ECRE Membership

Application Procedure 

If you are interested in applying for membership of ECRE, please fill out the application form and submit it to Catherine Woollard, ECRE Director, cwoollard@ecre.org 

Membership applications are considered by the ECRE Board at its regular meetings. According to ECRE’s statutes, applications must be approved by the Board. The Board retains the right to refuse applications. 

The next deadline for submission of applications is 31 October 2023. 

For any questions regarding membership of ECRE, please contact Catherine Woollard, ECRE Director, at cwoollard@ecre.org 

How to Become a Member 

ECRE is an alliance founded by and overseen by its membership, which now comprises 117 organisations in 40 countries across Europe. ECRE aims to strengthen the networking between refugee-assisting NGOs and to serve as an engine of collective advocacy. ECRE reinforces and underpins its members’ individual strengths. ECRE speaks on behalf of many NGOs in Europe and has a greater impact precisely because it is an international group of organisations representing wider civil society working on refugee protection. 

ECRE’s membership is diverse, with members involved in a variety of activities, including assisting refugees directly through provision of humanitarian and legal assistance; lobbying, campaigning, and influencing policy; building capacity; and researching and analysis. All organisations have the common raison d’être of working on behalf of refugees and/or of promoting a humane asylum policy in Europe. They are committed to active involvement in ECRE. 

ECRE Membership 

ECRE has two different types of membership: alliance members and associate membersCURRENTLY, APPLICATIONS ARE ONLY ACCEPTED FOR ALLIANCE MEMBERS 

Alliance members are organisations with a significant role in working on behalf of refugees and/or in promoting a humane asylum policy in the European context that commit themselves to active involvement in supporting ECRE’s goals and activities.

The rights of alliance members are: 

  • To receive the ECRE annual report via e-mail; 
  • Right to vote at ECRE General Assemblies and to stand for election to the Board of Directors; 
  • Access to the minutes and decisions of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly; 
  • Access to the working groups managed by ECRE; 
  • Reduced price for staff to participate in activities organised by ECRE; 
  • Visibility for its work and projects as relevant; 
  • Receive the ECRE Weekly Bulletin and Daily Press Review; 
  • Participation in ECRE Media Officers Network (EMON). 

ECRE will advocate the cause of its national Alliance-members on EU level and assist their work on national level by providing access to key-information on national and EU-matters and organising networking and capacity-building events 

Associate members are organisations which do not qualify for alliance membership, including associations, companies, research institutes, universities, academic and legal networks, refugee-assisting organisations and other interested parties, which are involved with ECRE by becoming a supporting member. 

The rights of associate members are: 

  • To receive ECRE’s annual report; 
  • To access information and work documents produced by ECRE as determined by the Board; 
  • To attend the ECRE conferences and activities; 
  • Reduced price for staff to participate activities organised by ECRE; 
  • Receive the ECRE Weekly Bulletin and Daily Press Review.

Membership Fee 

A member is required to make a financial contribution in the form of an annual fee. The annual membership fee is calculated based on the unrestricted funding of an organisation. The membership fee is reviewed every three years. New members will be folded into the three-year cycle as they join.

The Membership fee is calculated using the following scale:

The Membership Fee 
Category  Unrestricted income  Annual Fee 
ALLIANCE MEMBERS  ASSOCIATE MEMBERS 
A  More than €500,000  € 5,000  € 3,000 
B  More than €300,000  € 4,000  € 2,400 
C  More than €150,000  € 3,000  € 1,800 
D  More than €100,000  € 2,000  € 1,200 
E  Less than €100,000  € 1,000  € 600 
F  Less than €50,000  € 500  € 300 
G  Less than €25,000  € 250  € 150