The 55th General Assembly (GA) of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) was held last 30-31 March in the French city of Cannes.
The General Assembly approved the addition of new members, including 20 full members and seven associate members. Also noteworthy were a number of 'exits' of associates, basically due to internal rearrangements at group level, market consolidation, financial problems and withdrawal requests sent in due time to the Secretariat in 2009. There was nevertheless positive growth overall in the number of members and in the contribution units (CUs), which respectively total 740 and 3,386.
The Financial Committee presented its report, advocating various recommendations, of which the following stand out:
- To approve the 2009 results with profits of about 10,000 euros, which should be used to partially compensate the 2008 deficit that had been passed on to the 2009 financial year;
- To maintain the practice of not sending invoices to expelled members - the amounts to pay will be transferred to a specialised debt collection agency;
- To renew the vote of confidence in the current auditor.
Regarding the ETSI installations and the need for them to comply with laws applicable to buildings ‘open’ to the public – specifically vis-à-vis security and fire prevention – the GA proposed that an ad hoc group should be created to indicate which of the most viable alternatives it prefers.
The GA also took note of the report on ETSI’s financial situation in 2009 and approved use of the results to partially compensate the 2008 deficit. Regarding the current situation of the 2010 budget, as the question of the ETSI installations was not concluded, the GA did not for the time being authorise the director general’s use of the funds needed to resolve same.
As for the 2011 budget guidelines, the Board and Financial Committee will support the director general in drawing up his budget proposal for 2011.
The GA acknowledged the importance of strengthening ties with the EC, but nevertheless considered that this may not imply the creation of a representative office in Brussels and has asked the Board to indicate its opinion on the matter.
Regarding the issue of elected members, the Board along with the DG will prepare a proposal that reflects the GA's preference - position in question up for re-election - for adoption at the next GA meeting.
In the area of co-operation, various memorandums of understanding and co-operation agreements were approved for signing/renewal.
The next GA meeting has been scheduled for 30 November and 1 December 2010 in Cannes.
