European Parliament Former Members Association
Encyclopedia
The European Parliament Former Members Association is an Association of former members of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

, involved in promoting the European Parliament and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

, as well as election monitoring
Election monitoring
Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization , primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international standards. There are national...

, among other activities.

History

The European Parliament Former Members Association (commonly known as the Former Members Association, or the FMA), was established in 2001,with assistance and support from the European Parliament. The roles of the organization include the promotion of the European Parliament and the European Union, which activities are generally carried out with the support of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

, universities and other organizations.

A major initiative of the Former Members Association was that of co-founding the International Election Monitors Institute
International Election Monitors Institute
The International Election Monitors Institute is an association of former Members of the United States Congress , the Canadian Parliament and the European Parliament, "to provide former legislators as election observers to operate worldwide in collaboration with other democracy-building...

, in 2006. Other co-founding member associations were the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians
Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians
The Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians is a non-profit organization, established by an Act of the Parliament of Canada, the membership of which is composed of former members of the Senate or House of Commons of Canada.-History:...

 and the United States Association of Former Members of Congress
United States Association of Former Members of Congress
The United States Association of Former Members of Congress is a non-partisan, non-profit association of former Members of the United States Congress, founded in 1970 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1980.-Objectives and Activities:...

.

The Association also conducts the "EP to Campus" program, which was initiated in 2006. Universities can apply to the program, which enables the university to benefit from the expertise of a former Member of the European Parliament. The former Member of the European Parliament typically spends a week at the host university, as a resource person contributing to knowledge of the European Union and the European Parliament.
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