ELF Fringe Registration

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Meet the candidates

The LYMEC Electoral Spring Congress 2026 will be organised in Vienna, Austria, in a hybrid format, with both in-person and online participation. The event will take place from Friday, 17 April 2026 (afternoon) to Sunday, 19 April 2026. 

Before the Congress, the European Liberal Forum will host the Conference on the Future of Skills and Jobs, taking place on 17 April 2026 from 13:00 to 16:00.

The Congress itself will end on Saturday night with the LYMEC 50th Anniversary Reception.

This event is organised with the support of the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament, the European Liberal Forum and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Europe.

Timeline

• 04/02/2026: Opening of the registrations
• 22/02/2026 - 23:59 CET: 8 Weeks Deadline to Congress // Deadline to Register 
• 20/03/2026: 4-week deadline to Congress // Deadline for candidates to the LYMEC Bureau, and other positions to be showcased on the website.
• 27/03/2026: 3-week deadline to Congress
• 03/04/2026: 2-week deadline to Congress
• 10/04/2026 - 12:00 CET: 1 Week deadline to Congress (Amendment to motions and resolutions, merger of proposed motions and resolutions)
• 11/04/2026 - 10:00 CET: Online Working Groups on resolutions and amendments
• 17/04/2026 - 10:00 CET: Deadline for urgency resolutions - amendments to amendments - amendments to merged resolutions (via email to even@lymec.eu AND sorcha@lymec.eu AND project@lymec.eu)
• 17/04/2026 - 13:00-16:00 CET : Conference on the Future of Skills and Jobs by the European Liberal Forum.

If any urgent resolution is approved by the Congress, the deadline for amendments will be 17/04/2025, at 21:00 CET (via email to even@lymec.eu AND project@lymec.eu).

Registration 

Please do not book any travel before receiving an official confirmation from the LYMEC Secretariat that your application has been accepted. This should happen after the registrations close.

The Registration for Congress is now closed. If you have any questions, you can reach out to the LYMEC Secretariat: even@lymec.eu / office@lymec.eu 

Delegations

Please note that just like any other Congress, there are limited places for this hybrid Congress in Vienna, Austria. If you live in Vienna, please do not use the provided hotel option, so more people can be hosted at our Congress.

We guarantee the following spots for Member Organisations:

• Full members get 3 spots for delegates available in person
• Associate members get 2 spots for delegates available in-person
• An additional 3 delegates per organisation can connect online for full members
• An additional 2 delegates per organisation can connect online for associate members 

Full member organisations can therefore have a maximum of 6 delegates. Associate member organisations can have a maximum of 4 delegates. 

If additional in-person spots become available after the registration period ends, they will be allocated to 'Delegate 4' of the Full member organisations with the largest membership, based on the January 2026 Membership Survey data.

We guarantee the following spots for the Individual Members’ Section (IMS):

IMS has guaranteed spots for the three delegates and the Steering Committee members. Additional individual members on top of that could be accepted based on the number of registrations received and the overall availability. The spots will be allocated during the selection process in accordance with the same criteria. 

Applicant and observer organisations should register one representative to attend in-person. 

Useful Information

• By registering for this event, you agree to our updated privacy policy and understand that your personal data will be shared with the European Liberal Youth for administrative purposes. 
• Delegates should be 18 years of age for insurance reasons (and not older than 35 years at the moment of the event).
• We ask the International Officers to register their respective delegations. Only submit the form once per organisation.
• If you have trouble with the registration, please contact the LYMEC Office (even@lymec.eu and project@lymec.eu).

Participation Fee

The fee will cover accommodation, meals, conference room, staff and logistical costs. 

• The Congress fee for the LYMEC Electoral Spring Congress 2026 is 140 EUR. It includes accommodation in double shared rooms from Friday to Sunday and meals.
• If you do not require accommodation, the participation fee is 50 EUR.
• No participation fee will be collected from online participants. 

Reduced participation Fee

• A reduced participation fee can be requested with proper explanation and justifications on the reasons for the request through the registration form. If granted by the Bureau after careful evaluation, a 50 EUR fee would apply in that case.

Freedom Fund 

The LYMEC Bureau is happy to consider the use of the LYMEC Freedom Fund, making it possible for even more Member Organisations to be present at our Congresses! The Freedom Fund can provide financially strained Member Organisations with a travel reimbursement (partial or full) for participation in LYMEC Congresses. The aim is to increase the democratic aspect of the Congress by enabling more Member Organisations to exercise their voting rights and take part in the highest decision-making body of the organisation.

If you need support from the Freedom Fund, please send us your official application via email at even@lymec.eu AND treasurer@lymec.eu by Sunday, 22 February 2025, at 23h59. 

Please make sure that the request includes: 

• Amount of delegates in need of support 
• Type of request - (a) delegation support (all delegates) or (b) specific delegate(s) 
• Amount requested per delegate(s)/delegation (in EUR)
• Explanation of the reasons for the request - justification 

Applications will be assessed by the Bureau and decisions made on a case-by-case basis. 

Visa

LYMEC can assist with Visa applications for those in need. LYMEC can't cover these extraordinary expenses, but will help the participants with the application processes (invitation letters). Please reach out to even@lymec.eu if you have such a request! 

Cancellation Fee

If a participant cancels participation within three (3) weeks before the starting date of the event, the participant will be charged a cancellation fee of:

• €50, if participation is cancelled between two and three weeks prior to the start of the event;
• €75, if participation is cancelled between two weeks and forty-eight hours prior to the start of the event;
• €100, if participation is cancelled after forty-eight hours prior to the start of the event.
• If a registered participant does not show up to the event, the participant shall pay a no-show fee of €100

This is an Electoral Congress, meaning we will elect a new leadership for LYMEC. According to the statutes, the process is the following: Article 18 – Composition of the Bureau and Article 20 - Composition of the Bureau - roles and elections.

For further information on the electoral procedures, please see the LYMEC Statutes and Rules of Procedures.

To be included in the website and mailing, the candidates must send the following information to office@lymec.eu and project@lymec.eu by Friday, 20 March 2026. Applications can still be received at a later stage, but they won't be published:

• Motivation letter clearly stating what position (president/vice president/treasurer/bureau member) the person is running for
• Picture
• A short (max 60 words) statement on why they are running (for the website)
• A nomination letter from the Member Organisation (not applicable for Individual Members)

Besides the President, Vice President, Treasurer and four Bureau Members, the Electoral Spring Congress in Vienna will also elect: 

• Internal Auditors (2) and their substitutes (2);

For these positions as well, we ask candidates to provide a motivational letter and nomination letter (for MO representatives) by Friday, 20 March 2026 if they want to be included in the Congress mailing and elections website. Applications can still be received later, but they won't be published anymore. 

Meet the candidates

Statutory Deadlines

8 weeks before the Congress - Sunday, 22 February 2026: 

• Date and location of the Congress
• Proposed agenda of the Congress
• Proposal of Statutory Changes
• Proposal of changes to the Rules of Procedures
• Applications for full membership
• Application for associate membership
• Changes in member organisations
• Proposal to expel or suspend membership

4 weeks before the Congress - Friday, 20 March 2026:

• Application to become a member of the Bureau and other positions to be featured on the election website
• Annual Financial Report 2025
• Annual Budget update 2026
• Bureau reports 
• Motions and resolutions
• Applications for reduced membership fees and payment arrangements

3 weeks before the Congress - Friday, 27 March 2026: 

• Final date for changes in delegations - including type and format of participation

2 weeks before the Congress - Friday, 03 April 2026: 

• Internal Auditors Report 2026
• External Audit Report 2026
• Presentation of the Bureau candidates

1 week before the Congress - Friday, 10 April 2026 - 12:00 CET:

• Amendments to motions and resolutions 
• Mergers of Proposed Motions & Resolutions

Saturday, 11 April 2026 - 10:00 CET: Online Working Groups on resolutions and amendments

Before the start of the Congress - Friday, 17 April 2026 - 10:00 CET: 

• Amendments to amendments of motions and resolutions
• Amendments to Merged Proposed Motions & Resolutions 
• Urgent resolutions   

Via email to even@lymec.eu AND sorcha@lymec.eu AND project@lymec.eu

This event is organised with the support of the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament, the European Liberal Forum and the Friedrich Naumman Foundation for Freedom Europe.