Special Issue
FEP functioning at a very low rate? Yes,
associations have to pay an annual fee ,
which is more or less on the base of 1 up
to 5 euros per member, and this is possible only thanks to and though the active
contribution of all the members of the
family. If all associations were inactive,
how could FEP survive with a total annual budget from fees which is less than
20.000 euros per year? The non-member
associations are like orphans: orphans
too can reach the highest success, with
their skill, practice and passion, but
would it be less or more expensive and
difficult, if they had a family?
– The countries of Eastern Partnership became members of FEP not
so long ago. The initial stage is the
most difficult, you need to survive
and move on to a new level. If you do
not take the contributions into account, which can be a major obstacle
to maintain a position in the FEP, are
there other difficulties that need to
be overcome?
– I think the most difficult stage is
to realize that being a member of a new
family means that everybody needs to
learn what they can give and what they
can get from it. It is essential, in this
regard that the new members choose a
contact person, or a small committee, to
relate with FEP and other sister organizations, to be able to read our information and answer, attend the meetings
and events not just occasionally, help
the local members to enter European
competitions and assessments, etc. New
digital tools such as e-mails, Skype, social media and digital clouds are able to
do this kind of job at very limited costs
or not at all. Our secretariat, President,
Board members, the Chair persons of the
competitions and qualifications are always available to share knowledge, suggestions, etc. with the colleagues. New
members just need to learn how to take
advantage of this possibility. Everybody
has a position in FEP and shares a passion to do it. To “maintain a position”
you just have to present yourselves to
the rest of the family… and don’t be
shy!
– What kind of effect FEP has on
the development of photography in
Europe? The same question applies to
new members of FEP (Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan). How, in your opinion, the entry
into FEP can affect the development of
photography in these countries? And
what positive changes await them?
– The up or down trend of the photography in Europe is subjected to a lot
of inputs, both from the economy and
the technology. FEP can only help make
a photographer aware, while governing
these processes is far beyond our possibilities. Nevertheless and more specifi-
cally, I can testify that each and every
time an association is able to gather
their members so that they can share a
project, an event, or a passion, this sets
in motion a virtuous cycle able to help a
positive development. The same is true
on the international sc