Governance and structure
EURASHE is an international non-profit association according to Belgian law, organised according to its own statuses and bylaws. Its governance structure consists of the General Assembly, the Board, and the Secretariat.
EURASHE Governance and Structure
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the sovereign body with full powers in the realisation of the mission and aims of the association.
According to the statutes, the responsibilities of the General Assembly are:
- to elect the President, the Vice Presidents and the Board members, except the Treasurer;
- to appoint the Secretary-General, the Treasurer. If needed, to appoint the external auditor on the recommendation of the Board.
- to dismiss the Board for stated reasons with a two thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast;
- to decide upon the Association’s strategic framework and policy documents on the recommendation of the Board, in consultation with the Council; membership criteria; exclusion of members;
- to adopt position statements, the budget, the annual report of activities of the Association, the annual accounts and report of the Board, the annual membership fees and bylaws;
- to discharge the Board from liability for the accounts.
Board
The Board is the executive body of the association.
According to the statutes, the responsibilities of the Board are:
- to determine the overall and day-to-day policy of the Association and the emoluments of the Secretary General for his/her/their time and expenses;
- to propose the budget to the General Assembly for adoption and bylaws to the General Assembly for adoption;
- to monitor the finances of the Association and present the annual accounts to the General Assembly for approval;
- to prepare and present policies to the General Assembly for approval;
- to implement the decisions of the General Assembly;
- to accept new members of the Association following the bylaws adopted by the General Assembly and makes recommendations to the General Assembly about termination of membership;
- to decide upon the relocation of the registered office within the Brussels Capital Region.
In case of litigation, to jointly take the necessary actions both as a plaintiff and defendant. Such responsibility may also be delegated by the Board to the Secretary General, on behalf of the Association.
Council
This body brings together the Board and the representatives of national associations members of EURASHE, as well as co-opted members and external experts.
The Council provides advice and opinions to the Board and Secretariat for the execution of their functions. This principally concerns policy developments at European and national levels, although the Council may also provide advice on operational and strategic issues.
The Council is composed of the elected members of the Board and the Chairpersons (or authorised representatives) of all national associations who are full members of the Association. Additionally, it may co-opt a maximum of eight other members with voting rights for a period of two years that may be renewed. These members may include other members as well as external stakeholder organisations and experts.
Secretariat
It is the head office in Brussels, from which the association is run on a daily basis. Its work is guided by the Secretary General, who in turn liaises with members of the Board and General Assembly.
Key responsibilities of the Secretariat are:
- To carry out the daily management and activities of the Association;
- to administer the finances of the Association in conjunction with the Treasurer;
- to support the Board and the Council in their work;
- to provide and disseminate information to the members and the public;
- to keep a record of the minutes of the meetings of the Board and the General Assembly and keep the register of minutes at the registered office.
EURASHE Statutes
