EuroISPA [was: ETSI vs. Magaziner whose interests?]

[Jim Dixon <jdd@vbc.net>]

[If you have no interest in Internet politics in Europe, please 
remember that you do have a delete key :-]

On Mon, 16 Feb 1998, John Charles Broomfield wrote:

> > > euroispa is a closed club of isp and isoc is a open 
> >
> > EuroISPA is a trade association.  Any organisation in Europe with
> > an interest in the Internet can join.
> 
> Ah, changes here maybe? A while back (some months?) you said that EuroISPA
> was a sort of meta-organisation of regional ISPAs made up by one AND ONLY
> ONE ISPA-type-organisation from each country (I am NOT quoting your words,
> just relaying the information as I understood it, hence this post requesting
> clarification).

EuroISPA is an European Economic Interest Grouping, a special form 
created by the Commission for associations of trade associations.  
There are several membership categories:

*	full members: must be trade associations
*	associate members: must be associations, pay less
*	sponsors
*	corporate sponsors

The rules allow one full member for each state of the European Union.
Only full members have a vote.

> Have these conditions now changed? 

The first two categories are unchanged, except that we agreed on 
the fee structure at our last meeting.  We also added the other
two categories.

>                                   Does EuroISPA accept "stand-alone" ISP's?
> Does EuroISPA accept other ISP assocs from the same country? (The problem
> apparently appeared in Spain where there is NO representative ISP assoc, and
> you seemed to want to choose one above others...).

There is a dispute in Spain over who should provide representation 
to EuroISPA.   Representatives of two parties signed the EuroISPA
MOU.  Only one appeared at the meeting at which the EuroISPA articles
were signed.

The contributions of AnProTel, which currently represents Spain at 
EuroISPA, are warmly appreciated by the other members.  We have had 
prolonged discussions with other groups in Spain.  We would of course 
prefer that the Spanish decide among themselves which association 
is Spain's primary representative in EuroISPA.  We would also welcome
all Spanish Internet associations as associate members.

> Certainly looked like a VERY closed club back then.

Many people see what they want to see.

--
Jim Dixon                  VBCnet GB Ltd           http://www.vbc.net
tel +44 117 929 1316                             fax +44 117 927 2015