Running an International Association in Belgium - contribution of Frédéric Soudain and Tom Antonissen

Brussels and Belgium host a multitude of European and international associations. These organizations, often active in the field of interest representation vis-à-vis the European Institutions, usually choose a Belgian legal entity to organize their activities.

Ever since 1919, Belgian law foresees a Belgian entity that is specially designed for the international civil society with its offices located in Belgium: the AISBL/IVZW (Association Internationale sans But Lucratif / Internationale Vereniging Zonder Winstoogmerk). In recent years, the legal provisions applicable to the AISBL have been modified.

This publication gives an up-to-date overview of the legal regime that governs the AISBL. Important and specific topics like the constitution, the recognition by royal decree, the minimal content of the articles of association, the possibility of decision-making by postal vote or the required presence of the notary public at the General Assembly are dealt with.

In Chapter 3 : Consensus Building Methodologies, Frédéric Soudain explains the key role of consensus-building to reach group-consensus on complex issues in a time-and-cost-efficient manner. The chapter describes how the consensus building techniques can practically improve the performance of international associations both for internal or external issues.

In Chapter 4, Tom Antonissen deals with The European Transparency Initiative, which aims at improving transparency in the European decision-making procedures with a particular focus on the perceived need for a more structured framework governing  lobbyists' activities. Since Belgian-based trade associations and NGOs usually fall under the European Commission's definition of interest representatives/lobbyists, this chapter provides a step-by-step overview of how to (voluntarily) register your organisation with the Commission's Register.

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Attached file: Running an international association in Belgium.pdf