Constitution

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ECVCN CONSTITUTION Amended at the Annual General Meeting, September 22nd 2017
Preamble
In reflection of the practical situation in a number of European Veterinary Schools and other research and training facilities, a combined approach to establish a specialisation program for Veterinary Nutrition is presented. Upon request of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN) an amended constitution is presented, directed to the inauguration of a single college, the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN), devoted to this discipline and sharing a joint credentials/education system.
Introduction
The College shall be a part of the general scheme for veterinary specialisation in the E.U., as has been defined by the Advisory Committee on Veterinary Training (ACVT) of the European Committee, set up by the Council Decision 78/1028/EEC of 18 December 1978 and OJ No L 302 of 22 December 1978, in its report doc. III/F/5285/3/91. This scheme involves the European Coordinating Committee on Veterinary Training (ECCVT), the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS), and the Speciality Colleges. The integrated approach was initiated by the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition in consideration of a growing demand for veterinary specialists in nutrition in veterinary and agricultural institutes, universities and public institutions, animal health services, veterinary administration, environmental matters, feed industry, pet food industry, large poultry or pig breeding enterprises, pharmaceutical industries and their research and development centres and in private practice. The initiating society the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN) was founded in 1991 with the aim to advance education and research in Veterinary Nutrition.
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
Name, language and registration
Article 1
The name of the College shall be: the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) - hereafter referred to as the College. The college is officially registered (ZVR-Zahl 563427217; Date 14/09/2001)) in Vienna, Austria, on the address below: 1210 Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, Austria The office address may be changed through the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Duration
Article 2
Section 2.1.
The College shall be established for an unlimited period.
Section 2.2.
The College year shall run concurrently with the calendar year, subject to the first society
year ending on the last day of December of the year in which the College is established.
Objectives / Resources
Article 3
Section 3.1
The primary objectives of the College shall be to advance the quality of animal health care in
Europe by increasing the competency of those who are active in the field of Veterinary
Nutrition. These objectives will be achieved by:
a) Establishing guidelines for post-graduate education and experience prerequisite to become
a specialist in the speciality of Veterinary Nutrition
b) Examining and authenticating veterinarians as specialists in Veterinary Nutrition to serve
the veterinary patient, its owner and the public in general, by providing expertise in this
discipline.
c) Encouraging research and other contributions to the knowledge related to Veterinary
Nutrition including nutrition physiology, comparative aspects of nutrition, clinical nutrition
and dietetics, knowledge on feedstuffs, feed hygiene and feeding management and promoting
communication and dissemination of this knowledge.
Section 3.2
The College is a non-profit-making organisation and does not pursue commercial interests.
Section 3.3
College funds may only be spent according to the constitution. Members or officers of the
College receive no payment from the funds of the College, except reimbursements.
Section 3.4
No member or officer of the College may be favoured by expenditures or excessively high
compensations, which are not according to the purposes of the College.
Section 3.5
The language of laws, by laws, correspondence, negotiations and examinations of the College
is English.
Membership
Article 4
Section 4.1
The members of the College shall be the following:
a) Founding Diplomates
b) Diplomates
c) Retired Diplomates
d) Non-practising Diplomates
e) Honorary Members
f) Associate members
Section 4.2
To qualify for membership, candidates shall meet the following criteria:
a) Have a good moral and ethical standing in the profession.
b) Be licensed to practise or are eligible to be licensed to practise veterinary medicine and
surgery in Europe, unless relieved of this obligation by the Education and Residency
Committee and the Executive Committee.
c) Have successfully passed the certifying examination procedure by ECVCN and have paid
the relevant fees.
Section 4.3
Each individual who has successfully passed the qualification procedure of the College shall
be designated Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition
and shall be authorized to use the designation of Diplomate of the European College of
Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (Dip. or Dipl. ECVCN: European Veterinary
Specialist in Nutrition), with the exception of section 4.6) of this Constitution.
Each Diplomate shall be required to keep records of his/her professional activities.
Section 4.4
Each Diplomate is expected to actively participate in the affairs of the College. Repeated,
unexcused absences from the ECVCN meetings may render a member subject to disciplinary
action by the Executive Committee of the ECVCN.
Section 4.5
Any Diplomate may be expelled, asked to resign or otherwise disciplined for nonprofessional
or unethical conduct or other action against the best interest of the College by
unanimous vote of the Executive Committee of the ECVCN, pending confirmation by the
College at the next Annual General Meeting.
Section 4.6
All practising Diplomates must undergo the re-certification requirements as described in the
Bylaws. The registration ceases by default when a Diplomate does not satisfy the recertification
requirements, when the speciality is practised at a level of less than 60 per cent
(i.e. <24 hours a week, including overlap to related specialities) devoted to the speciality, or
when the speciality has not been practised for two continuous years or the equivalent of two
years during a period of five years. These Diplomates are awarded a non-practising status,
unless the cessation was for reasons for temporary or permanent suspension. They are bound
to use the designation of non-practising Diplomate. A non-practising Diplomate seeking to
revert to full Diplomate status needs to satisfy the Credentials and Executive Committees.
Section 4.7
Cessation of registration requires twelve months to effectuation. Voluntary cessation of
registration requires notice in writing to be received by the Secretary twelve months prior to
the College's Annual General Meeting and will be published at the Annual General Meeting.
The annual dues (Euro) of each active member for the following years shall be determined by
the Annual General Meeting.
Organisation and officers
Article 5
The College shall be composed of all the Diplomates.
The officers of the College shall be:
President,
Vice-President,
Secretary,
Treasurer,
and one College member (past-president).
The term of office is three years. The Diplomates will elect every three years, by secret
ballot, the following officers: - President - Vice-President - Treasurer - Secretary
The officers will compose the Executive Committee of a College. The President may not be
re-elected in the same office for the following election period. Usually, the President is
succeeded by the Vice-President. The other officers may be elected to only one additional
term up to 3 years. The Executive committee may co-opt up to 3 non-voting members. The
President and/or Vice-President will, in general, act as representatives in the European Board
of Veterinary Specialisation. The Secretary will act as deputy of the President and the
Treasurer will act as deputy of the Vice-President.
Annual General Meeting, Quorum and voting rights
Article 6
Section 6.1
The Annual General Meeting of the College will be held each year.
Section 6.2
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the College can be called at any time by the Executive
Committee, or shall be called by the Executive Committee at the written request of not less
than 10% of the membership. The request should contain the explanation for such a meeting,
and the subsequent Extraordinary General Meeting should take place within a period of three
months of receipt of the request. If not, the responsible members are empowered to summon
the Extraordinary Meeting themselves.
Section 6.3
Each Diplomate has the right to vote. He/she has to be present at the Annual or Extraordinary
General Meetings to do so, except in case of postal or electronic ballot (section 6.5).
Each Diplomate has one (1) vote. Non-paying diplomats have no voting rights.
Section 6.4
The quorum required for holding a meeting is one fourth (25%) of the voting members of the
College. Voting must be in person except in the case of electronic ballot. The Executive
Committee decides if the vote is to be taken orally or on paper. Votes can be: in favor, against
or one can abstain. For all decisions, except as designated elsewhere, a simple majority of the
voting members present or participating in an electronic vote is sufficient.
Section 6.5
The Executive Committee can hold an electronic or postal ballot at any time outside the
Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meetings. The same rules apply to
electronic or postal ballots as to voting during the Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary
General Meetings. An electronic ballot is only valid if a vote is registered on the secure
section of the ECVCN website, using unique passwords.
Section 6.6
The Secretary of the College has to keep the minutes of every Annual General Meeting.
These records must be signed by the Chairman of the Annual General Meeting and the
Secretary.
Amendments
Article 7
Proposed amendments to this Constitution shall be submitted to the President for study prior
to the 31st of December. Any proposed amendment shall be distributed to the membership
with a recommendation by the Officers, at least 30 days prior to the Annual General Meeting
and shall be brought to a vote of the Diplomates at the next annual meeting. An affirmative
vote of at least two-thirds of the voting Diplomates present or participating in an electronic
vote shall be required for adoption. The officers may also organize a postal or electronic
ballot.
Future Developments
Article 8
Future developments may necessitate remodelling of the College to be able to adopt a
subspecialty specialisation and/or specialisation concerning i.e. other species. Amendments
for such an adoption need an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Diplomates voting.
Dissolution of the College
Article 9
In the event of dissolution of the College, or the College losing its status as a non-profitmaking
organisation, the distribution of all assets shall be determined by the Annual General
Meeting, as far as possible consistent with the objectives of the College.
Bylaws
Article10
The College shall make and can change bylaws, which regulate subjects not or not
sufficiently prescribed in this Constitution. A bylaw shall not contain any provisions which
violate the law, the rules of the EBVS, or this Constitution..