Download application form The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data: the statutes of the applicant’s organisation in the original language of the organisation or the Protocol of cooperation signed by those women’s NGOs and women’s sections of mixed NGOs in the Member State concerned and which exist or are in the process of forming a national coordination / European wide organisation, with the view to establishing legal status, recognized by national or international law; the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter; a list of the members of the applicant and of their addresses; a document in which the applicant demonstrates its commitment to the policy objectives of the Association, as referred to in Article 8 of the Statutes.

The application for admission as a full member organization will be addressed to the Executive Committee by means of written communication (email or postal mail). The applicant must specify in their application which type of membership they are applying for and they must demonstrate their compliance with all the relevant membership criteria and the statutes. The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data: the statutes of the applicant’s organisation in the original language of the organisation or the Protocol of cooperation signed by those women’s NGOs and women’s sections of mixed NGOs in the Member State concerned and which exist or are in the process of forming a national coordination / European wide organisation, with the view to establishing legal status, recognized by national or international law; the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter; a document in which the applicant demonstrates its representation and the fact that it is structured and managed in a democratic way; a document in which the applicant demonstrates its commitment to the policy objectives of the Association, as referred to in Article 8 of the Statutes.

Download application form The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data: the statutes of the applicant’s organisation in the original language of the organisation or the Protocol of cooperation signed by those women’s NGOs and women’s sections of mixed NGOs in the Member State concerned and which exist or are in the process of forming a national coordination / European wide organisation, with the view to establishing legal status, recognized by national or international law; the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter; for the national coordinations: a list of the members of the applicant and of their addresses; for the European wide organisations: a document in which the applicant demonstrates its representation and the fact that it is structured and managed in a democratic way; a document in which the applicant demonstrates its commitment to the policy objectives of the Association, as referred to in Article 5 of the Statutes.

Download application form In accordance with Article 48 of the Statutes, applicants for the status of supporting organization have to send a written application to the Executive Committee. The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data: the application form completed and indicating the commitment of the organisation to the object and purposes of the Association; statutes of the applicant; the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter. The Executive Committee is entitled to ask the applicant for any additional information it deems necessary in order to take its decision.

Join us - European Women's Lobby

Join us

Welcome to the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), a dynamic and influential umbrella organisation for member-based European feminist NGOs. At EWL, we value the strength that comes from unity and collaboration. We are always eager to broaden our network and welcome new members who share our commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s rights. If you’re interested in joining our vibrant community, we invite you to explore the possibility of connecting with an existing EWL national platform in your country or discovering if your specific area of interest aligns with one of our esteemed European-wide members.

Should you wish to take the next step and become a full or supporting member of EWL, we’re delighted to initiate a dialogue with you. To ensure a smooth and transparent process, we encourage you to peruse the following section, which outlines the relevant criteria, procedures, and forms that guide this journey. Together, we can create meaningful change and work towards a more inclusive and equal society for all.

Which membership is right for you? The European Women’s Lobby has 33 national coordination organisations representing countries within the European Union, candidate countries, Iceland and the United Kingdom. EWL also has 17 European-Wide organisations, which are active at the European and International level. As EWL does not accept individual organisations, if you exist within a country with a national coordination we advise to start your journey with EWL by contacting them directly. If it does not exist, you can join a European-Wide organisation and learn how to start a national coordination in your country!

Not ready to pledge as a full member? EWL also offers supporting memberships open to women’s organisations that agree with the aims, values and mission of EWL.

To learn more and start your journey, click on the relevant role below. 

FULL MEMBER NATIONAL COORDINATIONS

A national coordinating body may be an umbrella organisation of women’s organisations set up to coordinate the work of the Association at National level or a pre-existing umbrella organisation of women’s organisations, which accepts the role of co-ordinating body for the Association. There will be a single coordinating body for each country, organised in an open, democratic and transparent way.

The national coordinating body will draw up its own Statutes or establish a cooperation protocol signed with a view to its constitution, including the criteria set out above. Any national coordinating body of women’s non-governmental organisations which is currently a member or which wishes to become a full member and which does not comply with the criteria set out above, will be required to make the necessary changes in order to meet the said criteria, in accordance with the procedure set out in the Internal Rules.

Members must:

hold in their country/Member State the status of a non-governmental organisation representing women’s non-governmental organisations and have legal capacity in their country/Member State or have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to act as a coordinating body for the EWL with a view to acquiring legal status recognised under national or international law in their country/Member State, in accordance with the Internal Rules;
demonstrate a commitment to gender equality based on past and current work, as well as future projects;
demonstrate their support for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol, and for the Beijing Platform for Action;
demonstrate that they have incorporated into their organisation’s policies and structures, the needs and perspectives of the many women who face discrimination on the grounds of age, race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, ability and sexual orientation. This list is not exhaustive;
pay the annual membership fee referred to in Section 4 of these Statutes;
be representative of a wide range of women’s organisations throughout the Member State/country;
act independently of any political party, religious authority or government authority;
adhere unreservedly to these Statutes and to the Association’s Internal Rules.

PROCEDURE

There are a few steps to consider when applying as a full member to EWL!
First, as EWL does not admit individual organisations but umbrella organisations, therefore we welcome interested candidates to first see if there is a national coordination or eu-wide organisation in their respective country.

If not, and they meet the criteria for full members, we welcome interested candidates to send their full application form alongside the requested documents to the EWL Secretariat at ewl@womenlobby.org.
Following the retrieval of the application form, the Membership Committee will review the application and correspond regarding any questions or concerns. After a thorough review, the Membership Committee will send its assessment and recommendations to the Executive Committee.
Applications for admission as a member will be directed to the Executive Committee. Membership of full members takes effect following a positive vote of the Board of Administration, instructed by the Executive Committee with a two third majority of cast votes.
The Membership of all members is subject to the payment of the annual membership fee for all membership categories.

DOCUMENTS

Download application form

The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data:

the statutes of the applicant’s organisation in the original language of the organisation or the Protocol of cooperation signed by those women’s NGOs and women’s sections of mixed NGOs in the Member State concerned and which exist or are in the process of forming a national coordination / European wide organisation, with the view to establishing legal status, recognized by national or international law;
the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter;
a list of the members of the applicant and of their addresses;
a document in which the applicant demonstrates its commitment to the policy objectives of the Association, as referred to in Article 8 of the Statutes.

MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES

As full members, the national coordinating bodies have:

the right to take part in the deliberations and votes of the General Assembly;
the right to nominate candidates for election to the Association’s governing bodies
the right to determine the Association’s policies, guidelines and priorities and to make an ongoing contribution to its activities;
the right to be constantly informed and consulted about the Association’s activities;
the duty to comply with the Membership Agreement annexed to the Internal Rules;
the duty to pay the annual membership fee

CONTACT INFORMATION

As a part of your journey to joining EWL as a full member, we propose starting with an initial meeting in which you can learn more about EWL, and demonstrate your experience and expertise! Please contact our Membership and Governance Officer, Andreea Carabulea at carabulea@womenlobby.org

FULL MEMBER EU-WIDE ORGANISATIONS

European-wide Non-governmental organisations that meet the criteria set out below may be considered for full membership of the Association.

These members must:

have a legal status recognised under national or international law;
be an umbrella organisation of European-wide women’s non-governmental organisations, whose activities focus on political development within the European Union, or be the women’s section of a mixed umbrella organisation with a European reach, whose purpose is to coordinate the work of the Association within their organisation;
at the time of their application for membership of the Association, have representative organisations in at least one third of the Member States of the European Union, the countries of the European Free Trade Association and the countries in the process of formally joining the European Union and the United Kingdom;
demonstrate a commitment to gender equality based on past and current work, as well as future projects;
demonstrate their explicit support for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol, and for the Beijing Platform for Action;
incorporated into their organisation’s policies and structures, the needs and perspectives of the many women facing discrimination on the grounds of age, race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, ability and sexual orientation. This list is not exhaustive.
pay the annual membership fee referred to in Section 4 of these Statutes
act independently of any political party, government or religious authority;
accept these Statutes and the Internal Rules.

PROCEDURE

The application for admission as a full member organization will be addressed to the Executive Committee by means of written communication (email or postal mail). The applicant must specify in their application which type of membership they are applying for and they must demonstrate their compliance with all the relevant membership criteria and the statutes.

The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data:

the statutes of the applicant’s organisation in the original language of the organisation or the Protocol of cooperation signed by those women’s NGOs and women’s sections of mixed NGOs in the Member State concerned and which exist or are in the process of forming a national coordination / European wide organisation, with the view to establishing legal status, recognized by national or international law;
the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter;
a document in which the applicant demonstrates its representation and the fact that it is structured and managed in a democratic way;
a document in which the applicant demonstrates its commitment to the policy objectives of the Association, as referred to in Article 8 of the Statutes.

DOCUMENTS

Download application form

The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data:

the statutes of the applicant’s organisation in the original language of the organisation or the Protocol of cooperation signed by those women’s NGOs and women’s sections of mixed NGOs in the Member State concerned and which exist or are in the process of forming a national coordination / European wide organisation, with the view to establishing legal status, recognized by national or international law;
the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter;
for the national coordinations: a list of the members of the applicant and of their addresses;
for the European wide organisations: a document in which the applicant demonstrates its representation and the fact that it is structured and managed in a democratic way;
a document in which the applicant demonstrates its commitment to the policy objectives of the Association, as referred to in Article 5 of the Statutes.

MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES

As full members, European-wide non-governmental organisations have:

the right to take part in deliberations and votes at the General Assembly;
the right to nominate candidates for election to the Association’s governing bodies;
the right to define the Association’s policies, guidelines and priorities and to make an ongoing contribution to its activities;
the duty to comply with the Membership Agreement annexed to the Internal Rules;
the duty to pay the annual membership fee.

CONTACT INFORMATION

SUPPORTING MEMBERS

The Association’s Supporting Organisations are women’s non-governmental organisations, women’s sections of non-governmental organisations or mixed organisations whose main objectives include the promotion of women’s rights and equality between women and men, and which adhere to the objectives and aims of the Association as defined in these Statutes.

Supporting organisations may not vote, stand for election or nominate candidates to sit on the Association’s Board.

PROCEDURE

There are a few steps to consider when applying as a supporting member to EWL!
We welcome interested candidates to send their full application form alongside the requested documents to our Membership and Governance Officer, Andreea Carabulea at carabulea@womenlobby.org and to the EWL Secretariat at ewl@womenlobby.org.

Following the retrieval of the application form, the Membership Committee will review the application and correspond regarding any questions or concerns. After a thorough review, the Membership Committee can send advice to the Executive Committee.

Membership of Supporting organisations and Honorary members takes effect following a decision of the Executive Committee by absolute majority (namely half of cast votes +1).
The Membership of all members is subject to the payment of the annual membership fee for all membership categories.

DOCUMENTS

Download application form

In accordance with Article 48 of the Statutes, applicants for the status of supporting organization have to send a written application to the Executive Committee.

The application must be accompanied by the following documents and data:

the application form completed and indicating the commitment of the organisation to the object and purposes of the Association;
statutes of the applicant;
the work programme of the applicant’s organisation or their charter.

The Executive Committee is entitled to ask the applicant for any additional information it deems necessary in order to take its decision.

MEMBER RESPONSIBLITIES

The rights and duties of supporting organisations include:

the right to attend, on invitation, meetings of the General Assembly as observers and at their own expense in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Internal Rules;
the right to participate, at their own expense, in seminars and conferences organised by the Association;
the right to receive the Association’s News Briefs and any useful information on the Association’s activities;
the obligation to pay an annual membership fee referred to in Section 4 of these Statutes.

The number of supporting members is unlimited.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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