Statutes of the European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics

Also available on-line: the by-laws.

I. NAME AND REGISTERED OFFICE

101. The name of the society is:
     European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics (ENBIS)
102. The seat of the society is Eindhoven.
103. In these statutes the society is called: ENBIS.

II. OBJECTIVE

201. Mission statement: ENBIS is an autonomous Society having as its objective the development and improvements of statistical methods, and their application throughout Europe, all this in the widest sense of the words.
     ENBIS shall try to accomplish this objective in particular by
     1. Fostering and facilitating the application and understanding of statistical thinking to the benefit of European business and industry.
     2. Providing a forum for the dynamic exchange of ideas and facilitate networking among statistical practitioners (a statistical practitioner is any person using statistical methods whether formally trained or not).
     3. Promoting the widespread use of sound science driven, applied statistical methods in European business and industry.
     4. Emphasising multidisciplinary problem solving involving statistics.
     5. Facilitating the rapid transfer of statistical methods and related technologies to and from business and industry.
     6. Linking academic teaching and research in statistics with industrial and business practice.
     7. Seeking collaborative agreements with related organisations.
202. Vision
     ENBIS seeks to evolve into the number one European forum for business and industrial statistics.
203. Web Based Society
     ENBIS is a web based society.
     1. Membership interactions and administration via the internet.
     2. Services, news and newsletter will be available on the web.
204. Discrimination of any kind against a private person or group of people on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason is strictly prohibited. Members who violate the non-discrimination principle can be punished by expulsion.

III. MEMBERS

301. ENBIS shall have two classes of members, to be known as ordinary and honorary members, respectively. There shall also be a class of corporate members. Only individual members are members within the meaning of the law.
302. The admission of members is in the competence of the Executive Committee which will decide on the admission in accordance with the provisions laid down in the By-laws.

IV. BY-LAWS

401. The By-laws of ENBIS shall be established by the General Assembly. The By-laws shall not contain any regulation which may be in contravention with the statutes.

V. ORGANISATION

501. The organisational structure of ENBIS includes:
     1. The General Assembly;
     2. The Council;
     3. The Executive Committee;
     4. The Permanent Office;
     5. The Ethics and Arbitration Committee.
502. Composition and Function of the General Assembly
     1. The General Assembly shall be composed of the individual members of ENBIS.
     2. The General Assembly is the highest authority within ENBIS and may convene in ordinary and special sessions. An ordinary session of the General Assembly should be held every year.
     3. The Executive Committee shall inform the members by e-mail or other electronic means of communication of the dates and places of the sessions.
     4. Each individual member has one vote. Voting by proxy is allowed. Voting via ballots installed at the ENBIS website is allowed.
     5. Except as otherwise provided by law or by these Statutes (1) decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of the votes cast (those by e-mail included): abstentions and spoiled votes shall be deemed not to be cast; and (2) in the event of a tie, the presiding officer shall have a casting vote, in addition to his ordinary vote.
503. Composition and Function of the Council
     1. The Council shall be composed of
        1. The ENBIS Executive Committee Members;
        2. Six individual members of ENBIS;
        3. The Presidents of the Sections;
        4. The Treasurer;
        5. The communication officers;
        6. The past presidents of ENBIS.
     2. The Council shall formulate the policies and programmes of ENBIS in accordance with the decisions of the General Assembly.
     3. Each individual Council member has one vote. Voting by e-mail is allowed. Voting by proxy is allowed. Voting via ballots installed at the ENBIS website is allowed.
     4. Except as otherwise provided by law or by the Statutes (1) decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of the votes cast (those by e-mail included): abstentions and spoiled votes shall be deemed not to be cast; and (2) in the event of a tie, the presiding officer shall have a casting vote, in addition to his ordinary vote.
504. Composition and Function of the Executive Committee
     1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of ENBIS’s Officers. The Officers shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Past-President, and three Vice-Presidents.
     2. The Executive Committee directs ENBIS in conformity with the Statutes and By-Laws and decisions of the General Assembly and the Council.
505. Composition and Functions of the Permanent Office
     1. The Permanent Office shall have a Director, a Treasurer, and Communication Officer responsible for all communications including the website, and such coworkers as the Executive Committee deems necessary.
     2. The Director shall be appointed by and report to the Executive Committee. The Director shall be in charge of the administrative processes of ENBIS and of the legal issues of ENBIS. No person shall simultaneously be Director of the Permanent Office and a member of the Executive Committee.
     3. The Treasurer shall be appointed by and report to the Executive Committee. The Treasurer will be in charge of the financials of ENBIS.
506. Composition and function of the Ethics and Arbitration Committee
     1. The Ethics and Arbitration Committee shall be composed of at least five persons nominated by the Council. It shall contain at least two past presidents of ENBIS and two elected four year members of the Council. It shall be chaired by one past president. Members of the Executive Committee, members of the Permanent Office, and the Treasurer shall not be members of the Ethics and Arbitration Committee.
     2. Any statement and decision of the Ethics and Arbitration Committee must be supported unanimously by all members of the committee.

VI. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS

601. At every second ordinary session the General Assembly shall appoint a President-Elect and three Vice-Presidents, as well as three of the six individual members of the Council. The President-Elect shall automatically become President; in the event that the position of the President-Elect is vacant, a President shall also be appointed. The appointments shall be made from a binding nomination to be submitted in accordance with the By-laws.
602. Officers and members of the Council may at any time be dismissed or suspended by the General Assembly.

VII. REPRESENTATION

701. ENBIS shall be represented in law or otherwise by the Executive Committee or by the Director of the Permanent Office.

VIII. SECTIONS, COMMITTEES AND AFFILIATIONS

801. To promote the objective of ENBIS in particular geographical regions and in particular fields of statistical specialisation, the General Assembly may establish associations or special interest groups which shall be known as sections of ENBIS, whose membership need not be limited to members of ENBIS.
802. A scientific organisation which consists chiefly of individual members and does not exist for profit may become affiliated to ENBIS upon approval by the Council if it substantially furthers the objective of ENBIS and is either a national organisation or a regional or similar international organisation (i.e. an international organisation having members in a group of countries) which has a comprehensive interest in statistics, or an international organisation concerned with a field of statistical specialisation.

IX. OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS

901. Ordinary members and corporate members are required to pay an annual contribution to be determined by the General Assembly for ordinary members and by the Council for corporate members.
902. The By-laws shall include additional provisions concerning the annual contributions.

X. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP OR AFFILIATION

1001. By written communication or by e-mail sent not later than four weeks before the end of the fiscal year to the Secretary, a member may resign, or an affiliated organisation may withdraw from affiliation.
1002. The Executive Committee may terminate a membership or affiliation in case of failure by said member or affiliated organisation to pay the required annual dues for three years. The General Assembly can expel a member on the proposal of the Ethics and Arbitration committee.
1003. If the Council after thorough investigation, after hearing the opinion of the Ethics and Arbitration Committee, and after giving the member an adequate opportunity to answer charges, shall be of the opinion that any ordinary or honorary member has seriously violated the Statutes or By-Laws of ENBIS or behaves in an unreasonable way which is detrimental to ENBIS, it shall so report to the General Assembly with a full statement of the grounds for its opinion; and the General Assembly shall thereupon vote upon such member’s expulsion at its next meeting. Until the General Assembly has acted, the Council may suspend the member from the exercise of his rights and privileges, including the function of his office if he be an Officer or a member of the Council. Any member who is thus suspended or is expelled shall be promptly notified by the President of such action.
1004. No organisation shall continue to be affiliated if the Council shall decide that such organisation has ceased to further adequately the objective of ENBIS.

XI. FINANCES

1101. ENBIS is a not-for-profit society.
1102. The fiscal year of ENBIS begins on January first and ends on December 31.
1103. ENBIS should follow a cautious financial policy. In particular the Executive Committee is not allowed to buy real estate, stocks, options, or bonds.

XII. AMENDING AND REVISION PROCESS

1201. A decision to amend or revise the Statutes shall be made at a meeting of the General Assembly. Proposals for amending or revising the Statutes shall be submitted to the General Assembly in accordance with the By-laws.

XIII. DISSOLUTION

1301. ENBIS can be dissolved only by adoption of an amendment to the Statutes, accomplished in accordance with Article 12.
1302. The dissolution amendment has to regulate the appointment of one or more liquidators of the properties of the association. The liquidators duties are: prepare a list of assets of the association; pay all debts and liabilities of the association; quantify the net assets remaining after paying all debts and liabilities.
1303. The dissolution amendment has to regulate the disposal of the net assets remaining after paying all debts and liabilities. The division of the net assets among the members of the society is excluded.