Terms and Rules

1. Rules for Participation in EGF online events

EGF online roundtables and panel debates are conducted in open access format and are open to all persons interested in the subject matter of the particular discussion. There is no fee or subscription charge to participate in an EGF online event. All participants are required to register for an online event through the EGF website by providing their name, organisation (job title or rank is optional) and an email address.

EGF debates are conducted under the so called «Chatham House rules» format where speakers/panellists are not to be quoted outside of the particular debate unless permission is granted by either the speaker or EGF.

EGF debates are comprised of a moderator and a number of panellists who have given their prior consent to participation in the particular EGF online session. The moderator assumes the role of Forum Leader. He/she announces the commencement of the forum, sets out the initial discussion for the debate, introduces the panel and invites each of the speaker participants to make their initial contributions towards the discussion. The moderator regulates the proceedings of the forum, sets limitations on the length of intervention-postings that participants are allowed to make, invites questions from the audience and announces the completion of each event.

EGF online events normally last for periods of several days in length, allowing the panellists sufficient time to submit (post) their contributions to the particular debate and for the moderator to coordinate the discussions and interventions from the audience. Audience participants are able to direct their questions and comments to particular panel members through the moderator only and should identify themselves by providing their name and the name of any organisation with which they may be affiliated. In certain circumstances, audience participants may be able to retain a greater degree of anonymity, which should be done at the discretion of the moderator.

Code of conduct

However their interventions should be relevant to the subject matter of the particular event in which they wish to intervene. The code of conduct of EGF virtual forums is such that the EGF web master will only direct relevant audience interventions to the moderator. EGF expressly disclaims all liability with respect to any malevolent, ill humoured or generally irrelevant interventions made by any of forum participants which comes outside of the code of conduct of EGF virtual forums. By registering their email addresses enabling them to participate in the forum, participants ultimately accept sole responsibility for any message that they contribute to an EGF online event.

EGF is an open forum embracing the principles of openness and transparency. All persons interested in putting together and running a panel of their own making, moderating or participating in a previously announced, forthcoming panel, should contact us at info@egf-europe.org.

Translation disclaimer

EGF forums are predominantly conducted in the English and Russian languages. EGF will make every effort to provide effective translation between English and Russian for the benefit of the panellists and the audience. However any translation undertaken by EGF should not be construed as a flawless interpretation of forum participants’ comments made in either one or the other language. Neither should the interpretation necessarily be construed as an exact replica of the respective intervention and, depending of the flow of events, could be made in the form of a summary of key points made. A particular translation of forum dialogue should not be quoted or cited without either the permission of either EGF or the forum participant.

2. General Usage of Website

General usage of the EGF Website is subject to the terms and conditions as summarised below. Usage of the EGF website therefore implies acceptance of our terms and conditions, including rules for forum participation as set out above.

Informational Purposes Only / Not Political Advice

All information contained in the EGF Website is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an attempt to provide specific political advice on any subject matter to any particular party. EGF is an independent resource for the promotion and debate of European geopolitical issues only and any information contained on the website is not intended to be a substitute for political or professional advice on any subject.

Third-Party Links

Some links within the EGF Website may lead to other websites. EGF expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability for the content of any such third-party resources/links. EGF does not guarantee the timeliness, sequence, accuracy, completeness or liability or content of such information.

Copyright Policy

The information contained in the EGF Website is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved to EGF and to forum contributors. Under no circumstances can any of the information generated in EGF online forum discussions be reproduced without previously obtained permission. This includes postings of conclusions of forum proceedings on the EGF website. Other content (including publications, commentaries, multimedia contributions, news extracts and other documents) contained on the EGF website may be downloaded free of charge by registered users only. Usage of such downloaded content should be employed for your personal, non-commercial use only. Reference to EGF or the original source of attribution should be made in accordance to copyright laws. Individuals wishing to download content from the EGF website are requested to first register with the EGF website.