Fédération Européenne des Parents d'Enfants Déficients Auditifs

Constitution
F E P E D A
asbl

European Federation of Parents of Hearing Impaired Children
Fédération Européenne des Parents d’Enfants Déficients Auditifs
Europäischer Verband der Eltern hörgeschädigter Kinder
Federación Europea de Padres de Niños con Discapacidad Auditiva

European Association with Charitable Status Registered in Luxembourg.

Constitution

Preamble

It is hereby constituted a European Federation of Parents of Hearing Impaired Children entitled:
Fédération Européenne des Parents d’Enfants Déficients Auditifs asbl
In abbreviated form: F E P E D A asbl.

whose object is:

• to bring together the national associations of parents and friends of hearing impaired children, and
• to encourage cooperation, friendship and the exchange of information, and finally
• to improve the quality of life of hearing impaired children and young people and their  families.

FEPEDA comprises parents of children of all sorts of hearing impairment:

• deaf: profoundly deaf from birth or deafened before having learned to speak (prelingual deafness),
• deafened: having lost hearing capacity after having learned to speak (postlingual  deafness),
• hard of hearing,
• deaf-blind,
• any other kind of hearing impairment and conditions, especially the combination of different impairments (including physical and mental disability).

FEPEDA recognises the special needs and role of families with hearing impaired children. It commits itself to humane and democratic principles, recognises all possible choices in education and communication and encourages member organisations to cooperate in a spirit of tolerance and understanding.

Registered Office

Item 1

1. The Registered Office of FEPEDA is established in Luxembourg. The Registered Office can be moved to another location by decision of the Management Committee.
2. FEPEDA is governed by the law of Luxembourg.

Object of FEPEDA

Item 2

The object of FEPEDA is to unite national associations of parents and friends of hearing impaired children and young people across Europe and to cooperate with other European organisations, especially with organisations concerned with hearing impaired people.

in order to:

1. improve the quality of life of all children and young people suffering from a degree of hearing deficiency and of their families irrespective of their social, cultural and financial statuses.
2. to promote and contribute to research, and to ensure the exchange of knowledge with the view to increase the choice of parents and further their influence in the education of their children.
3. to encourage access of hearing impaired children and young people to education, culture, and employment, as well to allow them full access to citizen’s rights all over Europe.
4. to inform and educate the general public about the needs and the achievements of hearing impaired people and to influence national and European policies.
5. to encourage friendship, mutual understanding, cultural and recreational opportunities and exchange between hearing impaired children and youngsters and their families in all countries of Europe.
6. to create a foundation for the benefit of hearing impaired children and young people and of their families.

Members OF FEPEDA

Item 3

1. FEPEDA comprises:

Full Members: national associations of parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children as  defined in the preamble of countries of the European Union.

Associate Members: similar national associations of deaf and hard-of-hearing children of other European countries and regional associations of parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children of countries without a national association or without the national association as member of FEPEDA.

Observing Members: Regional associations of parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children; individuals and private and public bodies, who by their actions, may contribute to the realisation of the objectives of the FEPEDA.

1. The associations and persons who were present at the Meeting of Inauguration held in Luxembourg on 23 June 1990 are granted the status of Founding Members.
2. The admission of new members is decided at the General Assembly on proposal by the Management Committee. Applications for membership have to be addressed to the Management Committee at least 6 weeks before the General Assembly. New members have to agree with the constitution of FEPEDA. National member-associations have the right of veto against the admission of new national member-associations of their own country.
3. The Management Committee may suspend the rights of a member whose situation is no longer in accordance with the conditions under which its membership was accepted. Final decision is left to the General Assembly.
4. Members can at any time send their resignation by registered letter to the secretariat of the FEPEDA.

General Assembly

Item 4

1. The General Assembly comprises Full Members, who enjoy full rights, Associate Members who enjoy full rights, Associate Members of non-EU-countries who enjoy full rights except the right to vote on matters concerning the European Union, and Observing Members who are not entitled to vote. Regional associations as observing members are entitled to vote with approval of their national association.
2. If there is disagreement about which matters concern the European Community, the president, having consulted other members of the Executive Committee, shall make a final decision.
3. The Full Members votes are weighted according to the key taken from the weighting of votes of EU-Memberstates in the Council of Ministers.
4. Associate Members’ votes are weighted on the same principles, the details of which are to be decided by the General assembly on the basis of an proposal of the Management Committee.
5. In the eventuality that one country be represented by more than one association, the votes allocated to their country will be divided between these associations latest at the beginning of the General Assembly either by mutual agreement of these associations, or if missing this agreement by decision of the Management Committee.
6. The General Assembly possesses full authority in order to fulfill the FEPEDA objectives. Particular areas of competence concern the:

• definition of the general policy of the FEPEDA,
• election and dismissal of members of the Management Committee,
• appointment of auditors,
• acceptance of the Federation’s accounts,
• cost of annual fee,
• granting of honorary membership or merit awards,
• admission and exclusion of members on proposal of the Management Committee, and
• decision on rules of procedure on proposal of the Management Committee
• modification of the constitution and the dissolution of the Federation.

7. The General Assembly will meet at least once a year, under the chairmanship of the President, at the Registered Office or any other venue as is stipulated in the notification. The notification will be prepared by the secretariat and sent at least 30 days before the date of the General Assembly. The agenda will be sent jointly with the notification.
8. Members of FEPEDA will be represented at the General Assembly by one member of their own Management Committee or by a person in possession of a written authorisation. It is possible for the delegate of a member of FEPEDA to represent another member.
9. After having been duly convened, the General Assembly can only deliberate upon the various items included in the agenda.
10. Decisions of the General Assembly are taken on the basis of a simple majority of the members present or represented, except for those decisions for which the law requires that a different kind of majority is adopted.
11. The decisions of the General Assembly will be minuted, signed by the president and kept by the secretariat of the FEPEDA, who will make them available for consultation.

The Management Committee

Item 5

1. FEPEDA is administered by the Management Committee elected at the General Assembly. Each EU-country having a full or associate FEPEDA member is entitled to have one representative on the MC. There can be also up to five MC members from non-EU-c.
2. The Committee members, representing Associated Members of non-EU-countries, shall have voting rights except on matters concerning the European Union.
3. Members are elected for 3 years, and every year, one third of those members are reelected.
4. Duration of the mandate for members of the first Management Committee shall be determined by lot.
5. Should a member of the Management Committee no longer be able to serve, the national association represented by the member in question shall designate another person to serve in his/her stead for the remaining part of the mandate.
6. The Management Committee shall elect an Executive Committee for two years: a President, one or more Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer and a General Secretary.
7. The Management Committee shall meet at least twice a year at the invitation of the president.
8. The quorum of decisions at the Management Committee meetings shall be one third of its members.
9. Decisions of the Management Committee are taken on the basis of a simple majority of the members attending the meeting and are included in the minutes which shall be circulated to every member of the Committee. The minutes of the Management Committee’s deliberations shall be available for consultation by the members of FEPEDA.
10. The Management Committee is responsible for the management of the FEPEDA. Its particular areas of responsibility comprises the:

• notification and invitations to the General Assembly,
• presentation of the Annual Report,
• presentation of the Report of the account of the FEPEDA, and
• receipt of gifts and donation.

1. 11.  The Management Committee is represented by the President or, in his absence, by another member of the Committee who shall be nominated by the said Committee.
2. 12. For the purpose of dealing with urgent decisions, a written procedure is adopted. It is as follows:

• a draft explaining the various points relevant to the decision shall be send by registered mail to all members of the Management Committee,
• a lack of reply from members shall be considered as acceptance of the decision,
• the veto of more than one third of the members of the Committee forces the decision to be suspended until the next meeting of the Management Committee.

Annual Fee

Item 6

1. The nominal amount of the annual fee is fixed by the General Assembly. The actual amount for each country is calculated by multiplying this nominal amount with the coefficient applied to vote apportionment as prescribed in Item 4.
2. Members are not entitled to vote if the annual fee of the previous year is not paid.

Annual Accounts

Item 7

The financial and social activities of the Federation are closed annually. The Annual Accounts are presented to the General Assembly for approval after having been duly audited by the Federation’s auditors. The Federation’s auditors present the accounts to the General Assembly either in person or in writing. The auditors sign the accounts thus confirming their acceptance.

Additional Arrangements

Item 8

All matters not covered in this constitution shall be dealt with in accordance with the law on charities in Luxembourg (Loi sur les association sans but lucratif). The German version of the Constitution is decisive.

Accepted in August 2003

F E P E D A

Fédération Européenne des Parents d’Enfants Déficients Auditifs

European Federation of Parents of Hearing Impaired Children

Europäischer Verband der Eltern hörgeschädigter Kinder

Federación Europea de Padres de Niños con Discapacidad Auditiva

The weighting of votes:

1. in the General Assembly of FEPEDA according to the constitution of 1991
2. EU – Memberstates in the Council of Ministers
3. EU – Memberstates in the Parliament

* decided by the General Assembly according to the key of the EU

** to be decided by the General Assembly

Accepted in August 2003

F E P E D A

Fédération Européenne des Parents d’Enfants Déficients Auditifs

European Federation of Parents of Hearing Impaired Children

Europäischer Verband der Eltern hörgeschädigter Kinder

Federación Europea de Padres de Niños con Discapacidad Auditiva

Annual fee (Euro) of full and associate members

Annual fee of observing members: 100 Euro

Accepted in August 2003