Title I. Name, seat and aim
Article 1
An International Association with Scientific and Educational Aims is founded herewith. The name of the Association, referred to in these Statutes as the Association, shall be the "European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), AISBL".
The association is regulated by Title III of the Belgian Law of 27 June 1921 on not-for-profit associations, foundations and international not-for-profit associations modified by the Law of 2 May 2002 (hereafter referred to as "the Law").
Article 2
The legal seat of the Association is currently at Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. F. D. Roosevelt 50/123, BE-1050 Brussels (Arrondissement judiciaire de Bruxelles). It may be transferred to another address within the Brussels Region by a decision of the General Assembly.
Article 3
The Association is an international non-profit association with the following aims:
a) To provide a forum where researchers and others involved in communication and information research can meet and exchange information and documentation about their work. Its disciplinary focus will include media, (tele)communications and informatics research, including relevant approaches of human and social sciences;
b) To encourage the development of research and systematic study, especially on subjects and areas where such work is not well developed;
c) To stimulate academic and intellectual interest in media and communication research, and to promote communication and cooperation between members of the Association;
d) To co-ordinate the circulation of information on communications research in Europe, with a view to establishing a database of ongoing research;
e) To encourage, support, and where possible, publish, the work of young researchers in Europe;
f) To take into account the desirability of different languages and cultures in Europe;
g) To develop links with relevant national and international communication organisations and with professional communication researchers working for commercial organisations and regulatory institutions, both public and private;
h) To promote the interests of communication research within and among the Member States of the Council of Europe and the European Union;
i) To collect and disseminate information concerning the professional position of communication researchers in the European region; and
j) To develop, improve and promote communication and media education
Title II. Membership
Article 4
The association has three categories of membership:
a) Institutional members: legal bodies such as universities with relevant departments, legal bodies with relevant policy departments and legal bodies with professional research from all parts of Europe, which are concerned with media and communications research or dedicate all or part of their activity to such research. Each institutional member is entitled to five votes.
b) Individual members: all persons who are active in the field of communication research or education. This also applies to persons living outside Europe who are conducting research into communication in Europe. Each individual member carries one vote.
c) Associate institutional members: the association may confer the status of associate institutional member upon organizations, which are legally established in their country of origin and whose aims are connected with those of the Association. An Associate member has no vote.
Institutional and Individual members are "Working members" while Associate institutional members are "Associate members" in the sense of the Law.
Article 5
Acceptance of new members is subject to the following conditions:
a) The Executive Board may grant institutional membership, individual membership and associate institutional membership as of right to institutions and individuals who are working in the field of communications research and communications education. Prospective members must complete and send in a membership application form. If approved by the Board, the membership becomes official upon receipt of the membership fee. The membership fee covers one calendar year, beginning January 1. A membership fee paid at any time during a calendar year covers the remainder of that year and must be renewed the following January 1 for the following year.
b) Exclusion and resignation of members are ruled by Art. 12 of the Law. A member can resign by written notification to the Secretary of the Board. An individual or institution who does not pay membership fees can be excluded. Exclusion of an Associate member can be decided by the Board. Exclusion of Individual or Institutional members can only be decided by the General Assembly, but the Board can pronounce suspension until the next meeting of the General Assembly.
c) Members and (in the event of their death) their assignees who discontinue their membership, or who are excluded, cannot claim any rights from the association.
Article 6
The members pay a membership fee, which the General Assembly determines every year for each membership category upon a proposal from the Executive Board.
Title III. General assembly
Article 7
a) The general organ of direction of the Association is the General Assembly, which has the ultimate authority in implementing the aims of the association.
b) The General Assembly consists of all the Working Members (i.e. the institutional members and individual members). Associate institutional members can attend the General Assembly in an advisory non-voting capacity.
Article 8
a) The General Assembly ordinarily meets every year under the chairmanship of the President of the Executive Board. It meets at the legal seat of the association or at another place, which is to be specified in the notice calling the meeting.
b) The notice calling the meeting along with the agenda is to be issued by the Board at least 90 days in advance.
c) An extraordinary meeting must be convened if requested by at least one fifth of the Working Members. A proposal signed by at least one twentieth of the working members must be put on the agenda of a General Assembly meeting.
Article 9
a) Each working member can be represented at the General Assembly by another working member by way of a written and signed proxy delivered before the votes or elections. However, each working representative cannot represent more than one member, institutional or individual.
b) The quorum for the General Assembly is that a majority of the Working Members are present or represented.
Article 10
a) Except for the exceptions specified in these statutes, the General Assembly votes and elects by a simple majority of those present and represented. In the case of a tie, the vote of the President or of the Board member replacing the President will be decisive.
b) All members will be informed about the decisions taken at the General Assembly. Decisions can be made on issues which were not on the agenda only if agreed unanimously by the Board members present, except if required otherwise by the statutes or by the Law.
c) The decisions of the General Assembly will be recorded in a register, signed by the Secretary of the Executive Board and kept by the President of the Executive Board. The register will be available to the members.
Article 11
The General Assembly holds the powers expressly recognised by the Law or by the present statutes. Of its exclusive competence are, among others:
a) Change to the statutes
b) Exclusion of working members
c) Appointment, discharge and forced resignation of Board members
d) Determining of membership fee for each membership category
e) Approval of budgets and accounts
f) Adoption of the yearly report by the President of the Board
g) Dissolution and liquidation of the association.
Title IV. Executive board
Article 12
a) The Executive Board, which shall consist of at least three and no more than fifteen members, will manage the association's current business. The General Assembly shall elect by simple majority the members of the association's Executive Board for a four year term. An Executive Board member may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
b) Executive Board members can be forced to resign by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present or represented.
Article 13
The Executive Board shall appoint from its members the President, the Vice President, the Secretary and the Treasurer.
Article 14
a) The Executive Board meets at least once a year.
b) Each Executive Board member may be represented by another board member by way of a written and signed proxy. Each Executive Board member can only represent one other board member. The Executive Board can only decide legally if at least half of the board members are present or represented.
Article 15
a) The Executive Board can decide on all management matters, except those which fall within the authority of the General Assembly.
b) The Executive Board can entrust the day-to-day business of the association to its President, a board member or a manager. The Executive Board may also delegate on its authority certain well-defined duties to one or more other persons.
c) The Executive Board may establish and dissolve Sections and Networks whose members share research and teaching interests consistent with the aims of the Association (Article 3). The Executive Board will establish guidelines for Sections and Networks.
Article 16
a) The Executive Board shall decide by a simple majority of votes, either present or represented. In the case of a tie, the vote of the President or of the Board member replacing the President will be decisive.
b) The decisions of the Executive Board shall be recorded in a register, signed by the Secretary of the Executive Board and kept by the President of the Executive Board. The register shall be available to the members.
Article 17
All legal documents which bind the association shall be signed by the President and one other board member, except in case of special proxies or for specific tasks for which the Board has decided otherwise.
Article 18
The Executive Board acts on behalf of the association in legal cases. It is represented by the President or another Board Member appointed by the Board.
Title V. Other clauses
Article 19
a) Amendments to the statutes or the dissolution of the association must be proposed by the Executive Board or by two-thirds of the working members of the association.
b) The General Assembly can only discuss amendments to the statutes or dissolution of the association if two-thirds of the members are present or represented and if a majority of two-thirds of the votes is reached, except for changes to the aims of the association, which requires a majority of 4/5.
c) If the General Assembly does not reach the quorum of two-thirds of its working members, the call for a second General Assembly may be issued, according to the same rules as the first one. This second General Assembly cannot be held less than 15 days after the first meeting and can decide firmly and legally regarding the proposals submitted, notwithstanding the number of members present or represented. Amendments to the statutes will only take effect after completion of the formalities required by article 50 § 3 of the Law and after publication in the Annexes of the Moniteur Belge in compliance with article 51 § 3 of the Law.
d) The General Assembly shall determine the manner in which the Association is dissolved and wound-up. In case of dissolution, the assets of the association must be allocated to non-profit purposes.
Article 20
The budget year of the association begins January 1 and ends on December 31. The General Assembly approves the accounts and budget on a yearly basis.
Article 21
Everything which is not addressed in the above statutes, and in particular the publications in the Annexes of the Moniteur Belge, shall be dealt with in accordance with the Law.
ECREA Bylaws
The ECREA Statutes always have priority over the ECREA Bylaws. The ECREA Bylaws offer operationalisations of the ECREA Statutes. In case of contradictions, the ECREA Statutes take precedence.
Title I. Executive Board and General Assembly
1. The Executive Board is a working body. This implies that each Executive Board member is delegated a specific number of duties (in accordance with article 15 of the Statutes). The duties of all Executive Board members are decided by the Executive Board. Within the Executive Board, one member is appointed as Section, TWG and Network coordinator, one member is appointed as Events Coordinator and one member is appointed as Book Series Editor.
2. An Executive Board member can only be President for one term of four years. The Vice-President will then preferably run as candidate-President in the next Executive Board elections, without disregarding the conditions listed in article 12 of the Statutes.
3. The Vice-President can also be Treasurer or General-Secretary.
4. The Executive Board includes one Networks representative, one Sections representative and one Temporary Working Groups representative as stipulated in article 11 and Title IV of the Bylaws.
5. Each Executive Board member will send a yearly activity report to the General Secretary and the President before the end of January of the following year.
6. In accordance with article 11g of the Statutes, the Executive Board will publish a annual report, which will also include all yearly activity reports of the individual Executive Board members, and all activity reports of the Sections, Temporary Working Groups and Networks (see Title IV of the Bylaws).
7. If Executive Board members join the Executive Board during an ongoing term, this incomplete term will still be considered the first full term of Executive Board membership. Following article 12 of the Statutes, the Executive Board member can remain on the Executive Board for only one additional consecutive term.
8. The meetings of the General Assembly, as stipulated in article 8a of the Statutes and the meetings of the Executive Board as stipulated in article 14 of the Statutes can be physical or virtual.
9. In case of virtual Executive Board meetings the following procedure is used.
a. A virtual Executive Board meeting will be announced in the Executive Board’s virtual meeting room, of which Executive Board members receive a notification e-mail.
b. Agenda items for the next virtual Executive Board meeting can always be posted on the Executive Board’s virtual meeting room. They can also be emailed to Secretary of the Bureau.
c. Minimally seven days before the virtual Executive Board meeting starts, a draft agenda will be made available to the Executive Board members (in the virtual Executive Board room and via email notification), asking for their amendments and additions, if any.
d. The final agenda of the virtual Executive Board meeting will be made available at the opening of the actual Board meeting. When the virtual Executive Board meeting has started, additional agenda items can be posted in the Executive Board’s virtual meeting room. If they are posted three days before the end of the virtual Executive Board meeting, they will become an integral part of the on-going virtual Executive Board meeting. If they are posted later they will be included in the agenda of the next Executive Board meeting.
e. In case an Executive Board member does not take part in a virtual Executive Board meeting, he or she is considered to be in favour of the proposed actions.
f. A virtual Executive Board meeting will last for 10 days. The start and end dates will be included in the announcement.
g. Decisions that require urgent Executive Board attention can be dealt with outside formal Executive Board meetings, in the virtual Executive Board meeting room. These decisions will require confirmation in the next Executive Board meeting.
h. The minutes of the virtual Executive Board meeting will be made available to all ECREA members in less than one month after the virtual Executive Board meeting.
10. In case of physical Executive Board meetings the following procedure is used.
a. A physical Executive Board meeting will be announced in the Executive Board’s virtual meeting room.
b. Minimally seven days before the physical Executive Board meeting starts, a draft agenda will be circulated among the Executive Board members through the virtual Executive Board room, asking for their amendments and additions.
c. Decisions made at a physical Executive Board meeting always need to be ratified at the next virtual Executive Board meeting.
d. The minutes of the physical Executive Board meeting will be added as an appendix to the minutes of the virtual Executive Board meeting that ratifies the decisions made at a physical Executive Board meeting.
11. The election of the Executive Board, with minimally three members and maximally 15 members, by the General Assembly after a four year term (as stipulated in article 12 of the Statutes) is organised as follows.
a. The election of the Executive Board takes place in two stages. During the first phase, maximum 12 members are elected by the General Assembly. In a second phase, the General Assembly elects the Networks representative, the Sections representative and the Temporary Working Groups representative (see article 4 of the Bylaws).
b. The first phase is initiated by the establishment of an election committee. The Executive Board selects one Executive Board member and one regular (i.e. non-Executive Board) member of the organisation to act as election committee, six months before the Executive Board elections (phase one) will take place. The Executive Board member who is a member of the election committee is preferably one who does not stand for re-election.
c. At the latest four months before the first election phase, the membership of the association is invited by the election committee to announce their candidacies for the new Executive Board to the election committee.
d. Candidates for the Executive Board who announce their candidacy to the election committee, have to send to the election committee: 1/ a position statement, 2/ a short CV, and 3/ a statement specifying whether or not they wish to become a candidate for one of the positions mentioned in article 13 of the Statutes (President, Vice-President, Treasurer or General-Secretary). The deadline for candidacies is two months before the elections (phase one).
e. If less than three candidacies for Executive Board membership have been received two months before the elections (phase one), the election committee launches a new call for candidates, as described in article 11c. If the four year term of the Executive Board passes, in the here described scenario where there are less than three candidacies, the Bureau will continue to function as Executive Board for six additional months in order to organise a new first phase of the elections.
f. One month before the elections at the latest (phase one), the candidacies are made public by the election committee, including the position statements, CVs and proposed position (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, General-Secretary or regular Executive Board member).
g. The election committee is responsible for organising the first phase of the elections at the General Assembly (in accordance with the ECREA Statutes) and for communicating the election results of this first phase to the membership and to the outgoing Executive Board. The election committee is supported in the organisation of the elections by the Secretary of the Bureau (if this position is filled in) (see article 13 of the Bylaws).
h. Following article 12 of the Statutes, a candidate for the Executive Board is elected by simple majority, but in case there are more candidates than the maximum number allowed in phase one of the elections (see article 12 of the Statutes, but in accordance with article 11a of the Bylaws), the candidates with the most votes in their favour are elected. In case of a tie for the twelfth position, an additional vote between the candidates for the twelfth position is organised at the General Assembly. In case of a new tie, the outgoing President decides.
i. In case no Executive Board member is elected, the Bureau will remain in office as Executive Board for six additional months in order to organise a new first phase of the elections.
j. When a number of Executive Board members have been elected, but their number is below three (the minimum stipulated in article 12 of the Statutes), the outgoing Bureau (maintaining their respective positions) will be added to the newly elected Executive Board members for a period of maximum six months, in order to organise a new first phase of the elections that will allow for the election of additional Board members. Once three or more Executive Board members have been elected (including those elected at the initial elections), the outgoing Executive Board members will cease to be Executive Board members.
k. If three or more Executive Board members have been elected, the new Executive Board will convene within a fortnight. The new Executive Board will decide on the Executive Board positions that are stipulated in article 13 of the Statutes (whilst remaining in accordance with article 9 and 10 of the Bylaws).
l. After the Executive Board has decided on the Executive Board positions, as stipulated in article 13 of the Statutes, the Executive Board will organise the second phase of the Executive Board elections, which will consist of the election of one Sections representative, one Temporary Working Groups representative and one Networks representative.
m. These three representatives represent the Sections, TWGs and Networks in the Executive Board. They are also responsible for the organisation of the consultations of the entities they represent (the Sections, the Networks or the Temporary Working Groups) on Executive Board decisions, and they will be delegated a number of more general tasks within the Executive Board (in accordance with article 15 of the Statutes) (see also Title IV of the Bylaws).
n. In order to elect the Sections representative, the Executive Board invites all members of the Management teams of all the Sections to announce their candidacies for Sections representative, less than one month after the first General Assembly (where phase one of the elections was organised). This representative has to be a member of Management Team of one of the Sections.
o. The deadline for candidacies for Section representative is set within two months after the first General Assembly. If no candidacies are received, no elections will be held and there will be no Sections representative. The candidacies for the position of Sections representative will be announced within two months after the first General Assembly.
p. The Executive Board organises the elections for the Section representative. Each member of a Management Team of a Section holds one vote for this election. The Sections representative is elected by simple majority. In case of a tie, a second vote is organised; in case this vote is followed by another tie, the President decides.
q. Following the same procedure as outlined in article 11n, 11o and 11p, the Management teams of all the Temporary Working Groups will elect their representative and the Management teams of all the Networks will elect their representative.
r. The Executive Board then organises a second General Assembly in which the candidacies of the three candidate-representatives are voted upon. The election is by simple majority. In case the General Assembly rejects a candidate Section, TWG or Network representative, the Executive Board restarts the selection procedure for that specific position of Section, TWG or Network representative, as outlined in article 11n, 11o and 11p. If the new candidate is also rejected by the General Assembly, this specific position of Section, TWG or Network representative will remain empty.
s. If a Section, TWG or Network representative resigns, ceases to be a member of the Management Team of a Section, TWG or Network, or becomes the member of a Management Team of a Section, TWG or Network which belongs to another entity than he or she was elected to represent, the Executive Board organises the election of a new representative, as described in article 11n to 11r.
12. During its four year term the Executive Board can co-opt additional Executive Board members (within the constraints imposed by article 12 of the Statutes), but this co-optation needs to be ratified at the next meeting of the General Assembly, which will then appoint the new Executive Board member(s).
Title II. The Bureau
13. The Executive Board delegates the day-to-day business of the association in accordance with article 15 of the Statutes to the Bureau, which consists of the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the General-Secretary (as mentioned in article 13 of the Statutes), and (optionally) the Secretary of the Bureau. The latter is an Executive Board member added to the Bureau on the proposal of the President, after approval of the Executive Board.
14. The Bureau is responsible for the preparation of the Executive Board meetings, the communication with and consultation of the membership, the organisation of the administrative support, the accounts and the budget, and the coordination of the activities of the individual Executive Board members. The Bureau also supervises the organisation of ECREA events, the ECREA publications, and the coordination of the Sections, Temporary Working Groups and Networks. The Bureau can seek the collaboration of other Executive Board members and regular members on all of its activities. These collaborations can be on an individual basis or through the establishment of Task Forces. The establishment of a Task Force requires the approval of the Executive Board.
15. The General-Secretary is responsible for all membership-related matters. This includes the written notification of a member resignation, mentioned in article 5 of the Statutes; the Treasurer is responsible for the accounts and the budget; and the Secretary of the Bureau (if this position is filled) is responsible for the organisation of the decision-making processes within the Bureau and the Executive Board, and for the organisation of the General Assemblies (including the support of the election committee as described in article 11 of the Bylaws). The Secretary of the Bureau also keeps the record of the decisions of the General Assembly (see article 10c of the Statutes) and the records of the decisions of the Executive Board (see article 16b of the Statutes). If there is no Secretary of the Bureau, then the General-Secretary takes charge of the tasks attributed to the Secretary of the Bureau in this article. The division of labour for the other responsibilities of the Bureau is decided upon by the Bureau.
16. The Treasurer will organise a yearly audit of the accounts.
17. In accordance with the Belgian law, and as long as the official seat of ECREA is in Belgium, every year, before 30 June, the President will deposit two signed copies of the accounts of the association for the previous year and the minutes of the General Assembly that approved them at the "Greffe du tribunal de commerce" of the district of the seat of the association.
Title III. The Advisory Board
18. The Advisory Board provides the Executive Board with advice on the long-term strategies of the association.
19. The Executive Board decides on the composition of the Advisory Board, taking disciplinary, regional, gender and age diversity into account. The members of the Advisory Board elect the Chairperson of the Advisory Board by simple majority. In case of a tie, a second vote is organised; in case this vote is followed by another tie, the President decides.
20. Former members of the Executive Board will be invited to become a member of the Advisory Board for two years. This term can be renewed by the Executive Board.
21. The Advisory Board can take the initiative to formulate an advice on the long-term strategies of the association to the Executive Board. The Chair of the Advisory Board organises the deliberation within the Advisory Board and relays the advice to the President. The President then makes the advice available to all ECREA members. If one fifth of the members of the Advisory Board deem it necessary, the Chair of the Advisory Board initiates a deliberation on the issue at hand. The advice of the Advisory Board is to be approved by a simple majority of the Advisory Board. The Bureau and the Executive Board can then develop (or modify) policy initiatives on the basis of the advice. The Chair of the Advisory Board also handles the appeal if a Section, TWG or Network is suspended or cancelled (see article 36).
22. The Bureau can decide to consult the Advisory Board. The following procedure will be used:
a. The document about which the Advisory Board is consulted is posted to a designated part of the ECREA intranet.
b. At the same time, Advisory Board members are invited to post their views on the matter at hand on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
c. The consultation will remain open for at least one month, and maximum two months. The duration of the consultation is announced when the Advisory Board members are invited to post their views.
d. After the consultation, the Chair of the Advisory Board publishes a short summary of expressed views on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
e. The Bureau and the Executive Board can then develop (or modify) policy initiatives on the basis of the consultation.
f. After the development (or modification) of policy initiatives, the Bureau publishes a short summary of the policy initiatives on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
Title IV. Sections, Temporary Working Groups & Networks
Sections, Temporary Working Groups & Networks
23. Following article 15 of the Statutes, the Executive Board establishes Sections and Networks. Two types of Sections are established: Regular Sections (termed Sections) and Temporary Working Groups. The abbreviation of S/TWG/N (Sections, Temporary Working Groups and Networks) is used to refer to all three types of entities together.
24. The ECREA Sections are arenas for specialised knowledge in specific fields of media and communication research, which are organised thematically. ECREA Sections are permanent structures. All ECREA Sections together have one representative in the Executive Board.
25. The ECREA Temporary Working Groups (TWGs) have the same remit as ECREA sections, but these TWGs will only be established for a term of 4 years. After the end of the term and upon request of the Chair of the TWG, they can be renewed by the Executive Board only once for 4 more years, or they can be granted the status of a Section (see also articles 41 and 44 of the Bylaws). All ECREA TWGs together have one representative in the Executive Board.
26. ECREA Networks group and represent specific socio-demographic categories of scholars. Like ECREA Sections, ECREA Networks are permanent structures, but ECREA Networks do not deal with specific fields of media and communication research. ECREA Networks research the position of the categories of scholars they represent. All ECREA Networks together have one representative in the Executive Board.
27. A Section, Temporary Working Group or Network is always an integral part of ECREA. This firstly implies that chairs and vice-chairs should always be members of ECREA. Secondly, S/TWG/N aim to group ECREA members that are active within specific academic domains. They also aim to get non-members involved into ECREA, through means of ECREA membership. S/TWG/N membership without ECREA membership is not allowed. Thirdly, the Executive Board maintains the ultimate decision-making power at all levels, but at the same time, S/TWG/N are granted a high degree of independence.
28. S/TWG/N have to deploy sufficient academic activities. These activities have to include the organisation of a full stream of panels at the European Communication Conferences (ECCs - see Title V) for Sections; the organisation of one panel at the European Communication Conferences (ECCs) for TWG and Networks; and the organisation of one event during the years when no ECC is organised for all S/TWG/N. S/TWG/N report on a yearly basis to the Executive Board. S/TWG/N are also requested to establish an online presence.
29. A S/TWG/N needs to have a text describing its “Objectives”, and a document stipulating its internal rules. The latter document is termed a “Modus operandi” and minimally includes the rules for membership of the S/TWG/N, the organisation of the business meetings, and the election of Management Teams, in accordance with the Statutes and Bylaws. All documents are made available through the ECREA website.
Section, Temporary Working Group & Network Management
30. A S/TWG/N always needs to have one chair and two vice-chairs. Together they form the S/TWG/N Management Team.
31. The chair and at least one of the two vice chairs need to have a PhD. In the case of a Network grouping young scholars, the requirement to have a PhD does not apply.
32. All chairs and vice-chairs need to be ECREA members, or to become ECREA members within three months after their acceptance by the Executive Board.
33. Within the Management Teams, disciplinary, regional, gender and age balance needs to be respected.
34. Each Management Team will send an annual activity report to the ECREA Section, TWG and Network coordinator, before 30 November of the year to be reported on.
35. Each member of the Management Team can only remain a member of a Management Team for a maximum uninterrupted term of 6 years. In the case when a TWG is transformed into a Section, the Management Team of the new Section is entitled to the full term of six years.
36. Failure to fulfil the requirements listed in articles 27 to 35 of the Bylaws can lead to the suspension or cancellation of the S/TWG/N. This decision is made by the Executive Board (following article 15 of the Statutes), after (1) the S/TWG/N that is facing suspension or cancellation is heard, (2) the Sections, TWGs or Networks (depending on whether it concerns a Section, TWG or Network that is facing suspension or cancellation) have been consulted (following article 40 of the Bylaws), and (3) the Advisory Board has been consulted (following article 22 of the Bylaws). After the decision to suspend or cancel a S/TWG/N, this S/TWG/N may appeal to the Chairperson of the Advisory Board, who will then invite the Executive Board to reconsider. After this reconsideration, the decision that is made by the Executive Board is final.
37. The whole staff of the Management Teams of the Sections will elect one member of one of the Sections’ Management Teams (see article 11, paragraphs l to r of the Bylaws), who will act as the Sections’ representative in the Executive Board. This Sections’ representative can take the initiative to organise or can be asked by the Bureau to organise consultations of the Sections Management Teams on Executive Board decisions, and will take the responsibility for a number of more general tasks within the Executive Board. The Sections’ representative can always seek assistance and advice of other members of the Section Management Teams.
38. The whole staff of the Management Teams of Temporary Working Groups will also elect one member of one of the TWG’s Management Teams (see article 11, paragraphs k to r of the Bylaws), who will act as the TWG representative in the Executive Board. This TWG representative can take the initiative to organise or can be asked by the Bureau to organise consultations of the TWG management teams on Executive Board decisions, and will take the responsibility for a number of more general tasks within the Executive Board. The TWG representative can always seek assistance and advice of other members of the TWG Management Teams.
39. The whole staff of the Management Teams of the Networks will elect one member of one of the Network’s Management Teams (see article 11, paragraph l to r of the Bylaws), who will act as the Networks’ representative in the Executive Board. This Networks’ representative can take the initiative to organise or can be asked by the Bureau to organise consultations of the Networks Management Teams on Executive Board decisions, and will take the responsibility for a number of more general tasks within the Executive Board. The Networks’ representative can always seek assistance and advice of other members of the Network Management Teams.
40. The Bureau can decide to consult the Management Teams of the Sections, TWGs or Networks (or all three entities together) on matters that relate to the Sections, TWGs or Networks. Also when one fifth of the members of the Management Teams of one of the entities (the Sections, TWGs or Networks) deem it necessary, a consultation of that respective entity is organised. This consultation is organised by the relevant S/TWG/N representative(s) in the Executive Board. The following procedure will be used:
a. The text about which the members of the Management Teams are consulted is posted on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
b. At the same time, Management Team members are invited to post their views on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
c. The consultation will remain open for minimal one month, and maximum two months. The duration of the consultation is announced when the Management Team members are invited to post their views.
d. After the consultation, the relevant S/TWG/N representative(s) publish(es) a short summary of expressed views on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
e. The Bureau and the Executive Board can then develop (or modify) policy initiatives on the basis of the consultation.
f. After the development (or modification) of policy initiatives, the Bureau publishes a short summary of the policy initiatives on the designated part of the ECREA intranet.
Establishing new TWGs and Sections
41. All new Sections start as TWG. After the first four years term, TWGs can apply to the Executive Board to become an ECREA Section (see articles 25 and 44 of the Bylaws).
42. A proposal for a new Temporary Working Group needs to include the following parts:
- the name of the chair;
- the names and agreement of 2 vice-chairs;
- the objectives document (examples can be found at the ECREA website - http://www.ecrea.eu, in the S/TWG/N areas);
- the modus operandi document (see also http://www.ecrea.eu).
The following items should be taken into account for the selection of the chairs and vice-chairs:
- a TWG needs to have one chair and two vice-chairs;
- the chair and at least one of the two vice chairs need to have a PhD;
- all need to be ECREA members, or to become ECREA members within three months;
- regional and gender balance needs to be respected;
- they need to agree to organise as TWG one panel at the ECC, and another event in the years when there is no ECC;
- they need to agree to send in a yearly activity report to the ECREA Section, TWG and Network coordinator;
- they must agree to collaborate with other S/TWG/N and the Executive Board;
- they need to accept that TWGs and Sections are always an inextricable part of ECREA.
43. The proposal for a new TWG needs to be sent to the ECREA Section, TWG and Network coordinator, who might suggest the candidate-chair to alter the proposal. When accepted by the Bureau, the nominations for chair and vice-chairs will then be voted upon by the Executive Board. After the vote of acceptance by the Executive Board (and not before), the TWG can 'formally' launch itself in a way of its own choosing.
44. After a term of 4 years, the TWG ceases to exist, unless the Executive Board decides to grant the TWG maximum one more term of 4 years, or to transform the TWG into a Section. The chair of the TWG sends a motivated request for continuation as TWG, or for the transformation into a Section, to the Section, TWG and Network coordinator, 6 months before the end of the term.
Establishing new networks
45. The application procedure described in articles 42, 43 and 44 of the Bylaws applies for new Network applications as well. In the case of a Network grouping young scholars, the requirement to have a PhD does not apply. In contrast to Sections, Networks do not start as TWG.
(Re-)elections for existing sections and networks
46. The specific election procedures are developed by the Sections, TWGs and Networks and described in their modus operandi, but the requirements on the composition of the Management Team, mentioned in the Bylaws, still need to be respected.
47. The out-going Management Teams will report on the candidates for the elections to the Section, TWG and Network coordinator less than one week before the elections.
48. The out-going Management Teams are responsible for writing up their last activity report, which also includes the outcome of the elections, including the voting outcome and the names, email addresses, affiliations of the new Management Team.
49. When S/TWG/N do not manage to establish a full (3 person) Management Team after the elections, the S/TWG/N will be suspended. It can be re-activated, if a proposal for a new (full) Management Team, ratified by the corresponding S/TWG/N membership, is presented to and accepted by the Executive Board.
Changing S/TWG/N objectives and modus operandi documents
50. The objectives and modus operandi documents may be altered by the S/TWG/N, but alterations must always be approved by the Executive Board.
51. Alterations of S/TWG/N documents cannot go against the rules laid out in the Statutes and the Bylaws, nor can they contradict any of the other ECREA rules and Executive Board decisions.
Title V. Procedure for organising the European Communication Conferences
52. The European Communication Conference (ECC) is a major European conference for communication scholars, where ECREA members (and non-members) can meet, gather and socialise. The ECC combines three crucial qualities: Top-level scholarly work; Impeccable organisation, facilities and logistics; and Memorable events and occasions within and around the conference. It is organised every two years, during an even year, preferably in the October-December period.
53. The organisation of the ECC is entrusted to a local host institution, which establishes a Local Organisational Committee (LOC). The LOC is given sufficient autonomy to give the conference a characteristic tone and focus that reflects the local identity and areas of expertise. In case of a doubt on the exact nature of the LOC’s competencies, the International Organisational Committee (IOC – see article 54) decides.
54. An International Organisational Committee (IOC) is also established; it is composed of representatives of the LOC and ECREA, and has a supervising and supportive role with the preparation and the carrying out of the conference. The Executive Board nominates the ECREA representatives for the IOC, which minimally include the President, the Treasurer, the Section, TWG and Network coordinator, and the events coordinator.
55. At the latest three years before the planned date of the European Communication Conference, the Bureau will launch a call for candidates as local host institutions.
56. The call for local host institutions will include a document that outlines the terms of reference for organising ECREA's ECC. This document will discuss the ECC objectives, and the requirements concerning the format, location, communication, distribution of tasks, management and governance, programme, language and finances.
57. In this call, candidate local host institutions are invited to express their interest in the organisation of an ECC. This expression of interest must take the form of a document where candidate local host institutions will: 1) Describe their general vision of the event (including the location, timing, duration and their organisational capacity); 2) Explicitly engage themselves to meet ECREA's requirements described in the terms of reference document and provide the basic information regarding the way their proposal will meet ECREA's requirements; 3) Propose a draft financial plan and a draft contract; 4) Sketch out the strengths and weaknesses associated with the proposal.
58. After receipt of candidate proposals, the Bureau can organise working visits or can request additional information in order to complement the information provided in the expression of interest.
59. The Executive Board will then select one institution to act as local host institution, and possibly one runner-up to step in, in case the selected host encounters unforeseen difficulties. The Executive Board can also decide to invite one candidate local host institution (and possibly a runner-up) to apply for the organisation of a later ECC. In the latter case, no new call will be launched, unless the local host institution decides to withdraw.
60. After the selection procedure, the selected local host institution will be asked to develop a full organisational plan and to draft a contract in close cooperation with the Bureau. The full organisational plan and draft contract is submitted to the Executive Board for approval. If the plan and the contract are approved, the contract (with the organisational plan and the ECC Terms of Reference as its appendices) will be signed by the ECREA president and the legal representative of the local host institution. The selection of the local host institution will then be made public. If not, organisers are given one more month to fine-tune the proposal (with assistance of the Bureau). If the full organisational plan and/or the draft contract proves untenable and is thus rejected by the Executive Board, the runner-up will be invited to act as local host institution. If there are no other candidate local host institutions, the call for candidates (see articles 55 to 59 of the Bylaws) will be reopened.
Title VI. The ECREA Book Series
Series editors and editorial advisory board
61. The Executive Board mandates one member of the Executive Board who will act, together with the President of ECREA, as series editors. The Executive Board can also nominate a third series editor who does not have to be a member of the Executive Board.
62. An editorial advisory board is established to promote the Book Series. Its composition will respect as much as possible disciplinary, regional, gender and age diversity. The Executive Board decides on the membership of this editorial advisory board.
Content
63. An exclusive preference is given to edited volumes that provide an overview of the work of the ECREA membership. At the same time, a degree of openness towards non-ECREA members is also considered to add value to the Book Series. For this reason, at least 50% of the chapters need to originate from ECREA members (individual or through institutional membership). For the same reason, at least one of the editors needs to be an ECREA member.
64. ECREA Book Series publications need to have a very clear theme on which they focus, which needs to be related to the focal points of ECREA (as described in article 3 of the ECREA Statutes). Although the Book Series is open to the wide diversity of disciplines and subjects present among ECREA members, editorial choices will also take into account the potential audience of a proposed book, and previous Book Series publications.
65. Preference is given to books in the English language. When a proposal is submitted in another (key) European language, the Executive Board can decide to mandate the Book Series editors to open the negotiations with the publisher(s) and to make a proposal to the Executive Board.
Publisher
66. The publisher of the Book Series provides ECREA and the book editors with an agreed number of copies of the ECREA Book Series publications that are subsidised by ECREA. Moreover, ECREA and the editors should be able to purchase additional copies of the book at a discounted rate.
67. Only one publication in the ECREA Book Series is subsidised by ECREA as long as the budget allows for this. ECREA covers the cost of the agreed number of copies, and distributes copies of the book to the ECREA membership (to 2nd year individual members, and to the coordinators of the institutional members and of the associated institutional members). Other books can be included in the Book Series, on the condition that the editors provide additional subsidies to cover the publication costs. Books published outside the ECREA subsidy will not be distributed to ECREA’s membership, unless the editors provide additional financial resources.
Procedure
68. Each year, a call is launched which invites book proposals (closing date 31 December). Book Series proposals, which have to fulfil requirements as set by ECREA and the publisher will be sent to the Book Series editors.
69. The ECREA Book Series editors will be in charge of the first level review. In their review report to the Executive Board, the Book Series editors will propose a ranking of all accepted proposals (possibly on the condition of modifications). The Executive Board decides (preferably) before March 1 of the year after the year when the call was launched to accept or reject the proposal made by the ECREA Book Series editors. The ECREA Book Series editors will then (after March 1) communicate the Executive Board decision to all proposers.
70. If the Executive Board accepts the Book Series editors’ proposal, and the book’s editors accept the required changes (if applicable), the book proposal that is ranked first will be sent to the publisher. If the book’s editors do not accept the required changes, the proposal will be excluded from the ranking, and the proposal that is ranked next in line will become the first ranked proposal. If the editors of lower ranked proposals (explicitly) agree to cover the publication costs, and accept the required changes (if applicable), their proposal will also be sent to the publisher. The publisher retains the right to refuse proposals. If the proposal is accepted by the publisher, a contract will be drafted between the book’s editors and the publisher (supervised by the Book Series editors). In the case of the first ranked proposal, a contract between ECREA and the publisher will also be drafted.
71. In these contracts, it will be posited that the authors obtain the copyright on their respective chapters, and that the publisher is granted the sole and exclusive right to publish the Book in the English language in all countries of the world, and to translate it in other languages (unless a different arrangement is preferred by all parties involved). This contract will also state that 50% of the Book’s royalties will be paid to ECREA. The remaining 50% will be equally distributed amongst the editors and the authors. The distribution of the royalties amongst the editors and authors will be the responsibility of the first editor. Exceptions to the standard contracts with the publisher and ECREA can be negotiated by the Book Series editors.
72. After having signed the contract, the book’s editors become responsible for observing the articles stipulated in the contract. Any breech of this contract will nullify ECREA’s engagement to provide the subsidy of the publication costs and to pay for the distribution costs, or any other engagement that ECREA has taken.
73. The editors are obliged to keep the Book Series editors informed on all their communication with the publisher and on any developments concerning the Book.
74. When the completed manuscript of the Book Series proposal has been sent to the publisher, it will be reviewed by the ECREA Book Series editors and by a referee designated by the publisher. The book’s editors are responsible for the negotiations with the publisher in the case when the publisher’s referee suggests changes, but can be assisted during these negotiations (if requested by the book’s editors) by the Book Series editors.
75. 25 copies of the subsidised Book Series publication will be sent directly to the first editor, who is responsible for distributing them amongst the authors. The cost for the shipment of these books to the first editor will be paid by ECREA, but the costs of the distribution of the copies to the authors will not be paid by ECREA. The remaining copies of the subsidised Book Series publication, purchased through the ECREA subsidy, will be sent to ECREA, for distribution amongst the membership. In the case when the editors subsidise the publication themselves, the book will not be distributed to the ECREA membership.
76. All chapters of the Book will immediately be published online by the publisher.
Title VII. The ECREA websites, databases and mailing lists
77. ECREA is committed to the protection of the privacy of the users of its website and its mailing lists. Personal data collected via ECREA's websites and mailing lists are therefore processed in conformity with the European Directive 95/46/EC of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and the Belgian Data Protection Act of 8 December 1992.
78. ECREA collects these personal data to provide the user with information and services specifically requested by the user and to inform the user about ECREA activities and about academic information on communication and media studies related conferences, vacancies, and publications. ECREA (including its S/TWG/N) will not disclose such personal data to others by ECREA, with the exception of the professional-academic information which is visible for ECREA members. Moreover, cookies will not be used.
79. The user can access or rectify its personal data by simple request to be addressed by e-mail or by paper post to the General-Secretary.
Appendixes to the bylaws
> ECREA Executive Board - Election procedure, phase 1
> ECREA Executive Board - Election procedure, phase 2
