The EM Germany network consists of 250 member organisations representing various social groups including business and professional associations, trade unions, educational and academic institutions, foundations and political parties, amongst others.
European Movement Germany is a not-for-profit, registered organisation, recognised and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and by the federal budget at institutional level.
Within this framework, EM Germany provides information sessions on European topics to its member organisations.
Topics range from discussions of the commission's consultation procedure to information events on the decisions of the European Council.
EM Germany is further responsible for choosing running the application process for German students who wish to apply for scholarships to the College of Europe in Bruges and Natolin.
Together with its institutional partner, the Foreign Office,[3] EM Germany promotes dialogue by organising events.
Target groups include EU stakeholders, the federal government, the states, regions, and civil society.
Significantly, Eugen Kogon, President of Europa-Union from 1949, supported the establishment of the German Council of the European Movement by inviting, along with Sandys, approximately 90 public figures in January 1949 to set up a provisional Executive Committee.
At the inaugural meeting, 252 highly regarded members were chosen from political parties, as well as from various strands of West German society.
Carlo Schmid became its chairman; having previously been elected as vice-president of the International Parliamentary Group of European Movement.
The work of the German Council was financed through public funding, through State grants in the first months and, from 1950 onwards, by the Federal Chancellery.
The lack of transparency in the leadership of Kogon led to his replacement as president in 1954 by Ernst Friedlaender, who reformed the organisational structure of the German National Council.
The second half of the 1970s was dominated by direct elections scheduled for 1979 and saw increased activity in public relations which focused on encouraging voter turnout and providing information regarding party political groupings on a European level.
Although the number of member organisations was growing, the German Council was increasingly faced with financial problems.
In this context the Federal Government and the German National Council worked even more closely to promote the discussion of, and the dissemination of information about, current political questions concerning Europe.
The organisation's education and media work was strengthened through debates about the economy and monetary union, the Constitutional Treaty and eastern enlargement, for which EM Germany served as a forum.
In particular, EM Germany influenced the work of the Constitutional Convention, thanks to a study group formed in conjunction with Europa-Union.
It also presented policy documents concerning an improvement of the capacity to act and the legitimation of the EU to the President of the Convention Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The work programme for 2010/11 stressed that the position of stakeholders and civil society in the Lisbon Treaty was a new concept that needed to be addressed.