Amended in Paris, CDG Airport, on March 17th,
1996 then, with an e-mail consultation, on May-July, 2001
The organisation, which was founded in
1993 in Frankfurt/Germany, and confirmed during the 9th European
Conference in Siena/Italy (1994), is named "THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF
CLINICAL HAEMORHEOLOGY (ESCH)". The EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL
HAEMORHEOLOGY (here after called "ESCH") is a federation of national
societies or groups for Clinical Haemorheology, Clinical
Microcirculation and Haemorheology of Europe but not of individual
persons. The ESCH succeeds the traditional European Coordinating
Committee for Clinical Haemorheology (ECCCH) which first met in 1979 in
Nancy (France) in the course of the First European Conference on
Clinical Haemorheology.
The main headquarter of the ESCH is located with the President's office
and the Secretariat with the Secretary's.
The
Objectives of the ESCH include advancement of the science and art of
Clinical Haemorheology and Clinical Micro and Macrocirculation by
research, education and nurturing of haemorheological knowledge into
clinical practice.
For implementation of these objectives the following functions are to
be provided:
To organise the biannual Conference of the ESCH.
To promote scientific exchange between the various national societies
(groups) by means of joint presentations, symposia, lectures, posters.
To hold the meeting of the Advisory Committee.
To establish and coordinate a cooperation and interchange of related
societies.
To support national or international congresses approved by the ESCH
To encourage and maintain high standard of research, education and
training of Clinical Haemorheology.
To cooperate with the official journals of the society.
The ESCH is governed by a Council consisting of a President, three Vice-Presidents, the Past-President and the President elect of the next European Conference. One of the Vice Presidents takes over the function of the Secretary.
The President of the ESCH presides at all
meetings of the ESCH, preserves order, promotes and regulates the
debate, announces results of elections and represents the ESCH in
undertakings in which a specific representative is not otherwise
specified. The President with the Secretary keeps minutes of all the
meetings of the Council, receives and process applications for
membership, notifies new members of their elections to membership in
the ESCH, maintains an accurate record of the members with their
current addresses, sends out announcements of meetings of the ESCH,
sends out a list of candidates for active membership in advance of
regular meetings of the Council and conducts the correspondence of the
ESCH not otherwise provided for by the Constitution. The President is
elected by the members of the Advisory Committee for a term of two
years and may be re-elected for one further term of 2 years. On
finishing his last term as President, this person shall remain as
voting Past-President in the Council.
The term of two years can be prolonged for any officer only in the case
that the biannual Conference is postponed.
The Vice-Presidents perform all duties of
the President of the ESCH in absence or incapacity of the President of
the ESCH. The Vice-Presidents are elected by the members of the
Advisory Committee for a term of two years and may be re-elected for
one further term of two years.
All officers of the
ESCH serve in an honorary position.
Officers shall be
elected by the majority vote of the Advisory Committee members present
and voting at the meeting of the Advisory Committee of the ESCH.
Regular meetings of
the Advisory Committee shall be held during the European Conferences,
or when the President and/or one third of the members require this.
Each Society (or group) for Clinical
Hemorheology representing scientists from one European country can
participate as a federal member of the ESCH. Any new national society
(or group) may submit a specific request for membership to the
President of the ESCH. The Council has the power to accept or ask for
applications from haemorheological societies (or groups) as may be
thought appropriate for membership. On receipt of an application, a
ballot shall be held, which may be a postal or e-mail ballot or a
ballot of those present at the meeting of the Council, and admission
shall be secured only by a favourable vote of two-thirds or more of the
council. By vote of two-thirds or more of its members the Council has
the power to expel from the ESCH any member-institution, which in the
opinion of the Council ceases to support the objectives of the ESCH.
Each European country can be represented by only one society for
Clinical Haemorheology.
Non-European societies for Clinical Haemorheology may become associate
members (without vote) on request.
The Advisory Committee
consists of the Council as ex-officio members and representatives of
each national society (or group). These representatives are elected by
their national societies (or groups) according to their own
constitutions. National societies (or groups) with less than 15 members
may be allowed to have one Advisory Committee member. National
societies (or groups) with more than 15 members shall be represented in
the Advisory Committee according to the number of members and the
scientific activity (maximum 5 Advisory Committee members each). The
Council has the power to decide with the majority of votes on the
composition of the Advisory Committee. National Societies or groups
decide every two years the names of their representatives in the
Advisory Committee.
The Advisory Committee meets at least in a two-years interval.
The Advisory Committee elects the President and the other members of the Council. In case of an elected member being unable to attend any meeting of the Advisory Committee, the Institution (National Society or Group) of which he is a member may appoint a substitute for that occasion or give power of proxy to the President or to another representative of the same Institution. The Members cannot have a number of proxies higher that the total number of the delegates of their Institution. The President has a casting vote in any meeting where positive and negative votes are equal. Secret votes have to be performed on request by the President and/or a third of the Committee. Elections shall take place only during the biannual European Conferences.
The ESCH has no funds of its own. Expenses for the meetings of the Council and the Advisory Committee have to be sustained by each national society or group. The ESCH cannot give grants to national societies, its members, or other persons. However, funds for justified requirements can be raised under general agreement from external sources available.
ARTICLE VIII - FAHRAEUS MEDAL AWARD
a) The responsibility of the Elections is of the President of the Conference, under the supervision of the President of the ESCH.
b) The
recipient, that must be a distinguish scientist in Clinical
Haemorheology, will give an address (Fahraeus Lecture) during the
Conference on an appropriate subject of his choice.
c)
Nomination of candidates and election will result from two secret
postal ballots. The President of the Conference, as well as the
previous recipients of the Award, cannot be nominated.
d)During the
first ballot all those eligible to vote will be called to suggest 1 to
3 names.
e) The
President of the Conference will communicate only to the President of
the ESCH (who will keep the Council informed) the names of the
candidates receiving the greatest number of nomination for selecting
those (no more than 4, no less than 2) who circulated for final voting.
f) The final
voting, where each voting people can vote only one name, is secret and
officially opened under the responsibility of the President of the
Conference, after consultation with the President of the ESCH, or in
the presence of some members of the Advisory Committee, or during a
Conference of the National Society, or in the presence of a notary.
g) A support to the Award could be provided by the President of the ESCH and by the President of the Conference as done in the past with the first sponsor of the initiative.
ARTICLE IX - EUROPEAN CONFERENCE FOR CLINICAL HAEMORHEOLOGY
Regular conferences of
the ESCH take place in a two-year interval, except when the Council
agrees to take part at or to organise a world congress. The President
shall promote the debate and choose of Candidates between European
Societies or groups interested to organise regular ESCH Conferences.
In case that, for any reason, the biannual Conference is postponed, the
officio of the Council and of the Advisory Committee is prolonged for
the same period.
The President shall have the power to propose national societies (or
groups) out of the ESCH to organise the biannual European Conference
and its Conference President who then shall be elected by the majority
of votes of the Advisory Committee. The Conference President and the
inviting national society is responsible for organisation, funds etc.
The Council shall have the power to take part in the scientific
programme and make proposals.
ARTICLE X- COMPOSITION OF THE FEDERATION
European societies or groups members of ESCH during the Siena Conference on 1995 and number of representative members of the Advisory Committee confirmed during the Rouen Conference on 2000 and by means of an e-mail consultation on May-July 2001. Changes to the present composition can be submitted by the National Societies or groups to the President before the biannual Conference and then approved by the Council with the majority of votes and by the Advisory Committee with the majority of two-thirds or more.
France 5
Germany 5
Italy 5
Hungary 3
Portugal 3
Scandinavien 2
Spain 2
Turkey 2
United Kingdom 2
Bulgaria 2
Austria 1
Czech Republic 1
Georgia 1
Greece 1
Romania 1
Russia 1
The Netherlands 1
A tentative participation in a supracontinental Federal Society on
Clinical Haemorheology should be decided by vote of two thirds or more
of the members of the Advisory Committee in the course of a biannual
Conference.
This constitution should be accepted by the Advisory Committee with the
majority of votes. Changes in this constitution can only be performed
by a favourable vote of two-thirds or more of the Advisory Committee
during the biannual Conference.