EEF Board video conference on 27.10.2022

For Decision

1.1  Structure of the EEF Board. Guests to the Board or non-executive Board members (specialists)

The president explained the working and decision-making process of the board. The board decides to continue with the practice that outside specialists can be invited to attend and participate in board meetings without a right to vote. The legal process and title used for such outside specialists will have to be determined after consultation with the lawyer in Belgium.

1.2  How do we work in the Board. Decision making process.

The board is a a collective decision making body and decides about all items/issues that need a decision. After a decision is reached all board members support that decision and will publicly defend that decision.

1.3  EEF Development Plan

Quentin Simonet and Teodor Sheytanov explained the plan in detail including the choices that were made with regard to several topics. The board unanimously approved the plan. The board asked for a clear presentation of the plans, such as the officials academy, to avoid any misunderstanding with the FEI. The EEF will operate on the national level to prepare officials for an international career in the future.

1.4  EEF Dressage Working Group

The new EEF Working Group Dressage was proposed to the board and unanimously approved, as follows :

• Christoph Umbach (LUX), Judges
• Andrej Salatzki (POL), Trainer
• Thomas Baur, Organizer
• Klaus Röser, Riders Club
• Natalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein, DEN
• Carlos Lopes, POR
• Sissy Max-Theurer (Chair), AUT

The WG will be published on the EEF web site.

1.5  Allocation of 2023 EEF General Assembly (to Prague CZE) and 2024 EEF General Assembly (to Estonia)
The EEF board approved the allocation for the 2023 EEEF General Assembly to CZE NF and the allocation for the 2024 EEF General Assembly to EST NF. The SG of the EEF will contact the NFs involved to arrange further details

For Discussion

2.1  Balkan Championships & the role of the EEF

After a lengthy discussion it was decided that the cooperation between the EEF and the Balkan Conference is important but needs to be reviewed, as the role of the EEF has to be redefined and put in a contract. Therefore the existing MOU will be stopped and will be replaced by a new contract to confirm the strong cooperation between the EEF and the Balkan Equestrian Council. TS as the EEF Sport Development Manager will be responsible to review and report back to the Board.

Also, the EEF Evolution League was discussed. At the moment there is no sponsor for this competition and it has therefore been decided not to continue with those events until a financial backing has been established.

2.2  Special Olympic Qualifiers for Teams in Jumping / Dressage / Eventing

The Board was presented with the relevant recommendations of the EEF WGs for the three disciplines. The EEF has not considered the bids that were received from Moscow, as these have now also been officially removed from the list of eligible bidders with the FEI’s decision not to accept any events from Russia in the FEI Calendar for 2023. For Eventing, the EEF is supporting the bid from Baborowko (POL).For Dressage, the EEF is supportingthe bid from Budapest (HUN), following consultation of the EEF WG Dressage with the interested teams from Group C. With regards to Jumping the EEF is not supporting the bid from Tashkent (UZB) because of distance, quarantine and sport/competition issues. After careful consideration of the remaining three bids from Prague, Budapest and Samorin, the EEF decided that from a sport, central location, calendar, OC and sand arena perspective, all three bids are suitable for Group C Olympic Qualification purposes and any one of these three venues and OCs would be accepted and supported without any concerns. That established, the EEF recommends that it should be left to the EEF NFs whether directly to the FEI or at the EEF meeting in Cape Town to express their preference between the three bids based on their own criteria, and then to the FEI Board to make the final decision after taking all parameters into consideration

For Information

3.1  EEF 2nd Vice-President

The President announced to the Board the election of Quentin Simonet as the 2nd Vice president of the EEF, according to Article 22 para 7 of the Statutes.

The President proposes to the Board, that QS shall also be appointed Deputy Chair for the purposes of the President’s replacement in the FEI board, and such appointment will therefore have to be put forward for approval at the FEI GA in Cape Town. The Board approves the proposal of the President and congratulates QS.

3.2  Ukrainian photo project “Horses of War 2022”

This project, which has been started to support the Equestrian community in Ukraine, has asked for the EEF’s participation. As at the moment much is unclear, the board agrees that the president will investigate the project further and will report back to the board.

3.3  Update Young Leaders Program

Teodor Sheytanov informed the board about the status of the project. November 28th shall be the kick off date of the program with a seminar of the participants. The activities of the program will be reported back to the board on a regular basis.

AOB

1) Ulf Brömster, the President of the Swedish Federation, has been appointed as project leader of the EEF Sustainability project. As such, he will coordinate the further development of the program, will be responsible to write a strategy, will search for sponsors etc. He will coordinate his activities with Nadia Kolodchenko our external expert and chair of the WG.

The EEF feels that it is very important, not only to discuss sustainability for the short term, but to have a proper strategy as the subject will become more and more important for the future of the sport.

In his important position as project leader for the sustainable project, UB will attend and be involved in the Board Meetings.

2) A number of NFs have not registered for the FEI GA in Cape Town. This being a hybrid GA, the Board urges all NFs to register as it is important that Europe, the most important continent in the Equestrian community, is represented as much as possible. Also, the Board would like to see all EEF NFs attending the EEF regional meeting that takes place 11th November also in Cape Town in person or remotely.

The Board invites all NFs to put forward subjects they like to see to be discussed.

3) GD informed the board that no Regional Qualifiers for Region West have been decided as we are still waiting for the confirmation of some shows, that need more time to get sponsors in place.

4) The President informed the board that the EEF is close to signing a contract with a new sponsor for the Longines EEF Series. As soon the contract will be signed a press release will go out

Actions:

1)  To send Internal regulations to the new Board members ( CM )

2)  To check with the lawyer about the name for a guest for the board ( TP )

3)  To publish EEF Dressage WG on the EEF website ( AW )

4)  To inform the NFs in CZE and EST about the approval from the board to award the

organization to them. ( CM )

5)  Review the actual cooperation with Balkan Conference and write proposal for a future

cooperation that includes rights, responsibilities etc. ( TS )

6)  Inform the FEI about the choices made by the board for the Olympic Qualifiers Group

C. ( CM )