Constitution of the ECSVD – agreed September 2012
Article 1 – Name, Seat, Duration, Fiscal Year
1.1 The name of the society is the “European College for the Study of Vulval Disease” (ECSVD).
1.2 The seat of the ECSVD is at: Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, Hôpital Tenon, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 4 rue de la Chine, 75970 Paris. (Date of the declaration 15th September 2012)
1.3 The ECSVD is formed for an undefined period of time.
1.4 The ECSVD’s fiscal year will begin on the first day of January and end on the last day of December, except for the first fiscal year, which will begin on the date of formation of the ECSVD and will end on the last day of December of that year.
1.5 The ECSVD shall be non profit making.
Article 2 – Language
2.1 The official language of the ECSVD is English. The language of all meetings of the ECSVD will be English.
Article 3 – Purpose
3.1 The ECSVD is formed for the following purposes:
(a) to promote communication among medical doctors managing patients with vulval disease;
(b) to promote postgraduate education in the field of vulval disease;
(c) to promote research in the field of vulval disease.
Article 4 – Membership
4.1 Any medical doctor who is currently a fellow of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) may become a member of the ECSVD.
4.2 Any medical doctor, trainee or health worker who is not a fellow of the ISSVD can become a member of the ECSVD provided that:
• He/she has attended a ECSVD Congress
• Or He/she has applied in writing to the Executive Council of the ECSVD and presented their curriculum vitae demonstrating his or her interest in the field of vulval disease
4.3 The Executive Council of the ECSVD will have sole discretion on the admission of new members.
4.4 The membership shall expire by death, cancellation, resignation or exclusion.
4.5 The resignation has to be declared in writing to the Executive Council of the ECSVD and can be operated at any time.
4.6 Regular attendance at the meetings is necessary to remain a member. If a member does not attend two consecutive meetings, without valid reason given in writing to the Executive Council, he/she will no longer be considered a member of the ECSVD.
4.7 Membership will cease if a member loses his license to practice. A member can be excluded in a case of unprofessional behavior. The exclusion of a member shall be decided by unanimous decision of the Executive Council.
4.8 Ordinary Members who have paid the congress registration fee to the ECSVD are entitled to participate and to vote in the General Meeting, as well as to participate in other activities of the ECSVD.
Article 5 – General Meeting
5.1 There shall be held at least once every two years a General Meeting (the “Ordinary General Meeting”).
5.2 The General Meeting constitutes the supreme authority of the ECSVD. It is empowered to amend the statutes, to appoint and to dismiss the members of the Executive Council, to approve the annual accounts and the budget, and, in general, to take any decision and measures exceeding the authority of the Executive Council as fixed by statutes or by law.
5.3 The President of the Executive Council shall take the chair of the General Meeting.
5.4 At the General Meeting each member has one vote. An absent member can vote by an empowered member of the ECSVD but written permission must be provided. No member can represent more than two members as proxy.
5.5 The resolutions of the General Meeting shall be taken with a simple majority of the votes of those present or represented members, unless otherwise specified by the present by-law.
5.6 Minutes shall be kept of any meeting of the General Meeting and shall be signed by the President and the Secretary of the Executive Council. The resolutions of the General Meeting shall be notified at the end of the General Meeting.
5.7 The Executive Council shall determine the time, the place and the agenda of the General Meeting.
5.8 The announcement of the forthcoming meeting is to be sent to each member at least two months prior to the date of meeting. This announcement will contain the agenda.
5.9 An Extraordinary General Meeting can be called if decided by the Executive Council or if one fifth of the members of the ECSVD requests it in writing to the Executive Council
Article 6 – Executive Council
6.1 The ECSVD shall be administered by an Executive Council.
6.2 Officers
The Executive Council includes the following officers:
President
President elect
Past President
Secretary
Treasurer
Six Councillors
At least six countries must be represented in the Executive Council.
6.3 Duration of the Office
The President and the other members of the Executive Council shall be separately elected by the members attending the General Meeting upon nomination by the existing Executive Council. In order to be elected, new members of the Executive Council nominated by the existing Executive Council require a minimum of 50% of the votes cast by those members voting at the General Meeting.
Executive Council members are elected for a period of two years. The President may not be re-elected as a president. Other Executive Council members may be elected two times except the Secretary and the Treasurer who can be elected for a maximum of three times consecutively in that position.
6.4 The Executive Council is responsible for the management of the ECSVD. It may therefore be invested with the power to deal with any extraordinary actions or activities which are not specifically addressed in the current statutes. The President alone or only if he/she is unable to represent the ECSVD, two members of the Executive Council (selected by the Executive Council) acting jointly shall represent the ECSVD in a judicial or extrajudicial proceeding.
6.5 The Executive Council shall be convened by the President and it shall meet as often as the interests of the ECSVD so require. The Executive Council must be convened if a majority of the members of the Executive Council so require. If unable to attend, any member of the Executive Council may be represented by another member of the Executive Council; however, one member of the Executive Council can only represent one other member of the Executive Council, at any one time. Decisions of the Executive Council are only valid if more than half of all the members of the Executive Council are present or represented. Any resolution shall be passed with a majority of the votes cast. If the votes are equal, the President shall have the casting vote. The discussion shall be minuted and entered into a register which shall be signed by the President and the Secretary.
6.6 Past Presidents of the ECSVD or European Past Presidents of the ISSVD may be invited to attend Council Meetings for 4 years after finishing their terms of office but they have no right to vote. This clause does not pertain to the past President of the ECSVD who is a regular member of the Executive Council.
Article 7 – General provisions
7.1 The amount of the annual subscription to the ECSVD to be paid by the members of the ECSVD shall be determined every two years by the General Meeting.
7.2 Each year after the end of the fiscal year, the Executive Council shall draw up the annual accounts for the expiring year and shall draw up the budget for the following year. The accounts and the budget as well as the management report of the Executive Council and the notice convening the General Meeting shall be sent to all members of the Executive Council.
7.3 This statutes may be amended by a vote of two thirds of all members attending the General Meeting, provided notice of proposed amendments has been given in writing sixty days prior to the meeting.