The new 2013-15 EMA Steering Committee met in Amsterdam this past weekend to discuss and plan the strategy for the rest of their term.

The new 2013-15 EMA Steering Committee (SC) met in Amsterdam in early November to assess the current organisation and create future direction for EMA. The agenda was filled with strategic planning aimed at discussing and making decisions concerning the day-to-day functioning, structure, and the larger vision of EMA. Topics ranged from election policy to how best to ensure the current EMA organisational structure is most efficient for the future under the new Erasmus+ programme.

The SC identified goals and action plans for the ongoing improvement of EMA. Some of the key decisions taken during the meeting are furnished below:

-    Structural and definitional decisions concerning the EMA networks that continue to grow with the association (more details on this change will be published soon).
-    The election schedule for Programme Representatives (PRs) will be moved to November (rather than February) to allow more time to develop the PRs before the GA.
-    It was also agreed that an election code of conduct would be drawn up wherein every candidate would need to agree to the code before running for a position. This code is currently being developed by Internal Affairs.  
-    In addition to visionary discussions, each service team leader presented their plans and discussed how best to align them with the overarching strategy of the association.

The social highlight of the weekend, which also resulted in team-building, was in the form of an international dinner, cooked by members of the SC. The dinner included a Pakistani/Indian curry, African rice, Iranian salad, Italian appetizer, and American chocolate chip cookies.

The SC acknowledges the members' crucial role in supporting EMA’s growth and looks forward to member involvement as we move forward with these strategies to better our community.