Composition of the Members' Council

On 1 January 2019, the new Members’ Council started off with 42 members. Members are appointed for a period of four years. They can then be reappointed for a further four years. In an exceptional situation, an extended reappointment of two times two years is possible. The Nomination Committee assesses whether there is an exceptional situation and sufficient motivation to nominate someone for extended reappointment.
To prevent the whole Members’ Council from consisting of entirely new faces all of a sudden, a Retirement Schedule has been adopted. In this way, the inflow and outflow will be evenly distributed over the coming years. According to this schedule, five members are now nominated for reappointment. They can be re-elected for a further four years. Five members are nominated by means of extended reappointment. They are eligible for re-election for another two years.

Five members retire from the Members’ Council in accordance with the retirement schedule. The basic principle is that the Members’ Council will consist of 35 to 45 members ensuring a good reflection of the total membership. Members’ Council members can also choose to retire mid-term.

Follow-up process in summary
Every year, members can vote on the candidates. The candidates will be appointed once a majority of the votes have been cast for him or her. The new Members' Council members will be officially announced during the Members' Meeting, on the Day of the Cooperative. Every year, there is an opportunity for members to put themselves forward as candidates for the Members' Council.