CO-LaN was originally created back in early 2001 for a duration of 5 years. The bylaws give the power of extending the duration of the CO-LaN organization to an Extraordinary General Meeting of the membership. Only Full Members have the right to vote on decisions presented to a General Meeting.

On December 15, 2005, an Extraordinary General Meeting of the CO-LaN membership was organized and took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The decision of extending the duration of CO-LaN till the end of 2010 was voted unanimously by the Full Members present or represented. It shows their continued commitment to CAPE-OPEN success.