(Adopted by the AER Executive Board on 19 May 2026 and ratified by the AER General Assembly on 3 June 2026)
Article 1 – Drafting, adoption and modification of the Procedures
1.1 Drafting, adoption and modifications of the Rules of Procedure are specified in the Statute.
1.2 The English version of the AER Statute is the reference.
Article 2 – Observers
2.1 The status of observer according to the present Statute is granted for a determined and non-renewable period: One year from the month following the Executive Boards decision to accept the request, the entity having been granted observer status shall inform AER of its wish to become a member or not.
2.2 The status of observer cannot be granted to regions that were full or associate members of AER during the last three years.
Article 3 – Fees
3.1 The annual membership fee is due for the current year and must be paid in full.
3.1.1 For new members, the fee is due the month following the Executive Board’s decision to approve membership and is calculated as the remaining twelfths of the annual fee.
3.1.2 For existing members, the full annual fee is due within two months following the call for membership fees, sent out by the Executive Board.
3.2 The membership fee is calculated and decided by the Executive Board. For 2016 and until otherwise decided, the Basic fee is € 3 250.
3.2.1 Full membership fee = {Basic fee + Population x (relative GDP) 2/200} x 1.027year-2016
The upper limit (cap) is € 30 000.
For members with a total revenue below € 2 000 000, the cap is 0.15 % of the region’s total revenue.
The fee model will be implemented during a two-year period, starting 2016.
3.2.2 Associate membership fees for geographical entities:{Basic fee + Population x (relative GDP)2/200} x 1.027year-2016. Associate membership fees for non-geographical entities: Basic fee x 3.
Founding associate members and equivalents pay no fee.
3.3 The fee for participation in additional activities and programmes is decided by the Executive Board.
3.3.1 Eurodyssey fee: 0.
Regions participating in the programme will continue to cover all costs related to the involvement of their young people in the programme, as is the case today.
3.3.2 Summer academy fee:
For members participating in the Summer Academy Organising Committee, € 5 000.
Other kinds of agreements for AER Business partners may be established, duly justified and approved by the Executive Board.
3.4 No membership fee discount will be applied, except in exceptional circumstances, duly justified for a non-renewable period and approved by the Executive Board.
3.5 Members not having paid their fee will have their membership rights suspended and the representatives of the region will no longer be eligible, without prejudice to the recovery of unpaid fees.
3.6 The Executive Board is charged to take legal action to obtain recovery of all membership fees.
3.7 All fees are annual, unless otherwise noted.
Article 4 – The General Assembly
4.1 Invitations and draft agendas should be sent to members at least four weeks and working documents at least two weeks before the meetings.
4.2 Proposals to be presented at the General Assembly, can be submitted up to the evening before the start of the Executive Board meeting preceding the General Assembly.
4.3 The Executive Board will give its opinion on the proposals to the General Assembly.
Article 5 – The Bureau
5.1 Each bureau member must be able to rely on a seconded officer.
5.2 The Bureau meetings are chaired by the AER President.
5.3 The Bureau meetings are prepared by the Executive Board and may, in addition to the pre-defined debate on a specific topic, also have an open part to give individual Bureau members the opportunity to raise issues or topics that are relevant for their region/country or to another body of the organisation.
The Executive Board and the Committees will inform the Bureau on their implementation of the political priorities through their work programmes.
5.4 As the Bureau members have been selected to represent all the AER member regions from their country, at the physical meetings, the delegations will be seated per country.
5.5 The Bureau will vote by show of hands (voting cards) at physical meetings or by online voting at virtual meetings. Each country will be granted two votes.
5.5.1 At the physical meetings, if substitute members are present, they will be seated in their delegation, without the right to vote.
5.5.2 Representatives of the regions where AER has an office will each have one vote.
5.6 Invitations and draft agendas should be sent to members at least four weeks and working documents at least two weeks before the meetings.
5.7 The Bureau may establish Task Forces. These are not permanent structures. The Bureau shall establish regulations concerning the work of the Task Forces (Terms of Reference).
Article 6 – The Executive Board
6.1 Invitations and draft agendas should be sent to members at least two weeks and working documents at least one week before the meetings.
6.2 The region of each member of the Executive Board is charged to appoint a seconded officer.
Article 7 – The President
7.1 The AER President is charged to appoint a seconded officer who will work towards all tasks linked to the President’s duties – speech writing, drafting answers to letters, drafting the President’s contributions to communications, preparing the logistics of trips etc – in collaboration with the secretariat.
7.2 At the discretion of the Executive Board, the AER Honorary President is a distinction that can be conferred on the person who served a prior term as President. The Honorary President serves as an ex officio member of the Executive Board to provide such advice as from time to time is requested by the President or the Executive Board.
Article 8 – The Vice-Presidents
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Article 9 – The Treasurer
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Article 10 – The Secretary General
10.1 In accordance with the Statute, the governance of AER is based on a clear separation between political and strategic leadership exercised by the governing bodies and executive and administrative management exercised by the Secretary General.
Within the framework of the Statute, the decisions of the governing bodies, and any delegation granted, the Secretary General shall enjoy executive autonomy necessary for the effective management of AER.
10.2 Instructions or guidance to the Secretariat shall be conveyed exclusively through the Secretary General.
10.3 Any delegation of authority by the Executive Board or the President to the Secretary General shall be:
a) explicit,
b) proportionate to the objectives pursued,
c) limited in scope where appropriate,
d)recorded in the relevant decision or mandate.
10.4 The Secretary General shall be accountable to the Executive Board for: a) implementation of decisions,
b) performance against agreed objectives,
c) compliance with legal, financial, and contractual obligations, d) identification and management of operational and financial risks
1o.5 In addition to reporting obligations set out in the Statute, the Secretary General shall promptly inform the Executive Board of any significant risk, irregularity, or matter that may affect the reputation,
financial stability, or legal standing of AER.
The Secretary General shall perform their duties independently, impartially, and loyally, in the exclusive interest of AER and its mandate.
10.6 The Secretariat shall act under the authority of the Secretary General and in accordance with principles of:
a) transparency,
b) sound financial management,
c) administrative integrity,
d) equal treatment of members.
11 – Committees
11.1 Each Committee decides on its own working structure.
11.2 The seconded officer of the Committee chair is responsible for:
a) Co-organising events and projects in collaboration with the secretariat,
b) Manage the content of the meetings,
c) Draft speeches and policy contributions.
11.3 The Chair will take the responsibility for the planning of the Committee’s activities.
11.4 Invitations and draft agendas to Committee’ meetings should be sent to members at least four weeks and working documents at least two weeks before the meetings.
Article 12 – The Programmes
12.1 Regions taking the presidency of programmes are charged with appointing a seconded officer to act as programme secretariat in accordance with Article of the Procedures.
Article 13 – Financial commitments
13.1 The annual budget for the AER makes a distinction between the ordinary expenditure of the governing bodies, the Political Bureau and the Committees on the one hand, and the expenditure of other AER activities that are necessary in order to achieve stated objectives, on the other.
13.2 The former should in full be covered by the expected membership fees. The latter should in full be covered by fees, submitted by the concerned parties.
Article 14 – Procedure on votes
All votes in all AER bodies are by simple majority, defined as more than 50% of those present and voting physically or online, unless otherwise specified in the present procedures.
All votes are carried out by show of hands, unless a member requests otherwise, or by online voting in case of virtual meetings.
In the event of a tied vote, the President of the body in question has the casting vote.
Article 15 – Procedure on elections
15.1 All procedures on elections are overseen by the Election committee (please refer to art. 10 of the statutes). Delegates in all bodies of AER must hold a regional political mandate. In case of absence or should a delegate’s regional mandate be lost, the Executive Board is, after a period of a maximum of six months, charged to assign a substitute until the next General Assembly.
15.2 Delegates in all bodies of AER must hold a regional political mandate. In case of absence or should a delegate’s regional mandate be lost, the Executive Board is, after a period of a maximum of six months, charged to assign a substitute until the next General Assembly.
15.3 The member regions shall be informed six weeks in advance of the elections taking place at the General Assembly (i.e. election of members of the Executive Board, Bureau, Monitoring and Evaluation Group, Election Group).
15.4 The member regions shall be informed six weeks in advance of the elections taking place at the General Assembly.
15.5 The candidates are invited to send an application letter and a CV at least eight weeks before the elections.
15.6 The portfolio of the candidates will be distributed to all members at least four weeks before the election.
15.7 All elections in all AER bodies are by simple majority, defined as more than 50% of those present and voting, unless otherwise specified in the present procedures.
15.8 All elections are carried out by secret ballot, unless a unanimous decision to the contrary is made by the body in question.
15.9 In case of delays in the convention of a General Assembly, the mandates of members of the AER bodies remain valid until the next relevant elections, unless otherwise explicitly provided for in the Statutes and Procedures.
15.10 If there is a shortage of candidates at the General Assembly elections, the Executive Board can fill these positions for ratification by the next General Assembly.
15.11 If there is a shortage of candidates at the General Assembly elections, the Executive Board can fill these positions for ratification by the next General Assembly.
