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Minutes of the Board Meeting of the 29th of April 2006

Location: Hotel Miramare Limassol, At 9h00


Document 1e- Minutes

The President opened the meeting and welcomed the participants.

The introduction was followed by a presentation on Cyprian agriculture by George Photiou (see the documents attached)

1 - Approval of the minutes of the Board Meeting of the 3d of December 2005 L.Tirelli

The minutes were approved unanimously without comment.


2 - Activity report since December 2005

2.1 - Activities of the CEDIA since February A.Krohn

The President exchanged faxes with Professor Bartolomeo Segura, the President of the Spanish Association: the “Collegio de Engenheiros Agronomos de Espana”. The President of the Spanish association expressed the interest of his organisation in joining CEDIA.

The two Presidents have decided to meet soon in order to progress the issue. A presentation from the Spanish association is expected shortly. This correspondence shall be filed by the General Secretary.

The President and the General Secretary as well as two staff from the Danish association’s Employment Services (Sys Tarrild and Julie Kurtzmann) attended a conference held in Armagh, organised by the two Irish associations, ASA and NIIAS, under the “Agrilink” umbrella. The chairman of Agrilink Dr Andrew Stewart and consultant Dr M. Murphy gave presentations on the association’s new “online Continuous Personal Development programme, developed with the support of Interreg funding.

As a follow up to this meeting Sean Gaule made a comprehensive presentation to the Board on the initiative. It will be further explained and discussed at an Employment Services Conference planned for Copenhagen in September at the invitation of the Danish association.

2.2 - Financial situation and fees C.Verheyden

The Board was advised by the President of the decision of KVIV OBIR to resign its membership of CEDIA. Beside the obvious drawback it is presenting CEDIA, it raises several other problems:

  • The head office of the CEDIA has to be removed from the University of Leuven and transferred to a new address.
  • Clem Verheyden cannot remain asTreasurer.

The following decisions were made by the Board:

  • The University of Leuven shall be asked by the General Secretary to host the head office and the archives of CEDIA for a maximum interim period of one year.
  • The function of Treasurer shall be transferred at least temporarily to L.Tirelli (subject to the approval of the General Assembly) in order to ensure the continuity of the management of the accounts and the transfer of the Bank Accounts to a subsidiary of the current bank in Brussels instead of Leuven for obvious convenience reasons.
  • The opportunities of locating the CEDIA head office in Brussels was discussed and the following possibilities will be further investigated: COPA-COGECA, CLAIU, commercial temporary office providers.
  • Approval of the accounts to be presented to the General Assembly

The accounts for 2005 were approved without much comment in the absence of the treasurer. The Board expects a presentation by the new Treasurer at the next Board Meeting.

The Auditor had no comment on the validity of the accounts but noted that the expenses of the General Secretary and the Presidency were exceeding the budget. It appears that this is more linked to the absence of a real budgeting procedure as forecast of expenses is just reported from one year to the other, the actual expenses being entirely supported by justifications and raising no question.

The new treasurer shall make a presentation of the expenses to support this statement.

2.3 - Budget to be submitted for the approval of the General Assembly C.Verheyden

As the budget proposed by C.Verheyden follows the habit of just re conducting the previous expenses, a new budget based on a forecast of activities shall be presented at the next Board Meeting and shall be approved by a specific General Assembly following immediately.

The budget includes the total amount of the fees though the last General Assembly had decided that only half of the value shall be called at a first stage, the remaining amounts being called only if the activity and the related expenses require it. From a budget point of view, it is correct to have the totality of the fees recorded.

The documents of reference shall be attached to the minutes of the General Assembly.


3 - Progress of the program of activities

3.1 - News Letter: progress of the next letter A.Krohn

The first News Letter for 2006 has been delayed due to communication and computer problems experienced by A.Krohn.

The presentation of PUA has been received but nothing so far has come from Italy. The GS shall again contact them.

The production of the next News Letter is expected in May.

3.2 - Web site: All

In the absence of H.Schmid no update on the take over of the Website by SVIAL was possible. SVIAL has had problems with its information system and no news has been received.

The President shall contact SVIAL for an update and the GS may visit SVIAL that based in Bern, not far for a visit.


3.3 - Review of the activity program All

  • The contact made by the President and the Spanish Association of Agronomists has already been mentioned.
  • The Danish Association is hosting a conference in September when it will demonstrate and present its new Internet site, more specifically the part associated with its Employment Service.

This conference will provide the opportunity of inviting the staff of the different Employment Services and for a meeting during which the Continuous Personal Development online programme developed by the Irish associations could be presented then discussed. The participants shall provide their views, and interest of CEDIA members, to the Board of CEDIA, who will decide on its merits as a CEDIA imitative and its introduction on the CEDIA Web site. The Irish Associations and the staff of Aurion who developed the program shall facilitate the presentation.

An invitation shall be forwarded by the Danish Association to A.Krohn and L.Tirelli who shall despatch it to the Association members of the CEDIA.

An Employment Services meeting is planned for the 9th of September

Sean Gaule shall coordinate the presentation of their CPD program and its discussion by the staff of the Employment Services.

  • The implementation of the decision made during the Employment Services meeting in Switzerland last September is at a stand still: the associations have filled the first form summarising the organisation of the Associations but not the second form according to the French model that would have been the basis for the organisation of the embryo of a network of the Employment Services on the CEDIA Web site.

The President shall request the Employment Services to deliver the information according to the decision they made during the meeting.

  • Sean Gaule proposed that the organisation should facilitate seminars and study visits for CEDIA Board members and CEDIA member organisations, and that this could be facilitated by the Louvain Institute for Ireland in Europe, located in Louvain This institute had accommodation, and lecture hall facilities that can accommodate 30 to 35 persons. The institute specialises in organising seminars and education events for interested groups with the support of the European Institutions. Staff members of these institutions service such events, provide any information, and give lectures and talks as required. The institute facilitates such meeting on an on going basis and has been used on a number of occasions by the Irish Association.

The subject matter has to be proposed by the CEDIA and the Institute shall organise the invitation of Commission and Parliament staff members as required, together with all other local organisation.

This proposal raises a lot of interest amongst the members of the CEDIA Board as it shall bring to the attendants a real insight of the Commission on matters of interest to its members and guests. It represents a very credible alternative to Conferences that remain difficult to organise.

A proposal shall be made for approval by the General Assembly.

3.4 -Presentation of a programme of Continuous Professional Development - an Agrilink initiative. Sean Gaule

S.Gaule presented the programme, with its different functions described.

The CPD programme may be consulted on the aurion/agrilink site of the organisation that developed it:

www.aurion.co.uk/clients/agrilink

It is highly recommended that the Job Services consult it and even have a test on the system, in agreement with the consultant and Agrilink.

As the project is of global interest to the CEDIA, the decision was made to organise an Employment Services meeting to evaluate it (see above).

3.5 - 8th Conference on superior studies in agriculture A.Krohn

In Prague:

The ICA is holding its annual Conference in Prague from the Wednesday 13th to the Saturday 16th. The theme is “The Public and the Agriculture and Forestry Industries; the role of higher education in questioning assumptions and matching expectations”

A website is dedicated to this meeting: http://www.8echae.czu.cz/

The ICA is seeking an active participation from the CEDIA (see below).

A.Krohn shall contact Dr Märtz, the President of the ICA .


4-Relations with the ICA, IAAS etc. A.Krohn

  • Contact was made by Morten Kargo with Dr Märtz, the President of the ICA.

Dr.Märtz requested a contribution from CEDIA at their annual Conference and regretted the lack of contacts between the two Associations.

  • No new contacts have been made with the IAAS or the CLAIU.

5 - Miscellaneous

5.1 - Next meetings

  • Board Meetings: A board meeting is planned for the 9th of September, either in Copenhagen in association with the Danish presentation and the Employment Services meeting or in Brussels.The last Board Meeting of the year is planned during the first half of December preferably associated with the study visit organised at the Louvain Institute for Ireland in Europe in Louvain.
  • Working groups on the permanent personal education on the CEDIA site:

This subject was discussed at the General Assembly in relation to the budget.