CONSTITUTION

Amended in Paris, CDG Airport, on March 17th, 1996 then, with an e-mail consultation, on May-July, 2001  


 ARTICLE I – NAME

The organisation, which was founded in 1993 in Frankfurt/Germany, and confirmed during the 9th European Conference in Siena/Italy (1994), is named "THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL HAEMORHEOLOGY (ESCH)". The EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL HAEMORHEOLOGY (here after called "ESCH") is a federation of national societies or groups for Clinical Haemorheology, Clinical Microcirculation and Haemorheology of Europe but not of individual persons. The ESCH succeeds the traditional European Coordinating Committee for Clinical Haemorheology (ECCCH) which first met in 1979 in Nancy (France) in the course of the First European Conference on Clinical Haemorheology.
The main headquarter of the ESCH is located with the President's office and the Secretariat with the Secretary's.


ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES

 

The Objectives of the ESCH include advancement of the science and art of Clinical Haemorheology and Clinical Micro and Macrocirculation by research, education and nurturing of haemorheological knowledge into clinical practice.
For implementation of these objectives the following functions are to be provided:

To organise the biannual Conference of the ESCH.
To promote scientific exchange between the various national societies (groups) by means of joint presentations, symposia, lectures, posters.
To hold the meeting of the Advisory Committee.
To establish and coordinate a cooperation and interchange of related societies.
To support national or international congresses approved by the ESCH
To encourage and maintain high standard of research, education and training of Clinical Haemorheology.
To cooperate with the official journals of the society.

ARTICLE III – COUNCIL

 

The ESCH is governed by a Council consisting of a President, three Vice-Presidents, the Past-President and the President elect of the next European Conference. One of the Vice Presidents takes over the function of the Secretary.

  1. The President of the ESCH presides at all meetings of the ESCH, preserves order, promotes and regulates the debate, announces results of elections and represents the ESCH in undertakings in which a specific representative is not otherwise specified. The President with the Secretary keeps minutes of all the meetings of the Council, receives and process applications for membership, notifies new members of their elections to membership in the ESCH, maintains an accurate record of the members with their current addresses, sends out announcements of meetings of the ESCH, sends out a list of candidates for active membership in advance of regular meetings of the Council and conducts the correspondence of the ESCH not otherwise provided for by the Constitution. The President is elected by the members of the Advisory Committee for a term of two years and may be re-elected for one further term of 2 years. On finishing his last term as President, this person shall remain as voting Past-President in the Council.
    The term of two years can be prolonged for any officer only in the case that the biannual Conference is postponed.

  2. The Vice-Presidents perform all duties of the President of the ESCH in absence or incapacity of the President of the ESCH. The Vice-Presidents are elected by the members of the Advisory Committee for a term of two years and may be re-elected for one further term of two years.

  3. The President of the Conference is elected by the members of the Advisory Committee for a term of two years and is not eligible for immediate re-election to this office. This person takes office as President of the Conference and shall be an ex-officio member of the Council for a period of two years. 

  4. All officers of the ESCH serve in an honorary position.

  5. Officers shall be elected by the majority vote of the Advisory Committee members present and voting at the meeting of the Advisory Committee of the ESCH.

  6. Regular meetings of the Advisory Committee shall be held during the European Conferences, or when the President and/or one third of the members require this.

  7. One or more Honorary Presidents (without vote) can be proposed only by the President and approved by the Council and by the Advisory Committee

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP

 

Each Society (or group) for Clinical Hemorheology representing scientists from one European country can participate as a federal member of the ESCH. Any new national society (or group) may submit a specific request for membership to the President of the ESCH. The Council has the power to accept or ask for applications from haemorheological societies (or groups) as may be thought appropriate for membership. On receipt of an application, a ballot shall be held, which may be a postal or e-mail ballot or a ballot of those present at the meeting of the Council, and admission shall be secured only by a favourable vote of two-thirds or more of the council. By vote of two-thirds or more of its members the Council has the power to expel from the ESCH any member-institution, which in the opinion of the Council ceases to support the objectives of the ESCH. Each European country can be represented by only one society for Clinical Haemorheology.
Non-European societies for Clinical Haemorheology may become associate members (without vote) on request.

ARTICLE V - ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

The Advisory Committee consists of the Council as ex-officio members and representatives of each national society (or group). These representatives are elected by their national societies (or groups) according to their own constitutions. National societies (or groups) with less than 15 members may be allowed to have one Advisory Committee member. National societies (or groups) with more than 15 members shall be represented in the Advisory Committee according to the number of members and the scientific activity (maximum 5 Advisory Committee members each). The Council has the power to decide with the majority of votes on the composition of the Advisory Committee. National Societies or groups decide every two years the names of their representatives in the Advisory Committee.
The Advisory Committee meets at least in a two-years interval.

ARTICLE VI - ELECTIONS

 

The Advisory Committee elects the President and the other members of the Council. In case of an elected member being unable to attend any meeting of the Advisory Committee, the Institution (National Society or Group) of which he is a member may appoint a substitute for that occasion or give power of proxy to the President or to another representative of the same Institution. The Members cannot have a number of proxies higher that the total number of the delegates of their Institution. The President has a casting vote in any meeting where positive and negative votes are equal. Secret votes have to be performed on request by the President and/or a third of the Committee. Elections shall take place only during the biannual European Conferences.

ARTICLE VII - FUNDS

 

The ESCH has no funds of its own. Expenses for the meetings of the Council and the Advisory Committee have to be sustained by each national society or group. The ESCH cannot give grants to national societies, its members, or other persons. However, funds for justified requirements can be raised under general agreement from external sources available.

ARTICLE VIII - FAHRAEUS MEDAL AWARD

 

The ESCH has been entrusted with the FAHRAEUS MEDAL AWARD to be awarded to an outstanding leading scientist in the field of Clinical Haemorheology. All members of the Council and of the Advisory Committee and the previous recipients of the Award are entitled to vote according to the rules that are the following:

a) The responsibility of the Elections is of the President of the Conference, under the supervision of the President of the ESCH.

b) The recipient, that must be a distinguish scientist in Clinical Haemorheology, will give an address (Fahraeus Lecture) during the Conference on an appropriate subject of his choice.

c) Nomination of candidates and election will result from two secret postal ballots. The President of the Conference, as well as the previous recipients of the Award, cannot be nominated.

d)During the first ballot all those eligible to vote will be called to suggest 1 to 3 names.

e) The President of the Conference will communicate only to the President of the ESCH (who will keep the Council informed) the names of the candidates receiving the greatest number of nomination for selecting those (no more than 4, no less than 2) who circulated for final voting.

f) The final voting, where each voting people can vote only one name, is secret and officially opened under the responsibility of the President of the Conference, after consultation with the President of the ESCH, or in the presence of some members of the Advisory Committee, or during a Conference of the National Society, or in the presence of a notary.

g) A support to the Award could be provided by the President of the ESCH and by the President of the Conference as done in the past with the first sponsor of the initiative.

ARTICLE IX - EUROPEAN CONFERENCE FOR CLINICAL HAEMORHEOLOGY

 

Regular conferences of the ESCH take place in a two-year interval, except when the Council agrees to take part at or to organise a world congress. The President shall promote the debate and choose of Candidates between European Societies or groups interested to organise regular ESCH Conferences.
In case that, for any reason, the biannual Conference is postponed, the officio of the Council and of the Advisory Committee is prolonged for the same period.
The President shall have the power to propose national societies (or groups) out of the ESCH to organise the biannual European Conference and its Conference President who then shall be elected by the majority of votes of the Advisory Committee. The Conference President and the inviting national society is responsible for organisation, funds etc. The Council shall have the power to take part in the scientific programme and make proposals.  

 

ARTICLE X- COMPOSITION OF THE FEDERATION

 

European societies or groups members of ESCH during the Siena Conference on 1995 and number of representative members of the Advisory Committee confirmed during the Rouen Conference on 2000 and by means of an e-mail consultation on May-July 2001. Changes to the present composition can be submitted by the National Societies or groups to the President before the biannual Conference and then approved by the Council with the majority of votes and by the Advisory Committee with the majority of two-thirds or more.

France 5
Germany 5
Italy 5
Hungary 3
Portugal 3
Scandinavien 2
Spain 2
Turkey 2
United Kingdom 2
Bulgaria 2
 Austria 1
Czech Republic 1
Georgia 1
Greece 1
Romania 1
Russia 1
The Netherlands 1

ARTICLE XI - MISCELLANEOUS

  The national societies (or groups) shall send a complete address list of their members and the members of their board to the President's Office. Changes in the composition of a society should also be indicated.
A tentative participation in a supracontinental Federal Society on Clinical Haemorheology should be decided by vote of two thirds or more of the members of the Advisory Committee in the course of a biannual Conference.
This constitution should be accepted by the Advisory Committee with the majority of votes. Changes in this constitution can only be performed by a favourable vote of two-thirds or more of the Advisory Committee during the biannual Conference.