Changed by-laws of the European Institute of Social Security

International interprofessional and multidisciplinary scientific association

(Belgian Law of 25^th of October 1919 as amended by law of 6^th Dec. 1954)

I.    Name, seat, object

Article 1

An international interprofessional and multidisciplinary scientific association is hereby constituted bearing the name of “European Institute of Social Security”.

Article 2

The seat of the association is situated, until further decision by the general assembly, in Belgium.  Its address is Tiensestraat 41, 3000 Leuven.

Article 3

The association shall have no profit-making aims.  Its objective shall be to promote the comparative study of social security and collaboration in research between social security specialists from European countries and beyond.

II. Members

Article 4

The association shall comprise individual members and associated members, formed by collective entities.

The individual members shall indicate a particular research or professional interest in social security matters.  The associated members shall be organisations, institutions or groups who are interested in social security problems.

Article 5

New members, whether individual or associative members, are admitted on the recommendation of a member and after acceptance by the President.  The General Assembly and the relevant national section will be informed on new members.

Individual members only have a deliberate vote in the association.  The representatives of associated members have a consultative vote.  Associated members have the right to delegate maximum three delegates to the scientific activities organised by the Institute.

Members can tender their resignation by means of a simple letter addressed to the Bureau.

The expulsion of members from the association may be proposed by the Bureau after having heard the defense of the interested party, and is decided by a vote in the General Assembly carried by two thirds majority members present or represented.

A member who ceases (by dead or otherwise) to belong to the association has no rights with respect to the funds of the association.

Article 6

Members pay a contribution (according to the category to which they belong) fixed annually by the General Assembly on the proposal of the Bureau.  Recognized national sections with legal personality can however make an agreement with the secretariat-general to ask for a national contribution supplement, which will not be transferred afterwards to the secretariat.

The members pay their contribution directly to the secretariat-general of the Institute, unless a recognized national section with legal personality makes an agreement with the secretariat allowing for the membership fees to be paid through the national section’s account.  The national section will then transfer the contribution to the account of the secretariat.

The contributions must be paid at the latest on the first of April of the current year. 

Members who fail to pay their contribution for a particular year, and persist to refuse payment after a reminder, will automatically loose their rights as a member.  In case of a second year of persisting refusal to pay contributions, that member will be barred from the membership list. The same will be the case for members of a national section in case the latter does not transfer the collected contributions in time.

III.   The General Assembly

Article 7

The General Assembly has full powers to realize the objective of the association.

It is composed of all the individual members, delegates of associated members can participate on a consultative basis.

The following are specially reserved to its competence:

a)      election of the president and three vice-presidents;

b)      approval of the accounts;

c)      fixing of the contributions;

d)      exclusion of members

e)      amendment of statutes

f)        dissolution of the association

The General Assembly determines, on the proposition of the Bureau, the general programme of scientific activities of the Institute.

Article 8

The General Assembly will meet, presided over by the President or Vice-President, at the seat or place indicated on the convocation.  This is done by simple letter, sent 30 days before the assembly and containing the agenda.

An extraordinary general assembly may, in addition, be convoked by the Bureau, which has to do this when requested by one third of its members.  The Bureau also has to call an extraordinary general assembly when this is requested by a tenth of the individual members belonging to at least three national sections, with indication of the matter to be inscribed on the agenda.

Article 9

Another member in possession of a special procuration can represent individual members at the general assembly.  Each member may not hold more than two procurations.

Article 10

With the exception of special cases set out in these statutes, resolutions are adopted by a simple majority of individual members, present or represented, and are brought to the attention of all members.

Only matters inscribed on the agenda may be enacted upon.

Resolutions of the general assembly are entered in a register signed by the President and the General-Secretary and which is kept in the secretariat at the disposal of the members.

IV.    National sections and Working groups

Article 11

To remain recognized a national section should consist of at least 5 members residing in the country involved. It should appoint a chair person and vice chair person who are in close contact with the EISS it will be active in the furtherance of the objectives of the European Institute of Social Security. Each recognized national section would also have to inform the secretariat-general on planned activities and will have to report yearly to the Bureau, via the secretariat-general, on past activities.

The Bureau decides whether these conditions are fulfilled.

The delegates of associated members can take part on a consultative basis in all activities organised by their section.

Article 12

A working group consists of at least 5 members of the Institute, originating from at least two different countries.  They may be set up to deal with any issue that is relevant to the Institute and its objectives.

Working groups will have to be recognized by the Bureau.  In order to be recognized they have to appoint a chair person and vice chair person who will be responsible for the contacts with the Institute, and they will have to submit a statement with the terms of reference/main goals of the working group.  They will also have to have at least one activity of its own every year in order to become and to remain recognized.  The secretariat-general will have to be informed beforehand on these activities and will get a short note on past activities.

The delegates of associated members can take part on a consultative basis in all activities organised by their working group.

Article 13

With the exception of recognized working groups and the national sections, no one is entitled to use either the name or the logo of the Institute without prior consent of the President and Secretary General.

V.  Active Partner Institutions (API) and the Directorium

Article 14

Leading institutions in Europe and beyond which focus explicitly on social security from a comparative or international perspective – like some university departments and research centres, research departments of social security administrations and research institutes – are invited to become active partner institutions of the Institute.

The applicants will be recognized as ‘active partner institute of the EISS’ (API) by the Bureau, on the proposal of the Presidium, for renewable periods of three years.

Each API will designate a representative.  Together with the President and Secretary-General these representatives will constitute the Directorium of the Institute.  This Directorium may designate one Vice-President.  API-representatives can attend the meetings of the Bureau as advisors.

VI.    The Administration of the Institute: the Bureau

Article 15

The association is administrated by a Bureau composed of the chair persons ( or in case of absence: the vice chair persons) of those working groups and national sections that have organised at least one activity during the past year and that have sent the information on that activity to the secretariat-general in due time before the Bureau meeting.

The representatives of the Active Partner Institutions are invited to attend the Bureau meetings as advisors.

The European Communities, the Council of Europe, the International Labour Office and the International Social Security Association are invited to send a representative on a consultative basis to the meetings of the Bureau.  The Bureau can extend this status to other organisations.

It can also invite a member of a not represented country to attend its meetings on a consultative basis.

Article 16

The President elected for three years by the General Assembly chairs the Bureau. 

Article 17

The Bureau meets at the annual conferences or on special convocation of the President or Secretary-General.

The Bureau cannot take any decisions when less than half of its members are present or represented.

Article 18

The Bureau has full powers of administration and management with the exception of those attributed to the General Assembly.  It can delegate day to day management to its President or an administrator or an agent.  It determines the detailed programme of the conferences and of the publications.

Article 19

The resolutions of the Bureau are taken by a majority of the administrators present or represented.  In case of divided vote, the President has the casting vote.

Resolutions are entered into a register held in the secretary-general at the disposal of the members.

Article 20

All acts, which will bind the association, are, with the exception of special procuration, signed by the President or a Vice-President and the Secretary-General or his representative who do not have to prove such power to third parties.

Article 21

The Bureau represented by its President or a Bureau member designated by him shall undertake all legal proceedings.

VII. The Presidium

Article 22

The Presidium shall consist of the President, four Vice-Presidents and the Secretary-General and shall be responsible for the daily running of the Institute.

Article 23

The President shall be elected by the General Assembly for a period of three years.

The Directorium shall designate one of the Vice-Presidents, the others shall be elected by the General Assembly, all for a period of three years. 

All the members of the presidium can stand for re-election.

VIII.    Budget and Accounts

Article 24

The social budget ends on the 31^st of December.

The Bureau is bound to submit for the approval of the General Assembly the accounts of the period just completed, on the report of one or two controllers of accounts appointed by the Bureau.

The General Assembly may decide to set up a reserve fund and to fix the amount and method of contributing funds due by each member.

The Bureau shall determine every year the budget of the Institute.

The Institute may receive gifts, legacies and subsidies.

IX.    Activities

Article 25

The Institute shall organise annually conferences on problems of social security in the European countries.  The themes shall be chosen by the Bureau.

The conferences shall be  organised, as much as possible, on a rotating basis in the various countries where the Institute is established.  To this end, it shall cooperate with universities, scientific institutions and local institutions.

Article 26

On a decision by the Bureau, the Institute may undertake or stimulate scientific research, take part in it, or charge members or other persons with it.

It may undertake or stimulate all other activities useful for its objective.

X.  Modification of Statues – dissolution

Article 27

Without prejudice to article 5 of the Law of 25^th of October 1919, all proposals for the modification of the statutes or the dissolution of the association shall emanate from the Bureau or at least a quarter of the individual members of the association.

The bureau must give the members of the association at least three months notice of the date of the general assembly, which will decree upon such a proposition.

The General Assembly cannot validly deliberate unless it has a quorum of two thirds of the members of the association, having deliberate vote, present or represented.

No decision may be taken unless it has been voted upon by a majority of two-thirds of the voters.

However, if the General assembly does not consist of two-thirds of the effective members of the association, a new general assembly will be convoked under the same conditions as set out above, which will rule definitively and validly on the proposition in question provided that two fifth of the members are present or represented.

Amendments to the statutes shall not come into effect until after approval shall have been given by way of royal decree and publication in accordance with the requirements of article 3 of the law of 25^th October 1919.

XI.    General stipulations

Article 28

All matters not provided for in these statutes, and the publications to be made in the Annexes of the Belgisch Staatsblad/Moniteur Belge, shall be determined according to the Belgian Act of 25^th of October 1919, amended by Act of 6^th December 1954.