are self-nominated, they cannot claim to represent DiEM25 at conferences, negotiations and similar, except if they have been given a mandate by one of DiEM25’s elected bodies to do so. However, since a lot of people interested in DiEM25 check out these Collectives, they should provide a welcoming atmosphere and accurate information about DiEM25.

More detailed rules for Thematic as well as Local Collectives are defined in our Activist Guidelines. An overview of active Local and Thematic Collectives is available here. 

Task Forces 

Task Forces work on specific defined tasks set out by the Coordinating Collective – anything from translation to video-editing to compiling policy – and assist the movement in that way. The Coordinating Collective is accountable to DiEM25’s membership for the political work of the movement, therefore all those who have appointed rather than elected positions, including members of Task Forces, are working collaboratively with, and are accountable to, the Coordinating Collective. More details are defined in our Activist Guidelines. 

8. Policy development

DiEM25’s political aim is to develop – from the grassroots upwards – a democratic program that will systematically address critical challenges facing the continent and beyond. These issues are organised around the following policy pillars: 

1. Democratic Europe: Ending rule by the few, rightly governing by the many  
2. Ecological and social Europe: Ending greenwashing by the 1%, justly transitioning for the 99%
3. Transparent Europe: Ending opaque governments, entrenching accountability
4. Open Europe: Ending the cruelty of closed borders, welcoming migrants
5. Technologically Sovereign Europe: Ending techno-feudalism, expanding digital commonism
6. Peaceful Europe: Ending wars, reconciling for peace

The list can be amended (by proposal from the Coordinating Collective to the Validating Council) when developments require it. Every member can make proposals for additional pillars to DiEM25’s Policy Coordinator – who is then responsible to facilitate the creation of a Thematic Collective to take the proposal forward.

Creation and incorporation of new policy pillars for DiEM25

Once a thematic area of the movement has reached maturity, and arising from our Thematic Collectives, the coordinators of the relevant Thematic Collective(s) can propose the creation of a new policy pillar to the Coordinating Collective. If approved by the Coordinating Collective, it will be forwarded to the Validating Council to decide whether or not to launch the official process for the creation of a new policy paper for DiEM25, as specified below.

1. The Coordinating Collective announces the establishment of a Task Force for the new policy;
2. The Task Force will create a questionnaire to solicit feedback from all bodies of the movement, as well as individual members and Advisors, on the relevant area of policy;
3. Responses are then consolidated by the Task Force into a First Green Paper, with points of divergence in the membership specifically highlighted to stimulate further feedback and debate within the movement;
4. Comments on the First paper are subsequently consolidated into a Second Green Paper and distributed electronically to the membership;
5. A final online feedback round will then take place and outcomes consolidated into a Third Green Paper by the Task Force;
6. The Third Green Paper is then put to an All Member Vote;
7. If approved, a White Paper becomes manifest, and with that, a new policy pillar is born.

Task Forces for policy making are coordinated by DiEM25’s Policy Coordinator, who is appointed by the Coordinating Collective. 

9. Our culture and art platforms: mέta

Program-wise, DiEM25 will rely on our medium-term policy agenda as well as on our longer-term vision of an ecological, feminist, non-exploitative system – one which is free of both capitalist bosses and domineering state bureaucrats, and which puts an end to Europe’s history of colonisation.

mέta: the Centre for Post-capitalist Civilisation is the international arts and culture platform for DiEM25, coordinating with MeRA25 and the Progressive International. Through art and research, argument, and poetry, mέta strives to help society to break with a dismal present to imagine the world anew – to grasp our present historical moment to pave the way to a world worth fighting and living for. To investigate and explore how art has the capacity to make us think and imagine, can effect change — if not the world as a whole, then at least people’s perceptions and dispositions. How it can criticise and challenge, make us see reality with fresh eyes revealing hidden perspectives, and disclose issues to us that are kept secret or are distorted due to economic and political interests.

With DiEM25’s ideas and mission at the forefront, mέta engages in the diagnostics of our current era and formulates a vision for a postcapitalist future via the medium of arts, and by becoming a platform for performances, campaigns, talks, and conversations.

10. Amendment process for the Manifesto and the Organising Principles

In parallel to the Coordinating Collective, totally independently and without anyone’s permission, any member(s) wishing to change/introduce X in the Organising Principles, or to propose/alter policy Y, or to rewrite a segment of the Manifesto, can establish a Thematic Collective for this purpose. The announcement of the formation of this group may lead to other groups to discuss the same or similar proposals.

Once one or more groups have produced one or more concrete proposals on one specific issue or policy, and provided sufficient support (meaning: 10% of the active full members of DiEM25, as evidenced e.g. by the forum or a signature list), the Coordinating Collective automatically calls for a DiEM25 Assembly to be constituted so as to examine the groups’ proposals. The DiEM25 Assembly is constituted by sortition of all active members by means of a randomising algorithm that guarantees gender and geographic equity.

The DiEM25 Assembly, which can meet online or offline, hears all competing arguments and, within a timeframe, delivers a proposal that may contain one or more options. Said proposal, along possible counter-proposals to be assembled by the Coordinating Collective, will then be put to an All-Member Vote.

11. Financial Governance and Legal Structure (International Association)

Fundraising, membership fees and fund disbursements

DiEM25 is proud to be 100% grassroots-funded. DiEM25 members are asked to choose a membership fee in line with their financial capacity. Members who cannot afford any fee may receive an exemption. Additionally, DiEM25 will regularly run fundraisers for extra contributions from members and sympathisers. 

DiEM25’s Coordinator of Finances (appointed by the Coordinating Collective) will have an overview of both income and expenditures and will report regularly to the Coordinating Collective. 

Decisions on fund acceptance above EUR 1,000.00 monthly or one off EUR 10,000.00 will be validated by the Validating Council.

Any Collective that needs financial support, e.g. for the printing of promotional material or the organisation of an event, can apply to the Coordinator of Finances. All applications must be made ahead of time, not after the expense has occurred. To ensure transparency in DiEM25’s expenditures, DiEM25 has developed a digital Financial Transparency page.

DiEM25 has the ability to create crowdfunding pages, with or without a meter showing incoming funds. Money raised this way will be considered earmarked for a specific campaign, event or country. Earmarked funds will still arrive in DiEM25’s Belgian bank account, but spending decisions can be made independently by the initiators of the crowdfunding campaign, as long as they are in line with DiEM25’s legal and ethical framework and prior agreements.

The relationship between DiEM25’s Organising Principles and DiEM25’s official constitution as specified by Belgian Law

Belgian Law, under which DiEM25 has been recognised as an INPMA requires a particular governance structure which does not fully correspond with DiEM25’s Organising Principles. For this purpose, DiEM25’s official constitution (see Appendix below) is different to its actual governance model as described in the Organising Principles above. The bodies and executives demanded by the legal governance structure will have no authority over DiEM25’s political work and will only be responsible for conveying to Belgium’s legal authorities, and in a manner consistent with Belgian Law, the decisions of DiEM25 bodies described in the Organising Principles. To guarantee the primacy of DiEM25’s Organising Principles over the official DiEM25’s constitution, all DiEM25 members and elected/selected officials (e.g. members of the Coordinating Collective, the Advisory Panel, the Validating Council etc.) pledge to adhere to the following Letter of Agreement courtesy of joining DiEM25 and being elected/selected to serve in any official capacity:

Letter of Agreement between all DiEM25 members

and elected/selected DiEM25 office holders

By joining DiEM25, and participating in its work as a member and an elected/selected office holder, I pledge that I shall operate within DiEM25’s Organising Principles as laid down in this document. I also pledge that if I also serve on any of DiEM25’s bodies (e.g. Board of Directors), or hold any office defined by DiEM25’s official constitution (see Appendix below), as submitted to and approved by Belgian authorities, I shall do so on the understanding that, in that context, I must abide fully by the decisions and instructions given to me and to my colleagues from the decision making bodies defined by DiEM25’s Organising Principles. In short, I pledge to respect the primacy of DiEM25’s Organising Principles and the decision-making bodies defined in the latter over DiEM25’s bodies defined by the official constitution.

To facilitate maximum consistency between the political organisation of DiEM25 (the present Organising Principles – OP ) and DiEM25’s official constitution ( C ), the following arrangements will be in place:

The Members , defined in C below, will consist of CC members plus Ex Officio members (the Coordinators), defined in OP – and so the General Assembly ( C ) will coincide with the extended CC ( OP ).

The Board of Directors , defined in C below, will consist of the CC members, defined in OP.

The Secretary General , defined in C , will be the Secretarial Coordinator (an Ex Officio member of the CC) , defined in OP.

The Treasurer , defined in C , will be the Coordinator of Finances (an Ex Officio member of the CC) , defined in OP.

The Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors , defined in C , will be appointed by the CC, defined in OP.

The legal-political governance disconnect

APPENDIX: The legal constitution of International non-profit making Association DiEM25

Preamble: DiEM25 brings together all those united in the belief that that “Democracy across Europe is a prerequisite for a functioning prosperous European Union. We believe the EU is running out of time, quickly. Change is needed – an immediate change of direction with the aim of creating a democratic Union by 2025, at the latest. This is the core message of DiEM25’s Manifesto which sets out how such an aim can be achieved and the timescale.

These statutes provide both a framework for DiEM25 to pursue its objectives, and govern its own open and democratic decision-making processes.

Name, Headquarters and Duration

Article 1 Name

1.1. An international non-profit making association shall be constituted, named DiEM25 or in full “Democracy in Europe Movement 2025” (hereinafter “the Association”).

1.2. The Association is ruled by Title III of the Belgian Law of June 1921 on non-profit making associations, international non-profit making organisation and foundations, as amended by the Law of 27 December 2004 (hereafter the “Law of 27 June 1921”).

1.3. The aims and objectives pursued by the Association are of an exclusively non-profit nature. It does not seek to make a profit, either for itself or for its members. Any surplus is reinvested in the pursuit of the aims of the Association.

1.4. It uses its financial resources to fulfil the aims set out in the statutes and refrains from offering high remuneration to its constituent bodies, to its staff or to third parties.

Article 2 Headquarters

2.1. The headquarters of the Association are established at the Maison des Associations Internationales, Rue d’Arlon 53, 1040 Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium.

2.2. The headquarters may be transferred to any other location in Belgium by a decision of the Board of Directors published within one month in the appendices to the “Moniteur belge”.

Article 3 Duration

3.1. The Association is set up for an indefinite period, subject to a review by the General Assembly before the expiry of the deadline of 2025 set for the fulfilment of its own objectives.

Aims, Priorities and Cooperation with other organisations

Article 4 Aims

4.1. The aims of the Association are:

• To democratise the European Union;

To bring about transparency in an EU decision-making process which is hidden behind technical language;

To subject the EU’s bureaucracy to the will of sovereign European peoples;

To dismantle the habitual domination of corporate power over the will of citizens;

To re-politicise the rules that govern the European single market and common currency.

In pursuit of these aims the Association excludes activity of a profit making character and it is independent from political parties, commercial interests, governments and any other public authorities.

Article 5 Priorities

The Association establishes its priorities for the achievement of these aims by the EU before 2025:

• Take immediate measures to ensure full transparency in EU decision-making particularly in areas of economic governance, trade negotiations and lobbying.

Use existing EU institutions and Treaties to bring about equitable and European solutions to Europe’s crisis of public debt, banking, inadequate investments and rising poverty.

Call a founding Assembly consisting of representatives elected by transnational ballot to draw up a European Constitution in order to transform Europe into a fully-fledged democracy.

Article 6 Cooperation with other organisations

6.1. The Association will be open to cooperation with organisations sharing its objectives. Such organisations pursue democratic self-government from the local to the national level. DiEM25 is committed equally to working closely with transnational social movements and European associations promoting democracy beyond the nation state.

Membership, Admission, Participation, Exclusion and Contributions

Article 7 Admission of Members

7.1. DiEM25 is open to membership of any individual who signs a declaration stating the he/she:

• supports these statutes and acts independently of governments, political parties or commercial interests,

commits to playing an active part in the life of the Association, supporting campaigns and participating in meetings and

pays an obligatory annual contribution.

Applications for membership are submitted to the Secretary General and accepted by the Board of Directors by simple majority.

Article 8 Participation of Members

8.1. The Board of Directors and General Assembly ensure that:

• the latest social media infrastructure is used to allow the membership to gather online, debate and decide the future of the Association whilst also providing opportunities for face-to-face meetings; in this way membership initiatives for DIEM25 emerge;

proposals resulting from such participatory processes are included on the programme of the Association after being accepted in a ballot by a majority of Members representing a significant number of countries;

elections to the Board are submitted to democratic primaries whereby candidates have to secure the support of a given number of Members from a significant number of countries.

On a proposal from the Board, the Assembly will establish criteria, such as how many countries is a “significant” number and rules for membership initiatives and primaries.

Article 9 Resignation and Exclusion

9.1. Membership of the Association shall cease either by resignation or exclusion.

Resignation shall be notified via the Secretary General and takes immediate effect. The exclusion of a Member may be decided in one of the following circumstances:

• serious violation of any provision of the statutes;

evident conflict of interest which could call in question the independence of the Association;

non-payment of the annual contribution after a reminder has been sent.

Members have a right of appeal to the Board, which submits it to the General Assembly for final decision.

Members who have resigned or are excluded have no rights with respect to the Association’s assets.

Article 10 Members’ Contribution

10.1. Each Member pays an annual contribution fixed by the General Assembly on a proposal by the Board of Directors. In exceptional circumstances, or to pursue a campaign not foreseen in the work programme, a special contribution may be requested on a case-by-case basis.

Governance, General Assembly, Board of Directors and Secretary General

Article 11 The General Assembly

11.1. The General Assembly shall be composed of all the Members of the Association, present or represented.

• Each Member has one voting right.

Each member present may have a maximum of 10 proxy votes.

The General Assembly is chaired by the chairman of the Board of Directors.

11.2. The Members shall meet in ordinary General Assembly at least once a year.

The Assembly shall also meet whenever the Board of Directors considers that it is necessary or at the request of a significant number of Members.

The General Assembly is held in conjunction with an annual Council/summer university of all members.

11.3. The General Assembly shall convene at the location indicated in the notice of meeting. The convocation shall be sent by the Secretary General, to all Members by e-mail at least three months in advance and shall include the agenda.

11.4. The General Assembly may only deliberate if the Members present or represented are at least fifty percent plus one of the total number of votes as determined in Article 11.1. If this quorum is not reached, a new Meeting shall be convened, in accordance with Article 11.3, which shall deliberate validly regardless of the number of members present. The decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by a simple majority of the votes present.

11.5. A two-third majority of all votes shall be required to pass resolutions that concern the following questions:

• amendments to the Statutes;

the exclusion of any Member; and

the dissolution of the Association.

11.6. Statutory changes shall enter into force only following their approval by the competent Belgian authority and their publication according to Articles 50 §3 and 51 §3 of the Belgian Law of 27 June 1921.

11.7. The decisions of the General Assembly shall be kept by the Secretary General in the minutes’ register, in the Association’s headquarters and they shall be made public.

11.8. All Members shall be informed of the decisions taken by the General Assembly by email.

11.9. A decision may not be taken on a matter which is not included on the agenda.

Article 12 Powers and responsibilities of the General Assembly

The General Assembly shall hold all powers, in particular to:

• approve the annual accounts and determine the Association’s budget;

set the amount of the annual membership fee and any special contribution;

approve the strategic plan;

elect and dismiss the members of the Board of Directors and grant the discharge from their duties;

amend the Statutes;

exclude any Members,

and dissolve the Association.

Article 13 The Board of Directors

13.1. The Association shall be governed by a Board of Directors with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 members.

• The Board of Directors should reflect both geographical balance and balance in the expertise and knowledge required by the Association.

The members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed, on a proposal of the Members of the Association, by the General Assembly for four years. Outgoing members of the Board shall be eligible for re-election for one subsequent term.

Members of the Board of Directors may be dismissed by the General Assembly voting by a simple majority.

Should there be a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the Board shall provide for the provisional appointment of a new member. This appointment shall be submitted for ratification at the next General Assembly.

Members of the Board of Directors shall not be held liable for any obligation of the Association. Their liability is confined by the scope of their mandate.

Members of the Board of Directors shall not draw any personal profit from their mandate. Their mandate shall be unpaid; their expenses may be reimbursed.

13.2. The Board of Directors shall elect from its members a Chairman, a Vice Chairman and a Treasurer. The Board shall also appoint a Secretary General. His or her term shall be five years and may be renewed. The Secretary General takes part in the meetings of the Board without any voting right. The Board may suspend or dismiss the Secretary General. The Board may set up advisory groups and working parties.

13.3 The Board shall meet at least three times a year.

• The convocation accompanied by the agenda shall be addressed by the Secretary General to each member of the Board at least one month before the meeting.

The Board may only deliberate if at least half of its members are present or represented by proxy. Each Board member may have a maximum of three proxy votes.

The decisions of the Board shall be taken by a simple majority of the votes present.

The minutes of the Board are kept in a register at the headquarters of the Association. They are made public.

Article 14 Powers and responsibilities of the Board of Directors

14.1. The Board shall carry out the objectives of the Association. For this purpose, it shall be invested with all powers of administration and delegation as mandated by the General Assembly according to these Statutes. The Board:

• prepares the budget and accounts and other papers for the General Assembly;

oversees the execution of the work programme;

supports the work of the Secretary General in fundraising and building the Association;

oversees any legal action.

Article 15 The Secretary General

15.1. The Secretary General of the Association is in charge of its daily management. She/he reports to the Board.

• All acts binding the Association shall be signed by the Chairman or a Vice Chairman of the Board or the Secretary General.

The Secretary General represents the Association in any litigation, both as a plaintiff or defendant with support from two Board members.

Funds, Budget and Accounts

Article 16 Receipt of Funds

The Association may receive, in addition to Members’ annual and special contributions, grants, donations, sponsorships and fees for projects provided such funding does not undermine, or be seen to undermine, its independence.

Article 17 The Budget

17.1. The financial year is closed on December 31 of each year. The annual accounts of the Association will comply with Article 53 of the Law of 27 June 1921 and will be sent each year to the Ministry of Justice. The General Assembly is responsible for electing an auditor for three years and discharging the Supervisory Board and the Secretary General.

Article 18 Dissolution and Liquidation

18.1. The Association may be dissolved, on a proposal of the Board of Directors, by a decision of the General Assembly in conformity with Article 11.4 of these Statutes. The General Assembly shall define the modalities of the Association’s dissolution. In case of dissolution, whatever the cause, the holdings remaining after all debts have been paid and all liabilities covered shall be put to a disinterested and similar use to DiEM25 determined by the General Assembly.

Reference to Belgian law

Article 19 Reference to Belgian law

For all points not covered by these Statutes, the Association shall refer to Title III of the Law of 27 June 1921.