Sample Statute
(A Voluntary, Non-Profit Making Organisation)
Article 1
The name of the Organisation shall be “European Young Paediatricians Association (EURYPA)”
Article 2
The official address of the Organisation is :
EPA-UNEPA headquarter: Allt. center, Zimmerstra ße 69, D-10117, Berlin, Germany
Article 3
The aim of the EURYPA is to better the health of European children through networking, education, training, research and sharing of opportunities across the European pediatric residents, trainees and young paediatricians.
Article 4
The Organisation shall have the following objectives:
1. To encourage networking and communication among paediatric residents/trainees and young paediatricians;
2. To facilitate paediatric education in all European countries;
3. To promote online paediatric educational devices/sites/courses/apps/social network
4. To work hand in hand with other specialties and health professionals working with children in order to promote interdisciplinary discussion;
5. To promote symposiums, congresses and courses (summer schools) for all the paediatric residents/trainees and young paediatricians;
6. To give advice to paediatric residents/trainees and young paediatricians about rotations, exchanges programs and research opportunities abroad;
7. To encourage participation of paediatric residents/trainees and young paediatricians in international research in the field of paediatrics;
8. To promote international collaborative research
9. To collaborate with national and international organizations to improve child health care and work on medical and social issues/campaigns;
10. To do all that which is ancillary, incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objectives.
Article 5
5.1. The Organisation shall be autonomous and voluntary.
5.2. The Organisation shall be non-profit making and any excess of funds received or generated from its activities must always be reinvested in the same Organisation.
5.3. The accounts of the Organisation shall be reviewed or audited and published on a yearly basis.
5.4. Provided its autonomy is not affected, the Organisation may collaborate with other entities on a national, regional or international basis in order to further its aims.
5.5. The Organisation shall not have any political or trade union affiliation and it shall not indulge in party politics.
5.6. All prospective Members and Associate Members of the Organisation shall have access to the statute of Organisation upon demand. Prospective Members will be required to state that they are aware of the objectives of the Organisation.
Article 6
6.1 All persons that fulfil the next criteria are eligible to become Members of the Organisation with full voting rights:
* Medical Doctors in paediatric training;
* Paediatricians within 5 years of completion of paediatric residency programme;
6.2 The Membership will expire after 10 years of completion of paediatric residency program.
6.3 The Affairs of the Organisation, in all matters not in these rules reserved for the Organisation in General Meeting, shall be managed by the Executive Committee of the Organisation. Provided that the Executive Committee shall have, as its primary function but not limited to, the management and allocation of the proceeds of all fund raising activities.
6.4 The Executive Committee shall consist of 7 Members of the Organisation who shall be elected at Europaediatrics Congress - at least 2 years, with the possibility of extension – at the Board of Representatives of the Organisation. At the expiration of the four years’ period the Executive Committee shall go out of office.
6.5 The Board of Representatives is composed of one representative of each country nominated by the young paediatrician association of each country, or equivalent. In the absence of an equivalent association the representative will be nominated by the pediatric society of each country.
6.6 President and Vice-President can be elected twice for the same position on the Executive Committee.
6.7 Any country should only have one representative in the same Executive Committee.
6.8 In order that a vote can be taken during a meeting of the Executive Committee, a minimum of five Members must be present (physically or online) and vote.
6.9 In the event of the resignation (or termination from post for other reasons) of an Executive Committee Member, the Executive Committee will co-opt other member/s to take his/her place. The other official Members of the Executive Committee will pass a vote as to who will be co-opted during a committee meeting. Any Member so appointed shall retain his office only until the next Board of Representatives Meeting, but he/she shall then be eligible for reelection.
6.10 Any Member not attending the Executive Committee meetings for three (3) consecutive times without a very valid reason will automatically have to step down. This will guarantee the continuity of the work of the Executive Committee.
6.11 The Executive Committee shall be elected to office by the Board of Representatives for a period of two years by secret ballot, electing those Members obtaining the highest number of votes.
6.12 No person who is not a Member of the Organisation shall be eligible to hold office as a Member of the Executive Committee or Board of Representatives.
6.13 Nominations for the Executive Committee must be submitted on the appropriate official forms one month prior to the Board of Representatives Meeting. In the absence of prior nominations reaching the Executive Committee on the appropriate date, the outgoing Executive Committee may invite nominations from the floor on the day of the Board of Representatives Meeting.
Article 7
7.1 The business of the Organisation shall be managed by the Executive Committee which may pay all such expenses, preliminary and incidental to the promotion, formation, establishment and registration of the Organisation as they deem fit.
7.2 Legal representation of the Organisation shall vest in the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer.
7.3 No regulation made by the Organisation in a General Meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Executive Committee which would have been valid if such regulation had not been made.
7.4 The Members for the time being of the Executive Committee may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their constitution.
7.5 The Executive Committee is authorised to consult and seek the advice of any Associate Member of the Organisation with the aim of improving the welfare or condition of both its members and the Organisation itself.
7.6 The Executive Committee is authorised to appoint an External Advisory Committees to support it in its role.
Article 8
8.1 The President and Vice-President will be elected by the Executive Committee among its members, after their election.
8.2 The President will preside at all Executive Committee meetings and General Meetings of the Organisation.
8.3 The Vice-President will preside on the Executive Committee with full powers in the absence of the President.
8.4 The President and the Vice-President shall undertake such functions in respect of the Organisation as the Executive Committee may determine from time to time.
8.5 Provided that in the absence of both the President and the Vice-President, and provided a quorum is available, the Executive Committee will have the power to appoint a substitute/s to conduct the meetings.
8.6 The Executive Committee may remove any Vice-President in which case he/she shall remain a Member of the Committee.
8.7 No remuneration (except by way of reimbursement of out of pocket expenses, if any) shall be paid to any member of the Executive Committee in respect of their office.
Article 9
9.1 The Secretary will be elected by the Executive Committee among its members, after their election. The Secretary will be responsible for all the secretarial and administrative work of the Executive Committee.
9.2 The Executive Committee may elect from among its members an Assistant Secretary to assist the Secretary as necessary. Any Secretary so appointed by the Executive Committee may also be removed by them, in which case however he/ she shall remain a member of the Executive Committee.
9.3 The Secretary and his/her assistant shall undertake such functions in respect of the Organisation as the Executive Committee may determine from time to time.
9.4 No remuneration (except by way of reimbursement of out of pocket expenses, if any) shall be paid to any member of the Executive Committee in respect of their office.
Article 10
10.1 The Treasurer will be elected by the Executive Committee among its members, after their election. The Treasurer will be responsible for all the Financial and Accounting work of the Executive Committee.
10.2 The Executive Committee may elect from among its members an Assistant Treasurer to assist the Treasurer. Any Assistant Treasurer so appointed by the Executive Committee may also be removed by them, in which case however he/ she shall remain a member of the Executive Committee.
10.3 The Treasurer and his/her Assistant shall undertake such functions in respect of the Organisation as the Executive Committee determines from time to time.
10.4 No remuneration (except by way of reimbursement of out of pocket expenses, if any) shall be paid to the Treasurer or his /her assistant in respect of their office.
Article 11
11.1 The office of an Official Member of the Committee shall be vacated:
* If he/she ceases to be a member of the Organisation.
* If by notice in writing to the Organisation, he/she resigns his/her office.
* If he/she is removed from office by a resolution duly passed pursuant to Clause of this Statute.
Article 12
1. The Organisation may by a resolution taken at an Extraordinary General Meeting remove any Member of the Executive Committee before the expiration of his/her period of office if he/she is guilty of repetitive disruption of meetings, hinders the function of the Organisation or breaks the confidentiality and trust of other Members.
2. The Organisation may by the same or another resolution appoint another Member in his/her stead; but any person so appointed shall retain his/her office so long only as the Member in whose place he/she is appointed would have held the same if he/she had not been removed.
Article 13
13.1 Subject as hereinafter provided, the Executive Committee may meet together for the dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit. The Executive Committee shall meet in person every year and online every 6 months.
13.2 The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Executive Committee shall be five (5) of the number of members on the Executive Committee provided that if no quorum is present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned to another day within one week. If at such adjourned meeting no quorum is present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, provided four (4) members are present, the meeting shall proceed accordingly.
13.3 Matters decided at any meeting of the Executive Committee shall be decided by a simple majority of votes. In case of an equality of votes, the President or whom substituted as Chairperson of the meeting shall ask for a re-vote. In the event of an equality of votes on the revote, the Chairperson of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
13.4 On the request of the President or her/his Vice-President the Secretary shall, at any time, summon a meeting of the Executive Committee by notice (stating the time and place of such meeting) served upon the several members of the Executive Committee giving a notice of at least five working days. Any accidental failure to give such notice to any member of the Committee entitled thereto shall not invalidate any of the proceedings of such meeting so long as a quorum is present there at.
13.5 A meeting of the Executive Committee at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all the authorities, powers and discretion by or under the regulations of the Organisation for the time being vested in the Executive Committee generally.
13.6 The Executive Committee may delegate any of its powers to sub committees consisting of such member or members of the Executive Committee or of such other persons as it thinks fit, and any sub committee so formed shall, in the exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulations imposed on it by the Executive Committee.
13.7 The Executive Committee shall cause proper minutes to be made of all appointments of officers made by the Executive Committee and of the proceedings of all meetings of the Organisation and of the Executive Committee and of sub committees of the Executive Committee.
13.8 All business transacted at such meetings, and any such minutes of any meeting, if purporting to be signed by the President and Secretary of such meeting, or by the Chairperson and Secretary of the next succeeding meeting, shall be sufficient evidence without any further proof of the facts therein stated.
Article 14
14.1. (a) Applications for membership shall not be considered unless accompanied by the subscription fee.
* The subscription fee should be payed yearly and should be determined by the Executive Committee
* If the subscription falls due and a Member has not yet paid the previous year's subscription, he/she shall not be entitled to vote in the next General Meeting;
* Any Member who resigns or forfeits her/his membership shall on rejoining be liable to pay a readmission fee equivalent to one year's subscription.
14.2 The funds of the Organisation shall also be collected from voluntary contributions, donations or grants by Members, benefactors, the State, any other institution, and from fundraising activities.
14.3 The funds of the Organisation shall be deposited in bank accounts of a reputable local bank in the name of the Organisation and the authorised joint signatories for operating such accounts shall be the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The signature of the Treasurer and one other signature of the President or Secretary will suffice.
14.4 The Treasurer shall keep such proper books of accounts as will enable him/her to present at every General Meeting of the Organisation, or at any other time if required (on reasonable notice to him/her) by the Executive Committee, an accurate report and statement concerning the finances of the Organisation.
Article 15
15.1 A General Meeting of the Organisation shall be held in every two years. Notice of the day and time of the General Meeting shall be given to each member at least one month before such day.
15.2 Other meetings of the Organisation may be summoned by the Executive Committee, and shall be so summoned immediately upon a request in writing signed by at least ten per cent of the Members.
15.3 At any meeting of the Organisation every member of the Organisation shall be entitled to be present, and every Member shall be entitled to one (1) vote upon every matter raised. In the case of equality of voting, the President of the meeting (who shall be the outgoing President of the Executive Committee) shall have a second or casting vote. The Secretary shall take minutes of the proceedings at all General Meetings of the Organisation.
15.4 The Secretary shall present the Report of the Organisation to the General Meeting.
15.5 The quorum for the General or any Meeting shall be ten per cent (10%) of the general membership. In the absence of such quorum, the Meeting shall be held, with the same agenda, thirty minutes later and all decisions taken shall be binding on the Organisation as a whole.
15.6 The auditors or reviewers of accounts shall be nominated and elected by the members attending and having a right to vote at General Meetings. No auditor or reviewer of accounts who has held office on the Executive Committee during the past twelve (12) months will be eligible for nomination. No auditor or reviewer of accounts shall run for office on the Executive Committee during the coming twelve (12) months.
Article 16
16.1 Every Member shall conform to the Organisation's Code of Ethics. Any Member or members alleged to have brought, or attempted to bring disrepute on the Organisation, shall be asked to appear before the Executive Committee and if, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, the case be found proven, the Member shall be deprived of his/her membership. If the said Member fails to appear before the Executive Committee without justification, he/she shall be deprived of membership.
Article 17
17.1 Each Member shall keep the Secretary informed of that Member's private address, email address, or of some other address at which communications may be addressed to him/her.
Article 18
18.1 This Statute may be revoked, added to or altered by a vote of at least fifty-one per cent of all the registered Members of the Organisation who are entitled to vote at a General Meeting of the Organisation of which notice has been duly given specifying the intention to propose the revocation, addition or alteration, together with full particulars thereof.
Article 19
19.1 If at any time the Organisation shall pass in General Meeting by a majority comprising seventy-five per cent (75%) of all the registered Members present and entitled to vote a resolution of its intention to dissolve, the Executive Committee shall take immediate steps to settle any debts, and dispose of the monies and property remaining as determined by the General Meeting; and thereupon the Organisation shall for all purposes be dissolved.
19.2 In the event of dissolution of the Organisation, any remaining funds and/or property shall be donated to a voluntary non-profit making organization or a charitable institution chosen by the outgoing Executive Committee.
