[EURO-Discuss] Comments/Questions on Summary of EURALO Board Meeting in Geneva

[Veronica Cretu]

Dear Board members, especially those who made it for Geneva meeting this 
week, greetings!

Thank you, Wolf, for the summary of the meeting, which is highly 
appreciated, especially due to my absence from the meeting! 

Below are some questions/concerns/comments I have after reading the Summary 
report per concrete issues that have been discussed during the meeting:  

1.  “There are suggestions to reduce the size of the EURALO board to five 
members to make it more operational and effective” – What are the main 
reasons behind changing the current number of EURALO Board members? (there 
is no enough information from the meeting summary on this). 
     
2. I see that there were discussions about organizing certain events BUT 
“As we cannot count on ICANN funding for such a side event / Users Summit 
PrepCom in Paris” there are ideas about „prepare and submit a project 
proposal for the board to be submitted to different European organizations 
for sponsoring”. In this context, I have the following 
comments/observations: 

If EURALO is an ICANN related/created structure – than it should be able 
to function on support from ICANN. In case certain proposals are submitted 
to ICANN for funding, they SHOULD NOT BE refused/rejected, but on the 
contrary, improved and developed and finally implemented. 

Otherwise, if we start looking for funding from other organizations, we are 
NOT an ICANN structure any longer. Requesting funding from other donors, 
EUROPEAN ones, does not mean only using money for certain purposes, but 
adjusting our projects/activities/mission/scope, etc. to the priorities of 
the grant giver. 

And here: 
EURALO should clarify its working relationship with ICANN;
If EURALO starts thinking about applying for sponsorship from other 
organizations, then, it should re-think/review its organizational structure, 
mission, etc. – that are not in line with ICANN bylaws, rules, procedures 
any longer. 

Also, in regards to EURALO will submit a new budget proposal for the Fiscal 
Year 2008-09 to ALAC that will include several activities, and my 
questions/comments are: 
- Usually any budget is made based on a Action Plan/s for a certain period 
of time. Where can EURALO’s Action Plan for 2008-2009 be accessed? To what 
extent ALSs are involved in identification of certain activities of this 
Action Plan? 
  
3. ICANN Internet users declaration and the preparation process of this 
Declaration: Preparing a Declaration of this kind on behalf of ICANN 
Internet Users raises several questions vs. concerns: 
 The extent/degree to which ICANN Internet users are aware/informed about 
the current problems and challenges in the field?
What ARE the current challenges, main problems in the field?
What are the solutions or/and alternative decisions that are proposed OR 
should be taken?
What are the PROs and CONs of each solution?
Other. 
In order to find answers to the above questions, one needs both human and 
financial recourses. An ideal output would be a research report which would 
be disseminated among ICANN Internet users community and vis-à-vis which 
ICANN Internet Users community would take a certain attitude. This attitude 
is actually something that is reflected in a Declaration, and by this 
Declaration ICANN Internet Users would seek concrete changes/attitude from 
ICANN side.  

Is this what is meant? Is this the process that is being discussed by 
EURALO? I would appreciate concrete details about it, in order to be able to 
come with certain proposal/solutions for how that can be implemented, etc. 

Thank you all very much for your time and for making the Board F2F meeting 
become a reality for at least some members of the Board:)!
 
Have a nice weekend ahead,
Veronica 

 
 
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