Functioning of the AEM

See also: [The AEM in brief]

Members

The following are eligible to become full members of the AEM: the territorial authorities, the elected representatives of the mountain areas (from Mayor to MEP) and the organisations to which they belong, the Member States of the European Union, Andorra and San Marino.

The organisations, local authorities and elected members of mountain areas of the other member states of the Council of Europe may become associate members.

Membership is materialised by a declaratory letter, possibly with copy of the deliberations attached, the naming of a representative and payment of the annual fee.

Financing

The AEM is financed by the contributions of its members.

Members’ contributions are calculated by category of territorial authority and in relation to the size of their population. A contribution is requested from each elected representative wishing to become an individual member of the AEM.

The General Meeting

The General Meeting meets annually. It groups all the full and associate members of the AEM, and may accept qualified personalities and observers at its meetings.

Each member possesses a number of mandates to vote at the General Meeting, the number being fixed in proportion to the amount of his contribution. This preserves not only the interests of minorities but also those of large organisations or local authority members. The General Meeting holds administrative power, defines the orientation and general policy of the AEM, fixes the actions to be carried out and verifies their implementation. It elects the Executive Board from among its members.

The Executive Board

It is elected for a period of three years. All the national delegations of the member states of the European Union are represented, according to the surface area and population of the mountain regions, as well as the number of members in each country. Particular care is taken to ensure that the seats are evenly distributed among all the political viewpoints and all the mountain massifs.

The Executive Board meets at least twice a year and implements the decisions of the General Meeting. The President, General Secretary, Vice Presidents and Treasurer are elected by the members of the Executive Board. The functions of President and General Secretary are alternated both politically and geographically. They are not eligible for re-election immediately after the end of their mandate.

The Executive Board implements the decisions of the General Meeting, prepares the budget and administers the organisation.

The General Office

The General Office is a small body that handles the organisation and carries out the decisions of the General Meeting and the Executive Board.