VELB · Verband Europäischer Laktationsberaterinnen IBCLC e.V.

VELB

Statutes of the VELB - Page 2

Verband Europäischer Laktationsberaterinnen IBCLC
International Board Certified Lactation Consultants

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Item 5: Acquisition of Membership
5.1.	All physical persons as well as legal entities can become members of the Association. The Board of Directors has the final decision on the admission of full and associate members. Admission may be denied without giving any reason. The appointment as an honorary member is made by the General Meeting on application of the Board of Directors. Before the constitution of the Association, applicants are admitted provisionally. This membership takes effect only on the final constitution of the Association.
5.2.	By paying dues the applicant approves the statutes of the Association.
5.3.	Full and associate members are required to pay the stipulated membership fee annually.

Item 6: Ending Membership
Membership expires on death, in case of legal entities on the loss of legal identity, by voluntary withdrawal, by cancellation and by exclusion.
6.1.	Usually voluntary withdrawal is possible only with a 4 weeks’ period of notice before the end of the calendar year. The Board of Directors must be informed in writing, and the member is not released from the meeting of her responsibilities to the Association until the point at which she actually leaves.
6.2.	The Board of Directors can cancel a membership if the member has not paid her fees for more than one year, after being reminded three times. The obligation to pay all fees due is not affected.
6.3.	The Board of Directors may exclude a member from the Association because of gross breach of the member’s duties, if a member grossly violates the articles or interests of the Association or infringes upon the decisions and directives of the Association’s institutions. The member may appeal to the General Meeting against the exclusion within two weeks after receipt of the written decision of exclusion. All membership rights are suspended until the final internal decision of the Association. The member’s obligation to pay dues continues until the final decision to exclude her. Withdrawal of honorary membership can be agreed upon by the General Meeting on application of the Board of Directors for the reasons mentioned in Article 6.3.

Item 7: Rights and Duties of Members

The members are authorized to attend the events of the Association and to use the institutions of the Association. Only full members are entitled to vote in the General Meeting, to vote by post or to be elected to office. Members are obliged to support the interests of the Association to the best of their abilities and to avoid anything that could be detrimental to the reputation and the purpose of the Association. They must observe the statutes of the Association and abide by the decisions of the Association’s institutions. They must pay the accession fee and membership dues on time and in the amount decided by the General Assembly. Honorary members are exempted from payment of these fees and dues.

Item 8: The General Meeting
8.1.	The regular General Meeting takes place every 2 years.
8.2.	An extraordinary General Meeting must take place on the decision of the Board of Directors or of the General Meeting or on application and written explanation of at least 10 per cent of the members or on request of the auditor. In all cases, the extraordinary General Meeting must take place no later than one month after submission to the Board of Directors of the application for calling it.
8.3.	All members must be invited in writing to the regular as well as to the extraordinary General Meetings at least four weeks before the date of the meeting. The invitation is sent by means of the Association’s periodical “Lactation and Breastfeeding” (“Laktation und Stillen”), which is included in membership. The announcement of the meeting must include an agenda and a fixed date. The Board of Directors calls the General Meeting.
8.4.	Applications for additional agenda items must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors at least 14 days before the date of the General Meeting.
8.5.	Written resolutions – except for those concerning an application for calling an extraordinary General Meeting – can only be made if they concern items of the agenda.
8.6.	All members are authorized to take part in the General Meeting. The right to vote or to be elected to office respectively is determined by Article 7 of the statutes. Every member eligible to vote has one vote. The transfer of a vote to another member by means of a written proxy is allowed. The conduction of the election is regulated by Article 8.9. A General Meeting that has been called in accordance with the Statutes is considered to have a quorum regardless of the number of members present who are eligible to vote and to be elected.
8.7.	As a rule the elections and resolutions in the General Meeting are decided by a simple majority vote. However, resolutions aimed at the modification of the Association’s statutes or at the dissolution of the Association require a qualified majority of two thirds of the valid votes cast. In the event of a tie, the vote of the chairwoman is decisive.
8.8.	The chairwoman chairs the General Meeting; if she cannot be present, her deputy will take over this task. If the deputy cannot attend the Meeting, the 1st counselor will chair the Meeting.
8.9.	Full members may vote by non- secret postal ballot or during the General Meeting. The documents for the postal vote are duly sent to all eligible members. Counting of the ballots of the postal vote takes place during the election in the course of the General Meeting or by two independent members after the expiration of the deadline for voting by post. The result is announced in the course of the General Meeting.

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