2Â Member’s_rights_and_duties
3_Finance
4Â The_Board_of_Directors
5_Executive_Committee
6_Internal_Scientific_Committee
7_Editorial_Team
8_Editorial_Board
9_Expert_Groups
10_Publications
11_Affiliation_by_other_European_societies_to_ESC
12_Congresses__meetings_and_events
13_ESC_granted_projects_and_scholarships
14_ESC_awards
15_Committee_of_Past_Presidents
16_Declaration_of_interest
17_Voting
18_Download
(Update 5 October 2019)
These Rules complement and are to be read in conjunction with the Statutes and Policies of the ESC.
All ordinary and honorary members as defined in Articles IV of the Statutes, are entitled to:
All members will:
The Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer are responsible for keeping accurate and up to date financial records.
The EC is empowered to allow agreed expenditure for:
Any expenditure of over 20.000 Euro on any one meeting/item (other than congress) should be ratified by the Board.
The annual membership fee shall be reviewed regularly by the EC, discussed by the Board and voted on at the General Assembly.
The publishing costs of the proceedings /abstract book of a congress should be part of the costs of the meeting.
The annual subscription is due on 1st January. The Treasurer will send out a reminder no less then a month after the due date. A second reminder is sent when the fee is at least two months overdue and, if no response is received within three months, membership can be deemed to be cancelled.
When a new individual member joins after 1st October, their subscription will, in the first instance only, last up to 15 months rather than the usual 12. The contract for affiliated societies state that bulk payment should be received by the ESC not later than 1 May.
The first representative for each country can be elected onto the Board when there are 10 paid up members and the second member can be elected if there are 50 or more paid-up members from that country. When the membership from any country drops below the set level, the representation on the Board will be adjusted accordingly at the time of each General Assembly.
When a new Board member needs to be elected, all members of the appropriate country will be informed by the Central Office and application forms made available on the website. The number of members at an agreed time shall be used as a reference to determine the level of representation.
If the Board of Directors is likely to have more than 29 members, the Executive Committee will examine the current Rules of Procedure and suggest ways in which they can be changed so that the Board does not become so big that it is no longer effective or financially viable.
When the number of elected Board members according to these rules comes to less than 29 the shortfall will be made up by representatives from countries who have more than 5 but less than 10 members. Initially this will be by drawing lots and later in rotation.
Board members must have paid their yearly subscriptions and serve for 4 years. They may stand for re-election once: a total of 8 years. A Board member must then stand down for at least 2 years before standing for election again.
There will be no replacement should a Board member resign before the end of his/her mandate.
Board members need to be aware of the rules governing whether a person may be a member of more than one committee or group. This is shown in the table below:
EC
|
ISC
|
ET
|
EB
|
Â
|
||
EC
|
NO*
|
NO
|
YES
|
|||
ISC
|
NO*
|
YES
|
YES
|
|||
ET
|
NO
|
YES
|
NO
|
|||
EB
|
YES
|
YES
|
NO
|
|||
EC = Executive committee (*one member of the EC is on the ISC)
ISC = Internal Scientific committee
ET = Editorial Team
EB = Editorial Board
The election procedure is included in the Policies. An application form is held at the Central Office. All voting is by secret ballot using simple majority.
New members and re-elected members will be announced at the General Assembly and will take up their positions at the following Board meeting. New members will receive a pack containing the following:
A pack detailing the duties and responsibilities will be sent to new Board members at the appropriate time.
A Board member is entitled to:
A Board member will:
The election procedure is included in the Policies. An application form is held at the Central Office. Voting occurs at the meeting of the new Board. Voting occurs in the order shown in 5.1 above.
All Executive Committee members will:
The following is a list of some of the duties of individual officer positions. These may vary depending on the needs of the society.
a) PresidentÂ
The President will:
b) Vice PresidentÂ
The Vice President in collaboration with the Central Office will:
c) Secretary-GeneralÂ
The Secretary-General will:
d) Assistant SecretaryÂ
The Assistant Secretary will:
e) TreasurerÂ
The Treasurer will:
f) Assistant TreasurerÂ
The Assistant Treasurer will:
The election procedure is included in the Policies. An application form is held at the Central Office. Voting occurs at the meeting of the new Board. Voting occurs after the election of the Executive Committee.
After the board meeting, the Board reviews the list of successful candidates for ISC and elects a Chair from those who stated they would wish to be considered for this post if they were elected. The appointment is by simple majority.
The ISC Chair and ISC members elect a deputy.
- Conflict of interest. If a member of ISC applies for a grant for a project or course, then s/he will not be a part of the review group nor take any part in the monitoring process. All ISC members must declare any conflict of interest regarding any of the grant applications.
- The Treasurer or VT should be part of the financial decision regarding a grant.
- ISC will inform the EC and the Board of the winners.
- The ISC Chair will nominate one or possibly two ISC members to oversee and mentor the project / course.
- Starts up monies are provided and the rest allocated in stages dependant on the way the project / course progresses.
- Frequency of reports to be decided by the allocated mentors.
- If the project / course continue beyond the term of the nominated ISC mentor(s) then an arrangement needs to be agreed whereby a detailed hand over to another ISC member(s) is arranged.
- Any ISC member that does not assist in evaluating the projects and / or courses on 2 consecutive occasions can be asked to step down by the EC. The EC may choose to appoint a new member (BM or non BM) for the duration of that term. This co-opted person would then need to apply in the usual way if s/he wished to continue on the committee.
- ISC will allocate one or two persons (with co-options as required) to oversee the management of abstracts for congresses. They will liaise with the congress scientific committee on this.
The election procedure is included in the Policies. An application form is held at the Central Office.
Editor-in-Chief
Deputy E(s)iC
Joint tasks and duties of the EiC, the deputy E(s)iC, and the Editors:
Editorial Office (Central Office)
An Editorial Board is formed by the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy E(s)iC and Editors from experts in different fields in order to facilitate the peer-review process. Their tasks and remit will be described. If any member of the Editorial Board is unable to complete their remit, the Editor-in-Chief will appoint a replacement.
The selection procedure is included in the Policies. An application form is held at the Central Office.
The tasks and duties of the Editorial Board are as follows:
At their meeting of 27 & 28 September 2019, the Board agreed to suspend this Rule till a decision at the next Board meeting on 13 May 2020.
Expert groups are groups of internationally recognized experts in different fields of contraception and reproductive health. Proposals for new EGs are discussed and agreed by the Internal Scientific Committee (ISC) and the Executive Committee (EC).
The election procedure is included in the Policies. An application form is held at the Central Office. Voting occurs at the meeting of the new Board. Voting occurs after the election of the EC, ISC, and Editorial Team.
The ESC may have publications such as a Newsletter and a scientific Journal, proposed by the Executive Committee (EC) and approved by the Board of Directors.
The content of the ESC Newsletter will consist of a forum for members as well as Society related and other relevant information. Either the Secretary General or the Assistant Secretary of the EC will be the Newsletter Editor and will be appointed by the EC.
Will be published at regular intervals as agreed by the Editorial Team & EC. It is free to paid-up members of ESC.
The Secretary General will produce a regular update for the Board.
International or national European organisations with similar or related aims may apply for affiliation to the ESC. Members of affiliated societies shall pay a 50 percent reduced yearly fee (suggested by the Executive Committee, approved by the Board). Those seeking affiliation must submit an application in writing to the Secretary General. The Board shall ratify the final affiliation. This decision shall be followed by a signed contract including rights and duties of members of affiliated societies. The Central Office of the ESC shall receive a complete list of members including email and postal addresses from the affiliated Society. Members of affiliated societies have the same rights as other ESC members including voting rights.
Members of affiliated societies are entitled to:
Affiliated societies will:
The ESC organises its own congresses and workshops and other events as it sees fit. The ESC may also organise a session or a speaker, at the request of another organisation or society. An organisation or society with similar aims and objectives to the ESC, may request to organise an activity under the ‘’auspices’’ of the ESC.Â
At their meeting of 27 & 28 September 2019, the Board agreed to suspend this Rule till a decision at the next Board meeting on 13 May 2020.
The ESC organises a congress usually every 2 years at which a General Assembly (GA) is held. In the intervening year, a seminar is usually held. The ESC may choose to alter this arrangement as agreed by the Board. The venue of the congress is decided by the General Assembly. Call for applications is made by the Central Office 4 years prior to the congress year. Applications are reviewed by the Executive Committee and Board. Presentations by the countries are made at the GA. A short objective evaluation from the Board may follow a presentation. Then the GA votes by secret ballot and absolute majority. The organiser of the next congress (in 2 year’s time) will also make a short presentation at the General Assembly.
Countries wishing to host a congress should apply to the Central Office for further details. Information is included in the Policies document.
At their meeting of 27 & 28 September 2019, the Board agreed to suspend this Rule till a decision at the next Board meeting on 13 May 2020.
The ESC seminars are usually held in the year when there is no congress. A short presentation should be made at the Board meeting in support of the bid. The Board votes by secret ballot and simple majority. Any ESC member or country wishing to organise a seminar shall submit a bid in writing to the Central office. Further details on the application process are available from the Central Office and are included in the Policies document. Call for applications is made by the Central Office 2 years prior to the non congress year.
The ESC may choose to organise an educational workshop or other similar event as it sees fit. Details will be made available.
Besides its own congresses and workshops, the ESC may support a speaker or organise a session during a national or international congress of societies with similar aims to the ESC.
Requests are collected by the Central Office. The Central Office is responsible for the negotiation about financial aspects of the participation. A maximum of 7 % of the income from the last Congress can be dedicated each year to cover expenses of ESC speakers. The Executive Committee is responsible for the final selection of meetings which will be supported, according to the budget available. The ISC is responsible for the preparation of the scientific programme. The selected speakers must provide a short report for the EC & ISC.
The process is included in the Policies.
Each request to organise an activity under the ‘’auspices’’ of the ESC, should meet the following criteria:
English is the official language of the ESC. Simultaneous translation can be available in 2 languages other than English, and / or the language of the host country, for ESC congresses, seminars, general assemblies and other major meetings agreed by the Executive Committee (EC). The final decision on these languages shall be made by the EC.
Individuals or organisations may apply for financial support from the ESC for activities that are in accordance with the aims of the Society as described in the Statutes. They comprise
This grant may be used to support an individual, group, institute or organisation with a project related to the aims of the ESC. Examples include: research, needs assessment. The money must be used for a definite project within a definite time period.
This grant may be used to support a regional or local course or meeting within Europe related to the aims of the ESC.
The ESC will provide funding to support a humanitarian aid project. The venue may be anywhere in the world, but MUST be oriented and related to contraception, sexual and/or reproductive health. The money MUST be used for a defined project within a definite time frame. Applications will be reviewed as required.
New proposals are discussed and agreed by the ISC & EC. Details are made available on the website and in the Policies.
An ESC Medal is established to honour outstanding national or international recognised activity in contraception, abortion, sexual or reproductive health in accordance with the aims of the Society.
An ESC Society Award is established to honour outstanding organisational support and activity within the ESC itself in accordance with the aims of the Society.
Applicants for both these ESC awards should either be current members of ESC or, if retired or not working, a previous member of ESC. In certain circumstances an applicant who is no longer living may be considered; in this instance the nominator should seek further advice from the Central office.
Both ESC awards will be conferred on a maximum of two members of the ESC at the time of the ESC congress/. Ie one Medal and one Society Award. Only in very exceptional circumstances more than one award will be conferred (maximum 4).
Nominations for such honours are put forward by the members of the Board of Directors. A written proposal on a nomination form should be signed by at least 3 Board members and the CV of the nominee must be attached. Nomination forms are available from the website or the ESC central office. Proposals should be sent to the ESC CO not later than 3 months prior to the Board meeting in the year preceding the congress.
All proposals will be initially scrutinized by the Executive Committee (EC) and will then be pre-sented to the Board. Both ESC awards are decided during the Board meeting in the year prece-ding the congress. Members vote by secret ballot using simple majority for both awards.
Conferral of the ESC awards is carried out by the President of the ESC or nominated deputy. The awarded person may be asked to present a lecture if its bestowal was based on scientific acti-vities, and the award lecture should be published in the ESC Journal.
The processes are included in Policies and Procedures
The ESC Committee of Past Presidents consists of all past ESC Presidents on a voluntary basis. The essential role of the Committee is to assist in ensuring continuity and stability in the life of the ESC. The activities of the Committee are limited to providing advice and proposals. The Committee will, when requested, be the „Ambassador“ for the ESC towards European or international institutions dealing with contraception or reproductive health. Special attention should be paid to establishing contacts and collaboration in European countries which are not yet represented in the ESC. The Committee could help or even negotiate in the case of serious problems with ESC representatives or within the Society. The Committee may send one member to participate in Board meetings but with no right to vote. The committee meets every other year during the ESC congress and produces a report to the Board. Members are invited by the ESC. Continuation of the Committee will be evaluated by the Board from time to time.
The Executive Committee has agreed that members of the Executive Committee, Board, all members of other ESC committees or expert groups and the members of any groups working under the auspices of the ESC, including those contributing to congresses, seminars and workshops should disclose any perceived conflict of interest. This is a normal request and is common now to most organisations.
Such conflicts of interest may arise as a result of receiving sponsorship or payment of expenses by commercial organisations; consultancy fees; editorial fees; research grants; speaker’s fees; travel costs over and above those required to attend a meeting or other benefits in kind. It can also include holding of shares in pharmaceutical organisations or medical equipment manufacturers by yourself or immediate family; membership of charities or pressure groups with conflicting interests.
Having such a relationship or affiliation as noted above does not prevent an ESC representative working on any committee or group; giving a presentation or other activity, provided that the conflict of interest is declared. This declaration may be to either the chairman of the committee or group or to the ESC Central Office or an audience.
ESC officers will be asked to sign that they agree to declare any conflict of interest.
They may wish to provide the ESC Central Office with a current list of any conflicts of interest they have.
The Executive Committee agreed that members of the Executive Committee and Internal Scientific Committee, are advised that at any ESC organised meeting they should NOT
The two types of voting used are defined as following:
Absolute majority voting is used in the following situations
The following notes are pertinent:
Simple majority is used in all other situations
The following notes are pertinent:
A secret ballot is used to make all appointments (e.g. to the EC or ISC). An open ballot, for example, by a show of hands, can be used for non appointment decisions ie when the Board, for example, is asked to make a decision between 2 or more ideas. However, the President can ask for a secret ballot if s/he feels it is more appropriate.Â
No proxy votes are allowed, including at the General Assembly and at all ESC committee or group meetings.
Multiple voting:
In the case of voting for a long list of applicants, multiple voting may be agreed by the Executive Committee. See Policies for further guidance.
Voting may be undertaken by any method agreed by the Executive Committee. This may include postal voting; voting in person; by internet or e-voting using the ESC or other approved website.
*or equivalent, if no congress that year.
The current / old Board only will vote on any and all matters included in the agenda for that Board meeting. Examples include: nominations for the medals, acceptance of Affiliated groups.
The new Board, comprising those whose mandate continues together with those who are re-elected and newly elected members will vote on the membership and posts of all the committees and groups.