Student organisations, other than national unions of students, are able to associate themselves to ESU and thus be involved in the discussion and information exchange of ESU’s structures.

ESU currently has 14 Associate Organisations (see overview below, December 2015). In order to be eligible as an Associate Organisation to ESU, the respective organisation must fulfil the following criteria

• Have students or local/national student organisations as members;
• Be democratically run for students and by students;
• Have objectives that are in line with ESU’s objectives;
• Have members from at least 8 countries that are parties to the European Cultural Convention;

Associate organisations have the right to:

• attend all ESU meetings, except closed points of the meeting;
• speak at all meetings, except closed points of the meeting.

Associate organisations have the duty:

• to attend the Board Meetings of ESU.

For more information about the benefits and duties of associate organisations, please send an e-mail to secretariat@esu-online.org

In order to apply to apply for the status of an Associate Organisation to ESU, the respective organisation must submit:

• A motivation letter
• The constitution (statutes) and standing orders of the organisation (in original and english language)
• A plan of work
• A filled out membership questionnaire

All documents shall be circulated to ESU’s member unions by ESU’s secretariat not less than thirty days before a Board Meeting as explained in ESU’s statutes.

Applications will be considered as valid until the Board Meeting has taken a vote on whether an associate status should be granted to the applicant. The status of an associate organisation is granted by a 3/4 majority of votes cast.

The organisation is granted the status of an associate organisation for an indefinite period of time. The Coordinator for Membership Issues at ESU and the Executive Committee shall review the activities of the organisation on a regular basis.

If the organisation ceases to fulfill the criteria laid down in the preceding paragraph, the Coordinator and the EC will propose to the Board Meeting to revoke the status of the associate organisation. A member union can also propose to the Board Meeting to revoke the status of an associate organisation. The status is revoked by a 3/4 majority of votes

An associate organisation can resign from ESU by notifying ESU’s Executive Committee about that in a formal letter.