Shake-Up for Group of MR Associations

EFAMRO, the international federation of MR associations, has announced a new strategy, to be implemented by a new executive board. The move recognises the 'urgent' need for more professionalisation, and for a more pro-active stance on European legislation.

EFAMRO began as an international federation of market research agency associations within the European Union, formed in 1992 and incorporated in The Netherlands. Member associations from Western Europe represent research agencies responsible for between 60% and 70% of the sector's total turnover, since the UK's MRS joined in January 2007. The nine current members also include non-European nation Mexico, as well as Turkey which is currently outside the EU.

The announcement follows a year of self-scrutiny, in which member associations have debated the success and direction of the organisation within the framework of its mission statement. Recommendations from a taskforce led by the MRS' David Barr also included better communication with member associations, with better use of the latter's expertise to compensate for otherwise insufficient budgets. Some of EFAMRO's task 'modules' will be outsourced, and the co-ordination and monitoring of this will be part of the role of Director General Lex Olivier, who will remain in his post.

The existing executive team of Erich Wiegand (Germany, President), Wim van Slooten (The Netherlands, Vice President), and Enrique Domingo (Spain, Vice President) have stepped down as of April 1st, to be replaced by Stig Holmer (Sweden, President), David Barr (UK, Vice President), and Antonio Salvador (Portugal, Vice President).

The review reaffirms the body's commitment to promoting the ISO 20252 quality standard, 'increasingly widespread throughout various nations', but likely to take a number of years to achieve global acceptance, notes EFAMRO. The organisation also promises that 'The generation of mandatory directives will have a decidedly lower priority in the future.'

The Board says it hopes the new approach will motivate more European MR associations to follow the example set by Finland, who joined recently.

Web site: www.efamro.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.