Hi all, as you already know, unfortunately I am not able to attend our important Lisbon Meeting. I wish you all good luck, so that we get our new european organisation started. Together with Oliver Passek, I put our comments on the draft of the MOU in the Wiki (see text below). https://st.icann.org/euralo/index.cgi?draft_mou What do you think of signing this very sunday - when the EU celebrates 50 years of Roman contract - the document of the European Internet Users Forum in the course of incorporation? Would love to join you. Try to do it virtually. All the best to all of you Annette MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING Between The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Incorporated ("ICANN") and The Organizations in the European Region Accredited as 'At-Large Structures that are Signatories ("Signing Organizations") Done this __ Day of ____ 2007 1. Purpose and Scope 1.1 This Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") defines an agreement between the Signing Organizations and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Its intent is to establish, and define activities to be carried out by, the EURALO, and supported by ICANN. 1.2 The EURALO shall have the following objectives: 1.2.1 To provide a forum and promote and encourage European Internet users' participation and involvement in ICANN in an open, accountable and transparent manner; 1.2.2 To promote, understand and advocate for individual Internet users and to provide a forum for outreach, co-ordination and exchange of information and knowledge for persons who live in the European region as defined by ICANN. 1.2.3 To act as an interface between individual Internet users and ICANN and to promote skills development and information exchange related to the Internet amongst Members; 1.2.4 To breach the digital divide and encourage users in developing countries to participate in EURALO. * Do we have developing countries in the Region? This seems superfluous to me. --vb. 1.2.5 To select two Members of EURALO to represent them on the At-Large Advisory Committee * What about "To select representatives of EURALO in the At-Large Advisory Committee and in other bodies as appropriate"? The specific positions could change in the future. --vb. --Agree am. *2. Definition of Terms and Abbreviations:* 2.1 ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. 2.2 ALAC -- ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee. 2.3 Signing Organisations -- Organizations in the European region accredited by the ALAC as "At-Large Structures" that are signatories to this MOU. * Shouldn't be the EURALO (European Internet Users Forum) the signing organisation? To make it possible to sign at the ICANN Meeting in Lisbon could it be possible to sign as organisation in the course of incorporation with the signitures of the founding ALS representatives? --am/op 2.4 EURALO -- European Regional At-Large Organization. 2.5 At-Large Structure (ALS) -- An organization accredited by the ALAC according to published criteria and standards. 2.6 Region -- European Geographic Region as defined by ICANN 2.7 Member - A member of the EURALO 3. Composition of EURALO 3.1 All ALSes in the European region shall be Members of the EURALO. 3.2 To help ensure participation by any interested individual in the European Region, the EURALO will encourage the formation and accreditation of additional At-Large Structures and their participation in the EURALO. 3.3 The EURALO recognizes that ICANN has established criteria and standards for the accreditation of ALSes. The EURALO will encourage organizations to apply for certification and assist with certification, including by: a. Reviewing ALS applications from organizations in European upon submission to ICANN and recommending whether or not the organization should be accredited as an ALS: b. Providing European ALS applicants with EURALO information and, if recommended by the EURALO for accreditation, provisional membership in the EURALO whilst the ALS application is under consideration by the ALAC; * EURALO/EUIF has up to now no rules for a provisional membership. -- am/op c. When ALS certification is verified by the ALAC for European applicants, these applicants will be granted membership in the EURALO. 3.4 There shall be no limit as to the number of Members of the EURALO. 3.5 All Members shall be entitled to attend and participate at all Meetings and be entitled to access information via a publicly accessed World Wide Web site maintained by EURALO. 3.6 All Members shall be entitled to participate in EURALO mailing lists. *4. Agreed Responsibilities of ICANN* ICANN agrees that during the term of this MOU it will work in conjunction with the EURALO to support At-Large activities within the European Region, including: 4.1. Helping to inform individual Internet users in the Region about ICANN news, meetings, policy development activities, and opportunities for ICANN participation; 4.2 Helping to promote outreach activities in the community of individual Internet users in the Region to advance understanding of, and participation in, issues addressed by ICANN that affect individual Internet users; 4.3 Offering Internet-based mechanisms that enable discussions among members of At-Large structures in the Region and with those involved in ICANN decision-making, and encourage interested individuals to share their views on pending ICANN issues. 4.4 Providing the necessary resources to help support EURALO activities subject to ICANN's annual operational and budgetary plans and processes. * Can we add at least one more specific commitment, such as "Covering the expenses to allow attendance to ICANN's official meetings to the individuals selected by the EURALO as its representatives in the At-Large Advisory Committee"? --vb. 4.5 Accrediting, through the ALAC, and taking full account of Clause 3.3 of this MOU, groups of individual Internet users in the Region as At-Large Structures using the minimum criteria and accreditation process as provided in the ICANN Bylaws. 5. Agreed Responsibilities of the EURALO The Signing Organizations agree that during the term of this MOU they will work in conjunction with ICANN to support At-Large activities within the Region, including: * see comment 2.3 -- am/op 5.1. Helping to inform individual Internet users in the Region about ICANN news, meetings, policy development activities, and opportunities for ICANN participation; 5.2 Helping to promote outreach activities in the community of individual Internet users in the Region to advance understanding of, and participation in, issues addressed by ICANN that affect individual Internet users; 5.3 Offering Internet-based mechanisms that enable discussions among members of At-Large structures in the Region and with those involved in ICANN decision-making, and encourage interested individuals to share their views on pending ICANN issues. 5.4 Selecting two members to serve on the ALAC * see comment 1.2.5 by vb -- am/op 5.4.1 The EURALO will choose two (2) individuals to serve as representatives to the At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), in the terms specified in the ICANN Bylaws. To the extent possible, the ALAC representatives shall be selected by consensus; if a consensus cannot be reached then a vote shall be held. Only those ALSes, and, to the extent voting rights are extended to individual members of EURALO as determined by the General Assembly of EURALO under rules as it shall determine, those individuals, who have been accredited prior to the election will be able to vote. Each accredited ALS will have one (1) vote. The selected representatives must be members of different ALSes, must have their principal residence in different countries of the region and their nationalities must be different. Selected representatives will have the responsibilities described in the ICANN Bylaws. * We should have an earlier term for participation, such as "30 days before the election", to prevent last minute rushes to enrollment. Also, I think we had agreed (in Athens) on more precise diversity conditions, namely that the three ALAC members representing Europe would have to be from three different sub-regions of Europe as defined in the EURALO Bylaws. --vb. * Proposal: We should rewrite second and third sentence - as voting rights and minimum term of membership are defined by EURALO/EIUF bylaws: "The voting rights of ALSes and individual members shall be determined by the EURALO/EIUF. am/op. 5.5 Periodically reviewing the results of their the Parties' cooperation under the MOU and, when appropriate, recommending improvements in the MOU. *6. General Provisions* 6.1 This Agreement requires the ratification of the ICANN Board of Directors. 6.2 This Agreement will become effective when signed by all Parties. The Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Either party may terminate this Agreement by providing one hundred twenty (120) days written notice to the other party. In the event this Agreement is terminated, each party shall be solely responsible for the payment of any expenses it has incurred in relation to the termination of this Agreement. 6.3.1 Amendments to this Agreement must be approved by the EURALO General Assembly, who which will designate the representative, or representatives, to sign the amendments on behalf of the EURALO. 6.4 The EURALO General Assembly shall determine the extent to which ALSes in the Region not a party to this Memorandum of Understanding must consent to be bound by its terms in order to participate in the governance and activities of the EURALO, and any the procedure to be used to signify the same, as well as the procedure by which an ALS may revoke its consent once given. * I think that, if this is an agreement to be signed directly between ALSes and ICANN (as opposite to, between EURALO and ICANN), then new ALSes should be required to sign it after accreditation, to obtain membership of EURALO. Perhaps 3.1 should contain clauses to that effect, for example "All ALSes in the European region shall be Members of the EURALO. They will gain their effective membership in EURALO upon receiving accreditation as an ALS by ICANN and signing this MoU." --vb. * Compare 2.3 and otherwise - support of Vittorio's proposal. -- am/op. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Memorandum of Understanding is executed this number <https://st.icann.org/static/2.2.0.0/html/index.cgi?number> day of month <https://st.icann.org/static/2.2.0.0/html/index.cgi?month> 2007 by the Parties, acting through their duly authorised representatives. Execution shall be upon signature for the Signing Organisations. For ICANN, execution shall be contingent upon final approval by the ICANN Board following completion of the public comment period. FOR AND ON BEHALF OF: THE SIGNING ORGANIZATIONS ICANN NAME OF ORGANISATION 1 Name: Name: __________________ Title: Title: ____________________ NAME OF ORGANISATION 2 Name: Title: END OF DOCUMENT*