Europäische Organisation der Funkamateure

Some IARU R1 member societies have threatened their members with expulsion if they join EURAO, clearly violating freedom of association, a fundamental right enshrined in article 12 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The "argument" put forward by these societies is that EURAO is a competitor, overlooking the fact that IARU and EURAO are also collaborators in areas of common interest, such as CEPT. And if they don't remember that, they should see the joint statement resulting from the 2017 meeting between both organizations.

Both organizations met in Barcelona on December 2, 2017, with a complete agenda of the whole day to discuss areas of common interest. Almost all subjects were addressed, although with different intensity.

Special attention was focused on topics that involve CEPT, where both are observers, agreeing some actions for the coming months.

In the picture: YO9RIJ, G3BJ, EI3IO and EA3CIW at the meeting facilities FEDI-EA provided.

IARU at last found some time to meet EURAO at Friedrichshafen. In the picture: G3BJ, ON4PM, EA3CIW and VE6SH preparing the first summit of both organisations.

After a pretty hot early summer, sanity was back on track, and what EURAO proposed two years ago: collaboration, it seems to start its way: there will be a meeting in December.

Now is the time to work on the agenda and the topics to be discussed. So comments and proposals are welcome. We will try to include them all, time permitting.

The reaction of Don Beattie, G3BJ, president of IARU Region 1, to the recent statement of EURAO is full of mistakes, half truths and missing facts. So the "context" he offers in his post is biased and incomplete. Let's surface the hidden side.

Recently, some radio amateurs asked EURAO about the paragraph below included in the minutes of the last IARU Region 1 EC Meeting, held on May 5-7, 2017, in Landshut:

ITEM 16: EURAO
G3BJ gave a verbal report on EURAO and the lack of progress since the 2016 EC Meeting. He had invited EURAO to a meeting some months ago to explore each other’s strategies and seek common ground. Sadly, EURAO had not yet responded.

But that is not the whole history. Of course EURAO responded, but probably not as G3BJ expected.