Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 11 and 12 July 2002 in Edinburgh, UK

Start 20.15 h

TOP 1: Roll Call

Attending: as noted on attendance-list

Excused are: Board members Barbara Ruetting, Andreas Moser, Irina Medkova, Renato Pichler, Ulla Troeng, Marcel Hebbelink

Power of attorney had been sent by the Swiss Union for Vegetarianism.

TOP 2: Opening by the President

The EVU President, Dr. Igor Bukovsky, welcomes the participants and opens the meeting.

TOP 3: Minutes of the last AGM

The minutes are approved unanimously.

TOP 4: Report by the Secretary

The report by the Secretary is approved unanimously.

TOP 5: Report by the Treasurer

The report by the Treasurer is discussed and approved unanimously.

TOP 6: Report by the Auditors

The report of the auditors is approved unanimously. The bookkeeping is certified correct.

TOP 7: Discussion about the Reports

There are no further questions.

TOP 8: Elections

a. The office periods of the Deputy President Hans van Boven and the Secretary Herma Caelen end in 2002. Herma Caelen stands for re-election and is elected unanimously.

Renato Pichler stands for Deputy President and is elected unanimously.

b. The office periods of the Board members Dr. Claude Pasquini, Barbara Ruetting, Andreas Moser, Ulla Troeng and Irina Medkova end. All of them stand for re-election and are elected unanimously.

Two new candidates for the Board, Tobias Leenaert and Dorothea Löffler, are elected unanimously.

Note: it is suggested to present future candidates on the website some weeks before elections. This will be done.

TOP 9: Relationship EVU/IVU

The cooperation between EVU and IVU is working well on different levels and is to be reinforced in the future.

TOP 10: EVU Logo

• There is discussion about the name (”Logo” ”Symbol” or ”Label”).
• The question is raised about the criteria for approval in general and in particular (why had the Vegetarian Society of UK approved ”Quorn” even though there had been animal testing involved?).
• The EVU-Logo has been introduced in Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands and will be introduced in Russia.
• Further work to promote the Logo will be done.
• A workshop is to take place in Brussels, probably in November 2002.

TOP 11: Congresses: Experiences of past congresses and discussion on future events

a. Turkey

• The President gives a report about the situation.
• The outline proposal of the Turkish organisers for the new event in 2003 (a ”festival” in June, preferable middle or later June) is read, followed by a lively discussion.
• The Turkish proposal finds general interest.
• Two persons officially request reimbursement. Brian Gunn King suggests that Vegan International joins the project and promotes it through their channels. This EVU-Vegan International joint project is agreed upon.

b. Sweden

The AGM is informed that the Congress in Sweden has been cancelled.

The meeting adjourns at 22.15h, continuation on 12 July, 12.30 h, chaired by the Treasurer and attended by Herma Caelen, Claude Pasquini, Tobias Leenaert, Thomas Schönberger, Francisco Martin, Maxwell Lee, Margaret and Brian Gunn King, Margaret Grech, Nathalie Arnejo (representing the Swiss Union for Vegetarianism).

TOP 11 continued: Congresses

c. AGM 2003

The proposal to hold the 2003 AGM in Gent/Belgium (5.–7. September 2003), organised by EVA, is unanimously approved.

d. Future events

Francisco Martin/ Asociacion Vegana Espanola, suggests a future event in Spain.

e. General

A Congress Working Group is to be created.

TOP 12: Strategies for future work

A meeting is going to take place in Brussels to discuss the ”European Convention” which is to design the future of the Enlarged European Union. At the same time the strategy for the European Vegetarian Union is to be discussed.

TOP 13: Motions

First motion tabled by the Vegetarier-Bund Deutschlands: ”Binding regulations are to be developed on how products with V-label, that are sold across national borders, can be tested in a standardised fashion”

The Board proposes that a Committee, nominated by the Board, is to deal with this and all future questions in this context. The members of the Committee will be the Deputy President Renato Pichler, Treasurer Hildegund Scholvien, President AVF Andre Mery, Board Member Tobias Leenaert and Francis Declerc.

If changes to the label-regulations become necessary without any impact on the constitution, this Committee has the authority to do so.

However, should a change of the constitution become necessary, the Board has the authority to agree to the necessary adaptations without further discussion.

This proposal is unanimously accepted.

Second motion tabled by the Swiss Union for Vegetarianism: ”The possibility is to be created that certain questions (elections) can be decided upon also by mail and e- mail.”

After some discussion it is decided unanimously: The possibility to vote by e-mail does exist already for the EVU-Board mailing list. Any further electronic or postal voting possibilities will not be implemented at the moment.

TOP 14: Miscellaneous

No further points of discussion.

End of the meeting:
Hildegund Scholvien closes the meeting at 13.30 h
Ghlin, 20 July 2002
signed
Igor Bukovsky, EVU President
Hildegund Scholvien, Chairperson on 12 July
Herma Caelen, minute taker