Internal rules
House Rules
GEMME Europe INTERNAL RULES
(as approved by the Brussels 29th of April 2009 Board meeting)
Article 1
These internal rules of GEMME Europe work out, pursuant to article 11 of the Bylaws, certain points which are not covered by these Bylaws.
Article 2
Working languages are French and English. Texts destined to the members as a whole shall be written in the two languages or in one of these. The use of other languages is optional a.o. for messages and communications essentially destined to a specified linguistic group.
Article 3
1 - Titulary members acquire by right this quality if they request this from the association of from the president of the national section after having paid the first dues. The national section which is theirs, investigates if the candidate is in conformity with the rules specified in the Bylaws and, if not, informs the bureau.
2 - On the proposition of the Bureau, the Board delegates the admittance of associated members to the national sections.
3 - Dues are paid annually during the first trimester of the civil year. Payment of dues operates in principle via the national sections. If a payment is made directly to GEMME Europe, the treasurer signals this to the representative of the concerned national section.
A list with the names of the members, their occupation and their e-mail address is sent to the treasurer and to the secretary general, for as much as the person agrees that its e-mail address is rendered public.
4 - The Board decides each year on the amount of the dues for the physical persons and associations.
Article 4
The General Assembly votes on the moral report and on the report on the activities of the past two years, as presented by the president. It votes also on the financial report presented by the treasurer. It also votes on the orientations for the two years to come.
Article 5
The Board of directors organizes and sees to the animation of the activities of the association in the respect of the orientations given by the General Assembly. In particular, it plans the annual activities, the extraordinary activities, it dresses the budget of the association as well as the accounts to be submitted to the general assembly and prepares the general assemblies.
If a member of the Bureau resigns during his term of office or if a member of the Bureau is revoked by the Board during this term, the latter chooses its replacement for the duration of the mandate still to go.
The decisions of the Board may if necessary be taken electronically.
The Board formulates and sends of its own initiative recommendations to the authorities of the community and intervenes with the national authorities at the request of the corresponding national section.
Article 6
The Bureau prepares the decisions of the Board and administers current matters under the control of the Board. The Bureau can confer validly by electronic means.
Article 7
1 - The GEMME Europe association is represented by its’ President or, in his absence or him being retained, by a vice-president appointed to this end by the President. The President can, pursuant to article 8 bis of the Bylaws, decide that he shall be represented by any member of the Board in view of a particular act.
2 - If the President hasn’t appointed a vice-president, the ad hoc representation shall go to the oldest vice-president in that posting, next to the oldest vice-president member of the Board and next to the vice-president with the longest GEMME membership.
Article 8
1 - The decisions of the Board are taken at the majority of the votes of its members present or represented. The quorum necessary to deliberate in a validly is the majority both of the elected members and of the representatives of the national sections, it being understood that the elected members may chose to be represented by another member and that this representation is taken into account to determine if the quorum is reached.
2 - The previous paragraph is applicable to the decisions of the Bureau.
Article 9
The representatives of the national sections may also chose to be represented, at the meetings of the Board, by another member of that section, with deliberative vote.
Article 10
1 - The deliberations of the Board will be recorded in the minutes which will be approved at the first meeting of the Board which follows.
2 - The project of these minutes will first have to be approved by the Bureau.
3 - GEMME’s website may publish, in resume or in its’ entirety, the non-confidential parts of the deliberations of the Board.
Article 11
1 - GEMME’s members who are candidates for an elective function in GEMME, may propose their candidacy to the General Assembly, to the Board, to the Bureau or to the President or may be presented to these instances by any other member.
2 - The secret ballot is the rule.
Article 12
1 - The deliberations of the General Assembly will be recorded in the minutes which will be approved at the first General Assembly following that which took the deliberations.
2 - The project of the minutes will first have to be approved by the Bureau.
3 - GEMME’s website may publish, in resume or in its’ entirety, the non-confidential parts of the deliberations of the General Assembly.
Article 13
The discussion lists are open to the members and to the correspondents. The administrator of the list may, after having informed the Bureau and the concerned person, remove a member of the list. If there is a conflict, the Bureau decides on the removal or the non-removal of the person concerned of the list.
Article 14
1 - The national sections are responsible for their own expenses. If they organize an activity bearing the GEMME label, they see to it that the payment of the debts cannot be put to the association.
2 - The national sections see to it that a reasonable part of the net gains is returned to the GEMME Europe association.
3 - However the association may, provided the board decides so, participate in the organization of certain activities and also sponsor certain activities with a principally national resonance. Those responsible for the organization of these activities agree, before engaging costs, with the association about the part the latter will take in the organization, of the expenses and the profits generated by this activity.
Article 15
Travel costs, in the service of GEMME, of the sole effective members (with the exclusion of the observers) of the Board are supported by the GEMME Europe association, according to the following rules to the limit of 500 € per person and on the basis of a checking copy :
1 - Transport will be reimbursed in conformity with the train tariff (second class) or the airplane tariff (economy in low cost if possible).
2 - Hotel costs which are necessary are reimbursed up to 100 € maximum per night (one night per meeting).
3 - The Bureau may, in advance, fix an inferior level, if GEMME Europe’s financial capacities do not permit to pay such an amount.
A differenciated reimbursement is authorized if the Bureau decides so by motivated decision taking into account objective parameters, such as a lack of GEMME Europe’s resources or the absence of a contribution by a national section or a national section under construction. The policy followed in matters of reimbursement of expenses is each year a subject matter of the budget.
END
Article 1
These house rules of GEMME Europe regulate, following article 11 of the Bylaws, certain points which are not covered by these Bylaws.
Article 2
Working languages are French and English. Texts destined to the members as a whole shall be written in the two languages or in one of these. The use of other languages is optional a.o. for messages and communications essentially destined to a specified linguistical group.
Article 3
1. Titulary members acquire by right this quality if they request this from the association of from the president of the national section after having paid the first dues. The national section which is theirs, investigates if the candidate is in conformity with the rules specified in the Bylaws and, if not, informs the bureau.
2. On the proposition of the bureau, the board delegates the admittance of associated members to the national sections.
3. Dues are paid annually during the first trimester of the civil year. Payment of dues operates via the national sections, except if one or more of these prefer the payment to be done directly to the treasurer of the GEMME Europe association. This choice can be modified each year. If the national section collects the dues, it prelevates the amount specified at item 5.
4. The board decides each year on the amount of the dues for the physical persons and associations, it being understood the the latter pay at least double the amount of the one asked from physical persons. The board may modulate the amount of the dues in relation of the contributive capacities of the members of the sections and also in relation of the number of members of each national section.
Variant
The principle of differing dues in GEMME EU is unacceptable, except in the case of the physical persons or associations.
5. The board decides on the percentage of the dues which the national sections may retain, this percentage having to be the same for all sections.
Article 4
GEMME Europe as well as the local sections will have to respect the proportional rule of 5 members of the judiciary for seven members, this in order to respect GEMME’s character as an association of magistrates.
Variant
The national see to it that the Bylaws are observed as what concerns the proportion of members of the judiciary and non-members of the judiciary. with an explicit and transitory permission of the board, a section may count less members of the judiciary than the proportion set down in the Bylaws, it being understood that the board sees to it that the proportion for the whole of the members of GEMME Europe is still in conformity with the principle set down in the Bylaws.
Article 6
The board
- approves the decisions of the bureau
- administers matters which are not current
- plans the annual activities and the exceptional activities
- dresses the accounts to be approved by the general assembly
- makes up the budget of the association.
Decisions can be reached electronically if necessary.
The board makes of its own initiative recommendations with the authorities of the community and intervenes with the national authorities at the request of the corresponding national section.
Article 7
The bureau administers current matters. The bureau can confer by electronic way without the urgency having to be invoked.
Article 8
1. GEMME Europe is represented by its’ President or, in his or her absence or …, by a vice-president appointed to this end by the President. The President is, in conformity with article 8 of the Bylaws, empowered to decide that he/she shall be represented by any member of the board in view of a designated act.
2. If the President hasn’t appointed a vice-president, the representation shall go to the oldest vice-president in that posting, then by the oldest vice-president in the board and than by the vice-president with the longest membership of GEMME.
Article 9
1. The board decides with the majority of the votes of its members present or represented. The quorum which is necessary to deliberate in a valid way is the majority both of the elected members and the representatives and of the national sections, it being understood that the elected members may chose to be represented by another member and that this representation is taken into account to determine if the quorum is reached.
2. The previous paragraph is applicable to the decisions of the bureau.
Article 10
1. The representatives of the national sections may also chose to be represented in the meetings of the board by another member of that section, with deliberative vote.
2. Former members of the board, elected and representing, may be present at the meetings of the board in a consultative capacity.
Article 11
1. The deliberations of the board will be consigned in the minutes thereof which will be approved by the next meeting of the board.
2. The project of these minutes will first have to be approved by the bureau.
3. GEMME’s website may publish, in resume or in its’ entirety, the non-confidential parts of the deliberations of the board.
Article 12
1. GEMME’s members who are candidates for an elective function in GEMME, may make public their candidacy at the general assembly, at the meeting of the board, at the bureau, to the President or may be made public at these instances by any member.
2. The secret ballot is the rule.
Article 13
1. The deliberations of the general assembly are consigned in the minutes thereof which will be approved at the next general assembly.
2. The project of these minutes will first have to be approved by the bureau.
3. GEMME’s website may publish, in resume or in its’ entirety, the non-confidential parts of the deliberations of the general assembly.
Article 14
The discussion lists are open to the members and to the correspondents. The administrator of this list may, after having informed the bureau and the concerned person, remove a member of the list. If there is a conflict, the bureau decides on the removal or the non-removal of the person concerned.
Article 15
1. The national sections are responsible for their expenses. If they organize an activity bearing the GEMME label, they see to it that the payment of these expenses cannot be claimed from the association.
2. However the association may, provided the board decides so, participate in the organization of certain activities and sponsor certain activities with a principally national resonance. Those responsible for the organization of these activities agree, before engaging in these costs, with the association about the part the latter will take in the organization, of the expenses and the profits generated by this activity.
Article 16
Travel costs, in the service of GEMME, of the effective members (elected and representatives) of the board are supported by the GEMME association, according to the following rules
1. Transport will be reimbursed in conformity with the train tariff (second class) or the airplane tariff (economy in low cost if possible).
2. Hotel costs which are necessary are reimbursed up to 100 € maximum per night.
3. The bureau may, in advance, fix an inferior level, if GEMME’s financial capacity do not permit to pay such an amount. A different reimbursement is authorized if the bureau decides so by motivated decision taking into account objective parameters, such as a lack of GEMME’s resources or the lack of a contribution by a national section or a national section under construction. The policy followed in matters of reimbursement of expenses is each year a subject matter of the budget.
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