EMS Handbook: Council

2.1.1 Council composition and meetings

The organ of the Society with decision-making powers is the Council, the supreme authority of the EMS.

The EMS Council meets every second year (even years). The Council consists of the delegates representing full member societies, institutional members, associate members and individual member. For details see the EMS Statutes 5. The quorum of the Council shall be two-fifths of the total number of the delegates.

Full member delegates are selected by their societies (By-laws 10). The number of delegates representing a society depends on the society’s class. It is not compulsory but is highly recommended that the full member delegates join the EMS as individual members. In order for the delegate(s) of a full member to have the right to vote the society must have paid the corporate membership fees for the year the Council meeting is taking place or for the previous year.

Institutional member delegates are proposed and seconded by the institutional members of the EMS (By-laws 12).

Associate member delegates are proposed and seconded by the associate members of the EMS (By-laws 11).

Individual member delegates are proposed by and seconded by individual members of the EMS.

The EMS Executive Committee (EC) at the spring meeting in the year of the Council meeting reviews the lists of proposed individual, institutional and associate member delegates and confirms them, or organizes a ballot, if necessary (By-laws 11–13).

The following persons are invited to the Council meeting as guests if they are not delegates:

  • The EC members and the chairs of the EMS standing committees and of EMYA;
  • the EMS Secretariat;
  • the EMS Community Engagement Manager;
  • the Editor-in-Chief of the EMS Magazine;
  • the Managing Director of the EMS Publishing House;
  • candidates for different pending EC positions;
  • ECM bidders/organizers;
  • representatives of reciprocity member societies (sometimes);
  • other guests depending on the situation (ICIAM, IMU, etc.).

Guests can participate in the discussions, but do not have a right to vote.