Structure

The European Services Forum operates on the basis of a very light and flexible structure. There are three interconnected bodies that are in charge of the European Services Forum’s activities:

1. The European Services Leaders Group (ESLG) constitutes of the ESF member companies’ chairmen or CEOs.

Since January 2013, the European Services Leaders Group is chaired by Sir Thomas Harris, who is also the Chairman of the European Services Forum as a whole. The ESLG is to promote the recognition of the importance of trade liberalisation in the services sectors. Its mission is to meet the EU Trade Commissioner, EU Trade Ministers as well as other high level interlocutors in charge of EU and international trade policy. Thus, the group increases the credibility of ESF actions towards all its various interlocutors.

2. The ESF Policy Committee serves as a framework for the Forum’s internal coordination.

The Policy Committee has been chaired since June 2013 by Mr. Tilmann Kupfer.  The members of the policy committee serve as contact points between their organisations and ESF. Every ESF member holds one representative in the Policy Committee. Besides its meetings in Brussels, the Committee holds regular meetings with EU Member State officials, and WTO delegations in Geneva. During the policy committee meetings, general debriefings with EU trade officials are organised. They allow European services companies and industry federations to get in touch with officials engaged in trade-in-services-negotiations.

ESF is a members-driven organisation. Therefore, the Policy Committee debates and decides on policy papers, horizontal position papers as well as important decisions on the direction of the organisation. Decisions are taken by consensus. ESF Members who cannot support a position paper have the possibility to opt out.

3. The ESF secretariat is in charge of ESF’s daily management.

The ESF secretariat acts on behalf of the ESF Members in daily EU policy-making. Mr. Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director of ESF, has been in charge of the Forum’s management since ESF’s creation in 1999. The secretariat informs ESF members on any relevant developments and upcoming consultations the ESF Members might want to give input to. It organises policy committee meetings with the ESF members on a regular basis.

As part of the DG Trade’s Market Access Advisory Committee, the ESF secretariat closely monitors trade negotiations and actively participates in Civil Society Meetings by putting particular emphasis on issues related to trade in services. It maintains an intensive and constructive dialogue with EU officials, partner countries’ officials or national chambers of commerce, and Services Associations.

Download ESF’s structure (pdf)