ETHICS Committee

I. General

The ERA Ethics Committee is a very important advising committee for the ERA Council regarding ethical matters or debates. 

It also makes sure that the Council and all ERA Bodies act consistently with the purposes for which ERA was founded and that they follow the rules of the Constitution and Rules. 

It has the power to inform the Council, via the President and the Secretary General, of any documented violations of these rules. The Council will then take appropriate steps to make sure that the rules are properly followed. 

All the activities, including projects, articles, etc. by the Committee must be submitted to the Council for approval before implementation/submission for publication.  

II. Committee Members, nominations, terms and rotation

1. 5 members (1 Chair + 4 members) and must all reside in different countries
2. None of the members can be a current Council Member and they cannot become one while serving in the Committee
3. Candidates must be Full members and have been an active ERA member for at least 5 consecutive years (to be considered at the time of candidacy). When submitting their candidacy, they must fill in the appropriate ERA Ethics Committee candidacy application form and fill in their DoI in the relevant section of their MyERA page. The application must include a motivation letter as well as the most relevant 5 papers in the field (first or last author)
4. An open call regarding the free Board member positions must be posted on the website, and an e-mail blast must be sent to all Full members, in the Autumn before the termination of the mandate of any of the members
5. The current Chair position will be nominated from among the current Board members of the Committee
6. The new Board members will be nominated by the current Board from the candidacies received
7. Once the Council has confirmed the new members their term will become effective and thus start. This is valid both for the Chair and the Board members
8. All members remain in office for 5 years and cannot be re-elected. This rule is valid for any position a member has within the Board
9. Decisions are to be taken by majority by the members, including the Chair. The Chair has a casting vote 
10. No more than 3 persons can leave the Ethics Committee at the same time – if this happens, the persons needed for the quorum must continue for one extra year – the decision regarding who will remain must be done by secret ballot within the Committee, unless the necessary number of members withdraw voluntarily 
11. If a member leaves the Committee before ending his/her term, a new member must be elected within the next 12 months, following the procedure described above. The newly elected member will remain on the Committee for the normal term of 5 years 
12. A Committee member who does not participate in two consecutive meetings, without valid reasons, can be asked to resign from the Committee: a vote of the majority of the Ethics Committee members, and then the Council, is required for this to become effective 
13. For the rules regarding the reimbursement policy for Ethics Committee Board Members who participate in face-to-face meetings, one must refer to the “General Rules for ERA Committees” 
14. Diplomas for Ethics Committee Board Members. For this matter one should refer to the appropriate section in the “General Rules for ERA Committees” 

III. Duties

1. The Chair can be invited to participate in Council meetings when deemed necessary and only for the specific part of the meeting concerning ethical matters. He/she will have voice, but not vote
2. The Council can ask that, for specific issues/topics, a Council member be invited to participate in the relevant part of the Ethics Committee meeting in which this issue/topic will be discussed. The Council member, nominated by Council, will have voice but not vote during the Ethics Committee Meeting
3. The Ethics Committee Board Members should meet regularly to pursue its tasks/goals, possibly via teleconference. In addition, one face-to-face meeting at ERA’s Headquarters can be held once a year
4. Once a year the Chair must present a report (summarising both the activities and the administrative issues) of the activity of the Ethics Committee to the Council, normally this will be done at a virtual Council meeting in the Spring 
5. The Ethics Committee should suggest to the Chair of the Congress Scientific Committee speakers for the annual ERA Congress for ethical talks: all the details can be found in the appropriate section of the “Specifications for Organising the ERA’s Congresses and Meetings”
6. All publications, if any, and initiatives must clearly mention the fact that the Ethics Committee is an official body of ERA and must comply with what is written regarding this matter in the “General Rules for ERA Committees”. The sentence approved by Council related to this matter is: “This article (to be adapted accordingly) was written by (to be adapted accordingly) on behalf of the ERA Ethics Committee which is an official body of the ERA (European Renal Association)”. 

Last update: November 2024