ECFS Consitution

1-01: The name of the society is the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS).

1-02: The ECFS is an independent society that elects its own officers.

1-03: The society may be affiliated to other related European societies if the independence of the ECFS is assured.

1-04: The official language of ECFS is English.

2: Objective

2-01: The objective of the ECFS is to facilitate the acquisition and distribution of knowledge and research in the field of cystic fibrosis. To further this objective:

2-01-01: The ECFS will organise an annual European Cystic Fibrosis Conference.

2-01-02: The secretariat of the ECFS will maintain an updated address list of European CF (Cystic Fibrosis) centres and individuals involved in CF issues to facilitate the cooperation and exchange of scientific or educational information

2-01-03: The ECFS may form sub-Committees, working parties or study groups from active members for any purpose related to the objective of the society. Such sub-groups will be appointed and approved by either the annual general meeting or the board.

2-01-04: The ECFS may sponsor or contribute to research projects on cystic fibrosis and support young scientists within the countries of Europe

3: Membership

3-01: Active membership is open to anyone with a qualified professional interest inCF research or CF clinical care. Active membership provides the right to nominate candidates, stand for membership of the Board and of the Election Committee, and vote on any ECFS issue

3-02: All registered participants in the most recent annual ECFS conference will be automatically considered as correspondent members (e.g. receive news letters) until the next ECFS conference. Such members will have no vote in ECFS affairs.

3-03: Commercial companies, non-professional and lay organisations and
their representatives can become corporate members without voting rights
although where appropriate may be included in the consultation process.

4. Administration

4-01: The ECFS is governed by a Board, which is to consist of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer (an Honorary position), and five ordinary board members. In a President’s final year in office, the President Elect will also form part of the Board. The officers of the Board shall represent different European countries and the various major disciplines of CF.

4-02: At the start of a new presidency, the Board will elect a vice president from among their number. The vice president will chair any meeting which the president cannot attend. If the President is unable to continue in office, the vice president will take over the presidency until an election can be held at the next AGM

4-03: The immediate past President is an ad hoc member (without a vote) of the board for one year following the end of his presidential term.

4-04: Terms of Reference of the Board: The officers of the Board are responsible for the conduct of the business of the ECFS and as such are responsible for keeping the membership informed about the activities of the society (newsletters, email, website).

4-05: Terms of Office: All officers- except the next ECFS conference chairperson who is elected for 2 years - are elected for 4 years by the Annual General Meeting by simple majority. No Board member can stand for election for more than two consecutive terms of office. Each year two members of the board shall retire from office.

4-06: Terms of Reference for Board Members:

4-06-01: The President: Responsible for the overall administration and control of the ECFS, and as such will call and chair Board meetings at regular intervals (minimum twice a year) and an Annual General Meeting. If there is equal voting in specific business matters, the President's vote is decisive.

4-06-02: The Secretary: Responsible for the preparation of the agenda and minutes for Board meetings & Annual General Meetings. The incumbent is also the point of contact for applications for membership, annual awards, and nominations for Board positions.

4-06-03: The Treasurer: Responsible for providing the Board and Annual General Assembly with up to date information on the Society’s financial status. A professional treasurer, who will ensure the provision of accurate and audited accounts, will augment this position.

4-06-04: ECFS Conference Chairperson: In conjunction with their responsibility for organising the next annual ECFS Conference, this position is responsible for reporting to both the Board and the Annual General Meeting on the preparations for the Conference.

4-06-05: Ordinary Board Members: Responsible for providing support and advice to the Board on areas of a specific nature of expertise. Ordinary members are to be nominated in advance of, and endorsed by the Annual General Meeting

4-06-06: President Elect: This member will become a member of the Board a year prior to taking over the Presidency in order to ensure a handover of tasks.

4-06-07: If appointed, the Executive Coordinator will be a non-voting participant of the Board.

4-07: The Chairperson for the forthcoming ECFC will join the board one year before the Conference and stay on the Board in a non-voting capacity for the year following the conference for which they are responsible.

4-08: The ECFS is aware that there are other organisations whose activities may, in CF terms, overlap with those of the ECFS and that close cooperation with such organisations would be beneficial to both the ECFS and such organisations. The Board of the ECFS can invite a representative of such an organisation to attend the Board meeting as a non-voting member where cooperative ventures are mutually beneficial.

4-09: Executive Coordinator: The Board may appoint a permanent executive coordinator who will work at the ECFS Office and will be responsible for running the everyday business of the Society together with any additional duties mentioned in the job description for the post that was agreed at time of appointment. The executive coordinator will attend all Board meetings in a non-voting capacity and will present an annual report of the state of the Society to the Board. In the absence of an executive coordinator, the running of the everyday business of the Society will devolve to members of the Board Executive.

4-10: ECFS Journal: The Society will publish a journal called "Journal of Cystic Fibrosis". The Board will appoint an editor of the journal on a four yearly basis. It will be the duty of the editor to be responsible for the day to day running of the journal, to appoint and oversee an editorial board and in coordination with the Publisher, to publish the journal on a regular basis. If the editor is not an elected member of the board, the editor will attend the Board meetings in a non-voting capacity.

5: The Annual General Meeting (AGM)

5-01: The President of the ECFS will chair the AGM. The AGM is held in conjunction with the annual European CF Conference. Precise time, place and agenda of the AGM will be published in the programme of the annual ECFC. The agenda will include the presentation of the annual reports from the President, the Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer.

5-02: An election committee independent of the ECFS Board shall oversee the annual elections for ECFS Executive and Board members.

5-02-01: The election committee will be composed of a chairman and 4 other members

5-02-02: Any member of the Society who has been a member longer than a year is eligible to be a member of the committee

5-02-03: Term of membership will be for three years.

5-02-04: Election of ordinary members of the committee. Members for the committee will be nominated by the membership at least three months prior to the AGM. Nominations will be circulated to the membership by the ECFS Office and election carried out by postal voting. Only those postal votes received before the AGM will be counted. The results will be announced at the AGM.

5-02-05: The elected committee will be responsible for appointment of a chairman from within their number. The chairman will be responsible for the overall co-ordination of the election committee’s activity

5-02-06: No more than two members of the same nationality can serve on the committee at any one time.

5-02-07: Duties of the election committee

5-02-07-01: To oversee the election of the Executive and Board members

5-02-07-02: The committee will be responsible for the call for nominations using the facilities of the ECFS Office and Newsletter and the encouragement of the nomination of suitable candidates

5-02-07-03: The committee will assess the qualities of all candidates and through its chairman present its findings to the membership prior to the election.

5-02-07-04: The committee will oversee any election and the chairman of the committee (or nominated representative) will present the result to the AGM

5-02-07-05: The committee will only be answerable to the AGM and not the Board

5-03: Election for Executive and Board members will be carried out by postal voting with the results being announced at the AGM.

5-03-03: Postal voting, ballot sheet will be sent out by the ECFS Office to all members who have paid their annual subscription.

5-03-02: Postal ballot sheets must be sent out at least 2 months prior to the AGM. Candidate information and the election committee assessment will also be sent at the same time.

5-03-03: All postal ballot sheets must be returned prior to the AGM by ordinary mail. The sheet should be placed in a sealed envelop with the name of the member and membership number clearly displayed.

5-03-04: The count of the postal votes should be made prior to the AGM by members of the election committee and members of the ECFS Office.

5-04: Any change to the annual subscription fee for members of the ECFS proposed by the Board is subject to endorsement at the AGM.

5-05: Proposals for agenda topics or changes to the Constitution are to be forwarded to the President and the Secretary three months before the AGM.

5-06: Only active members, identified by holding current membership card, may vote at the AGM.

5-07: The Board will decide on the future venues of all ECFS conferences

6: Finance

6-01: The fiscal year of the ECFS is January 1 - December 31

6-02. The ECFS activities will be financed through subscriptions, subsidies, and sponsorships.

6-03. An annual subscription will be levied per member. These fees will contribute to the administration of the ECFS and to the member’s subscription to the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. Regardless of the time of joining, the same subscription will be charged for new members. However, the membership fee will not be reimbursable if an individual chooses to leave the ECFS within the subscription period.

6-04: ECFS business commitments are bound by the signature of an executive Board member (President, Secretary or Treasurer) and the signature of one other Board member. The Board can authorise one person to sign on behalf of the Society.

6-05: The professional Treasurer will be responsible for maintaining the accounts demonstrating income and expenditures, assets and liabilities, which will be subject to audit. The Honorary Treasurer will be responsible for verifying the accounts and presenting the financial report to the Annual General Meeting.

6-06: The financial statement will be annually audited by an accredited accountant who is elected each year at the AGM.

7: Termination

7-01: In the event that dissolution of the ECFS becomes necessary, a special General Meeting will decide by majority vote of those present on the distribution of the ECFS assets (in coordination with the Treasurer). The calling of such a General Meeting will be made known to the entire membership at a minimum 1 month in advance, and will, when circumstances allow, normally follow the Annual General Meeting.

The original Constitution was approved by the annual general meeting in Davos, June 4th 1997.
There was a name change from European Society of Cystic Fibrosis to European Cystic Fibrosis Society approved at annual general meeting in Berlin, June 18th 1998.
The current version of the constitution was approved by the AGM held in Copenhagen 2006 during the 29th ECFS Conference, 15th June 2006 and modified at the AGM in Belek, 14th June 2007.