Council Members main duties

Members: 13 (4 ex-officio + 9 ordinary)

Votes: each member has one vote; in case of a tie the President has the casting vote. Decisions approved with a majority vote (7), 2/3 (9) for changes in the “Rules”

Quorum: 7 (at least half of the members)

Composition: no more than two members can be from the same Country of residence

Meetings (in person): 1 in the Fall, 1 in the Spring (normally in the UK), 1 in the Winter (Parma) and two at the Congress (pre- and post-Congress). One meeting each year must be held in the UK

Meetings (virtual): every two weeks (exceptions for major holidays and during the Summer)

Agenda: prepared by the Secretary General in collaboration with the President and circulated to all Council by the Secretary General

Minutes: are prepared and kept by the Secretary General and accessible only by current Council members. They are signed by the President and the Secretary General

 

Council – Main Duties

1. a) Making sure all the activities related to ERA are fully compliant with the Charity Rules and ERA’s Constitution & Internal Rules/Regulations
2. b) Confirming the selection made by the ERA HQ of the place/venue and dates of the Annual Congress and confirming the appointed PCO
3. c) Nominating the Congress Scientific Committee Chair and confirming the Committee members
4. d) Confirming the selection of the abstracts and talks of the Scientific Programme of the Congress and granting of the Awards & grants to the Congress members
5. e) Fixing the annual membership fees on the proposal of the Secretary General
6. f) Confirming/Nominating the members of all ERA bodies (i.e. Working Groups, Committees, Task Forces, etc.)
7. f) Evaluating and approving all the activities of the ERA committees & projects (as well as their financial accounts and budgets)

 

Council – Practical Information

Council members (Trustees) are requested to attend all Council meetings as well as any other meeting that is decided during a Council meeting (i.e. National Society Meeting, General Assembly, etc.) thus dedicating enough time to these tasks

If a Trustee is asked to make a presentation during a meeting organized by a third party during his/her term, he/she should use the ERA official Power Point template or, as an alternative, promote ERA with its logo in one of the presentation slides

The Secretary General will send the detailed information of the meetings, the agenda and the ppt template at least two weeks prior to the meeting (for in person meetings) and one week prior to the meeting (for virtual meetings)

All travel/accommodation/food & beverage, which must be reasonable in price, is covered by ERA

 

LEGAL DUTIES OF TRUSTEES

General Notes

ERA is an unincorporated Charity registered in England and Wales

Trustees take legal responsibility for all the contracts made in the name of the Association and managing its affairs

Trustees are also legally personally liable, however, if they have acted honestly and reasonably the law generally protects them

Trustees cannot receive any compensation for their work

Trustee Benchmarks

• Selflessness
• Integrity
• Objectivity
• Accountability
• Openness
• Honesty
• Leadership

 

Who CANNOT be a Trustee

A person who has an unspent conviction for an offence involving dishonesty or deception (such as fraud)

A person who is bankrupt, or entering a formal arrangement (for example an individual voluntary arrangement) with a creditor

A person who has been removed as a company director or charity trustee because of wrongdoing

IMPORTANT

A specific declaration regarding the above topics must be signed by all Trustees upon election

 

Main Duties of Trustees

The Trustees must act in the Charity’s best interest complying with the law and the Charity’s bylaws

They must manage the Charity’s resources responsibly and act with reasonable care and skill (i.e. dedicate enough time to the duties you have as a Trustee)

Trustees are responsible for deciding and planning how the Charity will carry out its purpose which must benefit the public

Trustees are responsible for managing the Charity’s resources (funds/property) responsibly and keeping the existing ones “safe” / well maintained

For more information regarding the duties of the trustees click here.