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Invitation
17th Congress
of Union Syndicale Fédérale
« People at the Centre »
INVITATION
To the Presidents of the Member Organisations
To the Congress Delegates
It is my pleasure and honour to invite you to the 17th Congress of the Union Syndicale Fédérale, which will be held at the European Youth Centre of the Council of Europe in Budapest, Hungary, from 16 to 19 April 2027.
For more than 50 years, Union Syndicale Fédérale has been the leading trade union for officials of the European Union institutions and for staff of international public administrations across Europe. The Union Syndicale Fédérale is the largest trade union within the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European External Action Service, the European Central Bank, the Council of Europe, the European Patent Office, the European University Institute and many EU Agencies.
The Congress of Union Syndicale Fédérale is held every four years. It brings together around one hundred delegates from all over Europe, who work together to define the trade union policy of the Union Syndicale for the years ahead.
The Congress also provides an opportunity to engage in dialogue with European political leaders. These leaders head European or international institutions and, as such, are also our employers. The main topics on the Congress agenda include:
- The future of the European and international civil service
- Healthcare system; Working conditions; Impacts of digitalisation
- Democracy in the workplace
- Agencies
- Development of our federal organisation
We would be delighted and honoured to welcome you to our Congress and to hear your thoughts and ideas on the above topics.
Nicolas MAVRAGANIS
President
Encl.: Vademecum summarising all the information needed to organise the work of the Member Organisations and the travel and accommodation of Congress participants
Vademecum
Venue:
European Youth Centre Budapest (EYCB)
Zivatar u. 1-3, H-1024 Budapest, Hungary
www.coe.int/eycb
Purpose:
This Vademecum is intended to help Member Organisations (MOs) prepare their participation in the Congress, meet the statutory deadlines and anticipate the administrative and organisational arrangements.
Key dates
| 15 April 2027 | Federal Bureau (FB) meeting at 15:00, EYCB |
| 16 April 2027 | Federal Committee (FC) meeting from 09:45 to 12:45 |
| 16 April 2027 | Opening of the Congress proceedings at 14:00 |
| 17 to 18 April 2027 | Congress (divided into half-day sessions) + (free half-day on 18/4) |
| 19 April 2027 | Closing of the Congress at 13:00 |
Transport and accommodation:
USF does not coordinate delegates’ travel. Each delegate must make their own arrangements to reach the Congress venue in Budapest. For delegates travelling to the Congress by car: parking is subject to a charge. Parking fees are to be borne by the delegates or their MO.
USF provides one room per delegate from 16 to 19 April (from 15 to 19 April for members of the Federal Committee, and from 14 to 19 April for members of the Federal Bureau and the organising team). Please inform the secretariat if any delegates have requests outside this standard. Any additional cost is to be borne by the delegate or their MO.
If the number of delegates of an MO is lower than the number of rooms booked by that MO as at 8 April, the cost will be invoiced to the MO.
Note: The Centre does not allow stays to be extended beyond 19 April. However, you may arrive as early as 14 April. In all cases, a request must be made to the USF Secretariat.
Meals are covered by USF for the duration of the Congress, including dinner on 14/4 the Federal for the members of Bureau and on 15/4 for members of the Federal Committee.
Warnings:
Drinks at the Centre’s bar and from the room minibars are not covered by USF. Delegates therefore cannot “open an account” charged to their room.
The Centre is a non-smoking establishment. Any breach that triggers the fire alarm system, resulting in inspection and reactivation costs, cannot be charged to USF or to the MO. The person responsible for the incident shall personally bear the costs.
Summary of deadlines for OMs:
| Deadline | Action required | Remarks |
| 15 February 2027 | Receipt of the official Congress file (ART. 9) | Notice of meeting, agenda, reports, general orientations, motions, proposed amendments to the Statutes and election documents. |
| 16 March 2027 | Submission of the list of Congress delegates to the FB (ART. 10) | Delegations must comply with the number of mandates allocated to each MO (3 × the number of FC delegates). Any change made after this date will be at the MO’s expense as regards accommodation. |
| 31 March 2027 | Submission of comments and amendments on the Congress documents (ART. 9) | To be sent to the Federal Bureau. |
| 8 April 2027 | Submission of candidacies for the commissions elected by the Congress (ART. 19 & 21) | Conflicts Commission and Audit Board. |
| 19 May 2027 | Appointment of representatives (full members and alternates) to the new Federal Committee (ART. 14) | To be communicated to the Federal Bureau within 30 days of the Congress. |
| 19 June 2027 | CONSTITUTIVE meeting (ART. 14) | Elections by the new FC within 2 months of the Congress |
Federal Committee documents sent to the OMs:
Each MO will receive, at the end of January 2027 (and in any event before 15 February 2027, the statutory deadline), a file containing:
- the agenda;
- the activity report;
- the motions and proposals submitted to the Congress by the FC;
- the proposed amendments to the Rules (FR=statuts);
- information on elections and mandates.
These documents will also be posted on the Congress page of the USF website.
Tasks of the Member Organisations
MOs may submit motions and amendments until 31 March 2027.
Reminder: texts and amendments proposed by MOs must be based on existing texts submitted in accordance with the Rules BEFORE the Congress. To keep the debates intelligible, proposed changes must be clearly visible: use MS Word documents with the “Track Changes” option enabled.
No substantive document may be submitted during the Congress unless the other MOs have first been given the opportunity to examine it, amend it where appropriate, and define their position.
MOs are therefore invited to:
Before the Congress
- appoint their delegates (including food allergies and mobility requirements);
- examine all documents received;
- prepare amendments and contributions to the documents prepared by the FC, as well as those presented by other MOs;
- put forward candidates for the statutory commissions;
- organise their delegates’ travel to the Congress venue.
During the Congress
- take part in the debates;
- exercise their voting rights;
- contribute to the work of the commissions.
Main items put to the vote
The Congress will be called upon to:
- approve the activity report for the 2023–2027 period;
- approve the accounts following the audit report of the Audit Board;
- examine and vote on topical motions;
- examine amendments to the Rules;
- elect the Conflicts Commission;
- elect the Audit Board.
Statutory elections
Conflicts Commission
- Minimum of 5 members.
- Members from different organisations.
- Incompatible with a mandate on the Federal Committee or the Audit Board*.
Audit Board
- 3 full members and 2 alternates.
- Members from different organisations.
- Incompatible with a mandate on the Federal Committee or the Conflicts Commission*.
*Established practice: any person appointed by their MO as a member of the Federal Committee after being elected by the Congress to one of the two commissions, and who sits at an FC meeting, is deemed to have tacitly renounced their Commission mandate.
Travel arrangements: advice
Members of the Federal Committee (FC)
Plan to arrive in Budapest in time to attend the FC meeting on 16 April 2027 at 09:45.
Members of the Federal Bureau (FB)
Plan to arrive in Budapest in time to attend the FB meeting on 15 April 2027 at 15:00.
Congress participants (not members of the FC or FB)
It is recommended to arrive on the morning of 16 April 2027, BEFORE the opening of proceedings at 14:00.
Contact: the USF Secretariat for any question concerning mandates, delegations, candidacies, documents or logistical aspects of the Congress. (+32 2 733 98 00) or usf@unionsyndicale.eu