Constitution of the Council of European Professional and Managerial Staff (P&MS), EUROCADRES

approved by the Congress 16 - 17 November 2009.

I. CONSTITUTION AND MEMBERSHIP

Art. 1 The Council of European Professional and Managerial staff shall be called EUROCADRES.

Art. 2 EUROCADRES shall have the following tasks in particular:
 to deal with intersectoral matters affecting European Professional and Managerial Staff;
 to intervene on behalf of European Professional and Managerial Staff;
 and to represent them vis-à-vis relevant institutions and bodies, and in particular to take part, on their behalf, at European level in social dialogue and collective bargaining.

Art. 3 The constitutional bodies of EUROCADRES are the Congress and the Executive Committee.

Art. 4 The Council of European Professional and Managerial Staff, EUROCADRES, shall consist of organisations representing professional and managerial staff that are:
 national Confederations affiliated to the ETUC or their intersectoral P&MS organisations, and national organisations affiliated to a member organisation of the ETUC;
 European Industry Federations affiliated to the ETUC.

Art. 5 EUROCADRES pursues its tasks in co-operation with its member organisations. EUROCADRES is an organisation associated to the ETUC.

Art.6 National EUROCADRES Committees can be set up by the national member organisations at national level. Their objectives are particularly:
 to facilitate cooperation on European affairs between member organisations at national level;
 to facilitate close coordination and exchange of information between the national and European levels;
 to deal with national representation at the Congress

II. CONGRESS

Art. 7 The Congress shall be held every four years.
 Each member organisation may send a representative who may have a deputy.

Art. 8 Votes of national organisations shall be distributed per country as follows:

Any country with member organisations has at least 5 votes.

Countries contributing to the support programme (or additional in-kind support):
 with fewer than100,000 P&MS members: 10 votes;
 with 100,000 or more but fewer than 500,000 P&MS members: 20 votes;
 with 500,000 P&MS members or more: 25 votes.

Votes of European organisations shall be distributed as follows:
 with fewer than 1,000,000 P&MS members: 15 votes;
 with 1,000,000 P&MS members or more: 20 votes.

Art. 9 The Congress shall elect a Congress Chairperson and two Deputy Chairpersons on a proposal of the Executive Committee.

Art. 10 The Congress shall determine policy guidelines to be followed within the framework of EUROCADRES general objectives. In particular, Congress shall have the following tasks:
 to determine and modify the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the Congress;
 to decide on motions put forward by the Executive Committee or member organisations;
 to elect the members of the Executive Committee in accordance with article 13;
 to elect from among the members of the Executive Committee the President and the Vice-Presidents of EUROCADRES;
 to elect two Auditors.

President and Vice-President candidatures by the countries are conditional upon the commitment and continuous respect of the agreed support programme.

Art. 11 An extraordinary Congress shall be convened by the Executive Committee at any time on a majority decision of its members or a decision of the General Assembly by the majority of the votes cast.

III. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Art. 12 The General Assembly should be held every year where there is no Congress. It should receive an annual report of activity.

Art. 13 The Executive Committee is responsible for deciding on the agenda of the General Assembly and to put forth resolutions to be adopted.

IV. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Art. 14 Congress shall elect the members of the Executive Committee on the basis of the proposals provided by the countries and the European Industry Federations and who will serve for a four-year term.

Each country and each European Industry Federation shall be represented by one member. A substitute shall be elected for each member.

In agreement with the Executive Committee, a member may be replaced by the respective country or EIF. Such a decision shall be endorsed by the next General Assembly.

Art. 15 The Executive Committee shall be responsible for taking the necessary decisions for implementing the Constitution.

The Executive Committee shall have overall responsibility for all EUROCADRES activities and policies between Congresses in accordance with the Constitution and Congress decisions.

The Executive Committee shall elect the Treasurer from among its members.

Art.16 The Executive Committee may mandate some of its members or other persons acting for EUROCADRES to follow particular issues. Such a person is assisted, within its means, by the Secretariat and reports on his/her activities.

Art. 17 The Executive Committee may establish sub-committees or working groups. It shall specify the composition, the tasks and the modes of operation of such committees.

Art. 18 The Executive Committee shall produce an annual financial report on accounts which shall be submitted to the Auditors.

The Executive Committee shall adopt an annual budget and is entitled after necessary consultations with the General Assembly to make decisions concerning membership fees and other financial arrangements.

V. PRESIDIUM

Art. 19 The Presidium of the Executive Committee shall be responsible for making decisions between meetings of that body and report to it for endorsement. It, together with the Executive Officer, will be responsible for preparing the agenda for the Executive Committee meetings.

Art. 20 After the Congress the elected President and Vice-Presidents will submit to the Executive Committee proposals for appointing an Executive Officer and a Treasurer”

Art. 21 The Presidium shall comprise the President, the Vice-Presidents, , the Executive Officer and the Treasurer; the other officers may take part in the Presidium meetings. In order to cover various areas of responsibility there shall be a minimum of four Vice-Presidents and a maximum of six.

Membership in the European Parliament or leadership position in a European political party, is incompatible with the mandates of the present Constitution.

In the event of resignation a member of the presidium may be replaced by decision of the Executive Committee. Such a decision shall be endorsed by the next General Assembly.

Art. 22 The President is the chief political representative of EUROCADRES and represents EUROCADRES in cooperation with the Vice-Presidents and the Executive Officer.

Once elected by the Congress, President and Vice-Presidents may be re-elected once to that position. They shall be employed or elected officers of their union at the time of their nomination and if it is no more the case they can continue until the end of their term of office with the agreement of their union.

Art. 23 The Treasurer is responsible for supervising the management of EUROCADRES finances on behalf of the Executive Committee.

VI. SECRETARIAT

Art. 24 The Executive Officer shall be responsible for coordinating the activities of EUROCADRES, including its officers and staff, to ensure that the decisions of the Congress, Executive Committee and Presidium are implemented. He/she shall be elected by the Executive Committee, on a proposal of the Presidium.

Art. 25 The Executive Officer will be a member of the Presidium and will be the secretary of the Executive Committee. He/she shall report to those bodies as appropriate

VII. GENDER BALANCE

Art. 26 EUROCADRES aims at a full gender balance within its Congress, Executive Committee and Presidium. When the candidacies do not reach the minimum level of one gender representing a third of the members, the body at that moment in charge requests the member organisations to reopen their list of proposed members and substitutes, suggesting procedures and timing for reaching the goal. Should this additional procedure not deliver an appropriate gender balance, the Executive Committee shall appoint additional members after the Congress. Such an appointment shall be endorsed by the next General Assembly.

VIII. VOTING

Art. 27 Congress, General Assembly and Executive Committee shall endeavour to achieve the widest possible measure of agreement. When a vote is necessary, decision shall require a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast, except for the provisions in Article 10.

Appendix

1. The Constitution as stated shall enter into force immediately after the closing of the Congress in November 2009.

2. The EUROCADRES Congress 2009 confirms the following transitional provision: by exception to Article 14, UNI Europa will have two seats for the next Congress period.