ARTICLE 1:
NAME AND HEADQUARTERS
The European Business Press federation (»EBP«) wasestablished in 1962 as Union de la Presse Economique et Financière Europèenne in Como, Italy. EBP is organised pursuant to the Swiss law of associations and it has its legal seat in Zurich.
ARTICLE 2:
OBJECTIVES OF THE EBP
1. The EBP aims to contribute to a united Europe, develop a European spirit of solidarity among itsmembers, and stimulate and facilitate initiatives to look after the common interests of a free and independent press. All of these shall be done with particular emphasis on providing business and financial information.
2. EBP also intends to make the European public authorities aware of the responsibility borne by the business press.
3. EBP will organise regular contact among its members to enable an exchange of views and experiences.
4. EBP will undertake steps to secure the highest ethical standards for its members both from an editorial and business point of view.
ARTICLE 3:
ACTIVITIES
The main activities of EBP are as follows: 1. An annual meeting with discussions and roundtable conferences 2. Seminars and study tours 3. Creating and presenting awards 4. Acting in support of the interests of its members
ARTICLE 4:
MEMBERS
Members of the EBP can be either: a) business newspapers and magazines b) electronic media (business websites, businessradio channels and business TV stations)
a) Business newspapers or magazines eligible for membership should meet the following requirements:
1. They should focus on and aim to act as opinion leaders in business and financial matters
2. They should be principally circulated in Europe
3. They should have a national orPan European coverage
4. They should be independent
5. They should be published at least 10 times a year
6. They should be in existence for at least 2 years Technical, specialized, trade, or official publications are not admitted.
b) Business websites, business radio channels andbusiness TV stations should meet the following requirements:
1. They should focus on and aim to act as opinion leaders in business and financial matters
2. They should focus primarily on national and European business environment
3. They should be independent
4. They should create their own content
5. They should be among the market leaders in theirrespective countries
6. They should be in existence for at least 2 years
Members are also expected to achieve high qualityand ethical standards.In recognition of the constantly changing European marketplace, the Executive Committee may, in exceptional circumstances, recommend, for endorsementby the General Assembly, the acceptance ofa new member which does not fulfil all of the aforementioned criteria but is eligible on grounds of circulation, penetration or national interest.In order to qualify for membership, the candidate must file an application form with the Secretary General, accompanied by an independently certified audit of circulation or penetration not older than 6 months, (if it is standard in the candidate‘s country).Print publications must submit a readership survey and a minimum of three different copies of the publication.The application form must be signed by either the publisher, the editor-in-chief or the web site editor. Once accepted in the EBP membership the member has to pay a yearly membership fee.
ARTICLE 5:
ORGANISATION OF EBP
The European Business Press is comprised of
1. The General Assembly
2. The President
3. The Executive Committee
4. The Secretary General
5. The Treasurer
ARTICLE 6:
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly convenes once a year. The date and place is fixed a minimum of one year in advance by the General Assembly. The General Assembly is made up of all the active members of EBP represented by the publisher and/or the editor or their appointed representative. Every member has one vote. The official language of the General Assembly is English. The General Assembly elects the President for a period of two years by secret vote. The President can only be re-elected for one consecutive term. The General Assembly elects the members of the ExecutiveCommittee, confirms the appointment of the Secretary General and discharges the officers of EBP. The General Assembly can elect one or more past Presidents as Honorary Presidents. The Honorary President is a member of the Executive Committee.On the occasion of its annual meeting the General Assembly approves the activities and the budget for the next 12 months presented by the President or theExecutive Committee.The General Assembly accepts or rejects proposed candidates for membership. No candidacy can be considered if not accompanied by an advice of theExecutive Committee. The General Assembly does not have to provide explanations for its approval or rejection.The General Assembly can revoke the right to vote toany member who did not pay his yearly membership fee, and can exclude any member who no longer fulfils one or more criteria outlined in article 4 or who did not pay his membership fee two years in a row. Members can appeal against the decision, provided it is made in writing within 2 months after thenotification. The appeal must be addressed to the President, who submits it to the General Assembly. The General Assembly decides about the appeal.
ARTICLE 7:
THE PRESIDENT
The President chairs the General Assembly and the Executive Committee. He/she represents EBP in internationalforum and to the public and can formally engage the federation provided he/she acts within the budget and the program approved by the General Assembly,as may be amended by the Executive Committee.Each year the President presents his/her report on the state of EBP to the General Assembly and outlines his/her proposals for consideration by the members.
ARTICLE 8:
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee consists of a maximum of 12 members, including the President. HonoraryPresidents, if any, and the Secretary General are not included in the figure but are nonetheless considered members of the Executive Committee.The members of the Executive Committee are elected for 2 years. They can be re-elected. Every second year 4 seats should be up for election. The composition ofthe Executive Committee should take into account the geographical diversity of the membership.The Executive Committee appoints among its members a Treasurer for the duration of 2 years. The Treasurer can be reappointed. The Executive Committee appoints an Auditing Committee composed of three members who shall serve 2 years.The Executive Committee is responsible for acting General Assembly’s program and can adopt any reasonable initiative to fulfil it.The Executive Committee receives applications for membership from the Secretary General and verified if all conditions are being met, submits it to the General Assembly for vote,accompanied by its own advice. If a member of the Executive Committee leaves the EBP member’s employ he/she shall resign from theExecutive Committee and cannot be replaced by anew member until the next meeting of the General Assembly. If a member of the Executive Committee fails to participate in more than three consecutive sessions, he/she will be considered to have resigned.
ARTICLE 9:
THE SECRETARY GENERAL
The Secretary General is appointed by the Executive Committee and confirmed by the General Assemblyfor the duration of two years. He/she can be reappointed.The Secretary General assures the running of theEBP, its meetings and bodies. He/she participates and takes minutes in the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly of which he/she is an ex-officio member.
ARTICLE 10:
THE TREASURER
The Executive Committee elects among its members a Treasurer, who shall have sole signing authority for the approved budgetary or financial matters. The Treasurer can delegate this responsibility to a third party upon approval of the Executive Committee.The Treasurer and the Secretary General, draw up the budget of the EBP.The accounts of EBP are maintained in Euros and according to the accounting principles. Every year at theGeneral Assembly meeting the Treasurer shall present the balance sheets, the revenues and the expenditures and an overview of accounts receivable and accounts payable. The Treasurer shall also present the financial situation of EBP any time upon the request of the Executive Committee.The yearly membership fee is fixed by the General Assembly which may delegate this task to the Executive Committee. Each member shall pay his/her membership dues on March 1st for the respective year. If a member fails to pay, theTreasurer will request the Executive Committee to send a formal notice and if necessary, recommend the consequences provided by these Statutes.
ARTICLE 11:
SETTLING THE DISPUTES
The membership shall endeavour to settle anydispute arising under this Statute amicably. In the event of any ambiguity or uncertainty regardingprocedures of the EBP, reference shall initially be made to past precedent of the EBP for handling similar matters, after which consideration should be given to general principles of governance of membership organisations in Switzerland and else where in Europe, as well as appropriate parliamentary rulesof order. In the event of any dispute and unwillingnessof parties to mediate or arbitrate a dispute, the courtsof Zurich, Switzerland shall have exclusive jurisdiction over this Agreement.
ARTICLE 12:
TERMINATION OF THE EBP
The EBP shall terminate if the majority of the membersdecide so. In case of termination the assets of the EBP are equally divided among its members after the obligations are covered. The members have no other obligations than the annual membership feeduring the time of existence of the EBP.
Agreed upon the occasion of the Executive Committee meeting in Helsinki and accepted by the General Assembly on June 12th 2009, to replace all former statutes on June 12th 2009.