Statuts

Art. 1 Name, registered office, legal form

The European Association of Practice-oriented Professionals with Higher Education (EurEta)
The name “EurEta” designates an association pursuant to Article 60ff. Swiss Civil Code. EurEta is an international non-profit association with no allegiance to any political party.
The Association has its registered office in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Art. 2 Purpose of the Association

The Association was founded in order to represent practice-oriented professionals with higher education and their national organizations at an international level, and to facilitate the work-related mobility of these professionals.
The Association pursues the following objectives:

  • To represent professionals who have registered with the Association and to protect their interests at the European level by collaborating with national and international organizations.
  • To represent the interests of practice-oriented professionals with higher education when it comes to education policy in Europe and throughout the world.
  • To enhance the professional and ethical reputation of registered members.
  • To guarantee the mutual recognition of registered professionals and their academic qualifications in order to enable them to freely exercise their profession throughout Europe whilst maintaining high professional standards.
  • To simplify the comparability of international degrees and diplomas in order to increase mobility within Europe.
  • To record and verify professional qualifications and the accompanying courses.
  • To promote solidarity and professional as well as cultural contacts within Europe and throughout the world.

Art. 3 Languages

The official language of EurEta is English. Documents are created in English, and English is the official language in meetings. Interpretation and translation services into a different language are organized and paid for by the respective users.

Art. 4 Funding

The Association’s income is derived from its Members’ subscriptions, together with grants/subsidies, income from the Association’s assets, and registration fees.
Based on the Board’s recommendation and an agreed formula, the General Assembly determines the level of annual subscriptions for every type of membership as well as the level of registration fees. National Members pay annual subscriptions that are higher than those of other Members. The annual subscription must be paid before the end of March.

  • The level of annual subscriptions and registration fees is recorded in Standing Order A3.
  • The Association’s financial year is the calendar year.

Art. 5 Membership

5.1 National Members

Any association that represents professionals registered with EurEta can become a National Member. Furthermore, they are registered associations in accordance with the respective national law, or non-registered groups (associations) with statutes.
If a registered association is already a National Member, no group can become a National Member if it represents the same group of persons.
One country can have several National Members; however, these National Members must manifest different levels or specialist areas.
National Members have voting rights.
A National Member is accepted by the General Assembly at the Board’s recommendation.

5.2 Associate Members

Associate Members are associations that support the objectives of EurEta but are currently unable to become National Members.
Associate Members have voting rights.
An Associate Member is accepted by the General Assembly at the Board’s recommendation.

5.3 International Section

The International Section comprises those professionals who have registered as individuals but are unable to join a National Member.
If at a later date those professional who have registered as individuals are able to join a National Member, this shall be permitted if the financial obligations do not exceed twice the amount of the subscription to the International Section. An application can be made to remain in the International Section if there are compelling reasons to do so.
The International Section is coordinated by EurEta.

5.4 Institutional Members

Any company or institution that wishes to support the objectives of EurEta can become an Institutional Member.
Institutional Members do not have voting rights.
Institutional Members are accepted by the Board.

5.5 Registered Individuals

Registered Individuals are professionals entered in EurEta’s Register who belong to a National Member or the International Section, pursuant to Standing Order A4.

Art. 6 Withdrawal and exclusion

6.1 National Members

A National Member can only withdraw from the Association at the end of a year. The notification of withdrawal must be submitted to the Board at least six months in advance. The annual membership subscription must be paid for the entire calendar year.
At the Board’s request, a National Member can be excluded from the Association by the General Assembly if it has seriously violated its statutory duties, such as non-fulfilment of its financial obligations.

6.2 All other memberships and Registered Individuals

All other memberships and Registered Individuals may withdraw at the end of the year. The written notification of withdrawal must be submitted at least 30 days before the end of the year.
They are automatically excluded if the sum outstanding has not been paid after receipt of a written warning.

Art. 7 Organization

The Association is organized as follows:

  • General Assembly
  • Board
  • Auditors
  • Registration Committee
  • General Secretariat

7.1 General Assembly

The General Assembly is the Association’s sovereign body. It consists of two “chambers”, namely Members’ representatives and Registered Individuals.

  • The Members’ representatives meet in person on the day of the General Assembly, and make their decisions there.
  • Registered Individuals do not meet in person. Anybody who is entered in the Register can cast their vote virtually within a predefined period. The result is announced after the votes of the Members’ representatives.

Results for both chambers are calculated as percentages of Yes and No votes. The two results are subsequently added together, thereby ascertaining the final result. Standing Order A2 regulates voting rights.
The President of EurEta shall chair the General Assembly.
Members of the Board may not exercise their voting rights.
The General Assembly is responsible for the following aspects:

  • Electing and discharging the Board and the President
  • Electing and discharging two auditors
  • Electing and discharging the Registration Committee and/or its Chair
  • Making decisions about the Association’s future policies
  • Making decisions about strategies over periods of one or more years
  • Making decisions about the main direction of the Association’s corporate identity
  • Approving the General Secretary’s annual report
  • Approving the annual accounts and discharging the Board
  • Approving the annual budget and determining the level of Members’ annual subscriptions
  • Enacting and amending the Statutes
  • Enacting and amending the Standing Orders
  • Making decisions about appeals to the Registration Committee
  • Enacting the regulations in relation to registration, including determination of the level of registration fees
  • Accepting (and excluding) new National Members
  • Appointing Honorary Members
  • Dissolving the Association
  • Changing its operational base

7.1.1 General Assembly: Meetings

The General Assembly meets at least once a year, and by 30 June at the latest. It shall be summoned at least six weeks beforehand by stating the location, date/time, and agenda. Meetings of the General Assembly alternate between the various member countries. The Board can decide to relocate the General Assembly to a different country if there are specific reasons to do so.
The General Assembly is quorate, regardless of the National Members that are represented at it.

  • Resolutions are adopted by a simple majority of votes. If the vote is tied, the decision is sent back to the Board.
  • A qualified majority of two-thirds of the votes is required to amend the Statutes, exclude a Member, and dissolve the Association.

An Extraordinary General Assembly is also convened if at least one third of National Members request it.
Minutes of the General Assembly are taken by a Minutes Secretary who sends them to National Members with voting rights no later than one month after the General Assembly.
The minutes must be approved by Members’ representatives with voting rights within two months of their being received, and are confirmed by the General Assembly at its next meeting and duly signed by the President and the Minutes Secretary.
If a Members’ representative with voting rights fails to respond within two months, the minutes are deemed to have been approved by that Member.

7.2 Board

The Board consists of the President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer, plus two to six additional members. Each Board Member shall come from a different country and National Member. The Chair of the Registration Committee is an ex officio member of the Board but has no voting rights. The period of office is two years, and re-election is possible.
The Board is the Association’s executive body and implements the decisions made by the General Assembly.

  • It constitutes itself (with the exception of the President).
  • It is responsible for all of the Association’s business that is not reserved for a different body in law or in accordance with these Statutes.
  • It enacts Standing Orders.
  • It can appoint working groups.
  • In order to achieve the Association’s objectives, it can employ or commission people in return for suitable remuneration.

7.2.1 Board: Meetings

The Board is convened at the request of the President or two other members with a notification period of four weeks; 10 days are sufficient in very urgent cases. The Board is quorate if more than half its members are present. Its decisions are made by a simple majority. If votes are tied, the President has the casting vote.
The General Secretary takes the minutes of Board meetings. These minutes are examined and approved at the next Board meeting and signed by the President and the Minutes Secretary.
If no Board Member requests that a resolution should be discussed in person, it may be validly adopted by circulating the relevant material and asking for written consent (via email too).

7.2.2 Board: President, deputy, signatures

The President represents the Association externally, and he/she chairs the Board and the General Assembly. He/she coordinates the activities of the Association’s various bodies. He/she may at any time request leaders of the individual bodies to present a report about their activities.

  • The President has the legally binding authorisation to sign on behalf of the Association.
  • If the President is incapacitated, the Vice-President deputises for him/her. The Vice-President is authorised to sign for the duration of the President’s incapacity.
  • The Treasurer is authorised to sign for purely financial matters.
  • Ordinary correspondence can be conducted by the General Secretary.

7.3 Auditing

There are two auditors who cannot belong to another of the Association’s bodies. They check the annual accounts and report to the General Assembly, and apply for the Board to be discharged. They also check the annual budget on behalf of the General Assembly.
The auditors’ report must be sent to those with voting rights no later than four weeks prior to the General Assembly.

7.4 Registration Committee

The Registration Committee consists of three to seven members. They should be experts from the world of education, and their combined expertise should reflect the diversity of education systems within the EU. They formulate the conditions for registration that are approved by the General Assembly.
In order to examine the detailed regulations pertaining to a specific country (and at the EU level), the Registration Committee can invite education experts from the respective country (and at the EU level) to its meeting(s).

7.5 General Secretariat

The General Secretariat is headed by the General Secretary who performs his/her tasks in accordance with the Standing Orders. He/she is accountable to the Board. The General Secretariat administers all the official documents.
The General Secretary is named by the Board and has a contractual relationship with the organisation.

Art. 8 Salaries and expenditure

The General Secretariat’s salaries and justifiable expenses should be consistent with the annual budget.
In accordance with Standing Orders, normal travel expenses and other expenditure made by the Board, the auditors, and the Registration Committee are covered by the National Members that send delegates. In accordance with Standing Orders, extraordinary expenditure can be reimbursed.

Art. 9 Standing Orders (Standing Order A1)

Standing Orders regulate every detail of the Association’s organization and administration, as well as compensation, procedures if there are disputes, and finance, so long as these elements are not regulated in the Statutes.

Art. 10 Dissolution of the Association

If the association is dissolved by the General Assembly, the Board shall transfer its assets to a non-profit organization that pursues similar objectives.

Art. 11 Final remarks

The original Statutes were approved by the Working Group that paved the way for the Association on 10 May 1993 in Aarau, Switzerland. The Statutes were amended by a resolution of the Members’ Meeting on 9 November 1994, by the General Assembly on 8 May 1995 in Venice (Italy), on 8 September 1998 in Copenhagen (Denmark), on 8 June 2002 in Rome (Italy), on 21 October 2006 and 17 May 2014 in Brussels (Belgium).
The Statutes were comprehensively revised and restructured on 5. March 2016 in Brussels.

Brussels, Belgium, 5. March 2016