STATUTES OF THE ASSOCIATION

1. Name and seat

The Name of the association is ANSE. ANSE is short for: Association of National Organisations for Supervision and Coaching in Europe.
ANSE is an umbrella organization for national organizations for supervision and coaching in Europe. Within these statutes the term “supervision” stands as a collective term for supervision and coaching and the term “supervisor” stands as a collective term for supervisors and coaches.
ANSE is registered in the club register (Vereinsregister) led by the Vienna State Police Directorate to the register number 481233436 and has its seat in Vienna, Austria.

2. Aims

The field of activity and the aims of the association are to promote cooperation and exchange of information between national organisations for supervision globally with a focus on the various European countries. Further to promote cooperation on a professional level and to exchange information, to develop comparable standards and curricula of education and to adapt professional standards. Further aims are to promote the development of the theoretical basis, methodology, research and teaching for supervision.
To shape and foster contacts and the exchange of ideas with national organisations for supervision in non-European countries.
To promote supervision on a European level and to attach it to political institutions of the European Union.

3. Finances

The association’s activities are not aimed at profit. According to its statutes, the association pursues exclusively and directly non-profit (and/or charitable and/or ecclesiastical) purposes and is therefore a non-profit (and/or charitable and/or ecclesiastical) association within the meaning of the applicable tax law provisions (§§ 34 to 47 of the Austrian Federal Tax Code – BAO). Any purposes that are not benefited in the sense of Sections §§ 34ff BAO are completely subordinate to the benefited purposes and are pursued to a maximum of a net amount of EUR 30.000 per year.
Revenue to further the aims shall be obtained from membership fees, donations, and possible subsidies by third parties.

4. Means of furthering the association’s aims

Regular exchange of information between national organisations for supervision, about developments within them, about theories of supervision, practical experiences and the training of supervisors in their countries.
- Organising and stimulating events for representatives of the bodies and members of national organisations for supervision.
- Representing the association’s interests to other organisations and authorities on the European and international level.
- Offering public relations and professional initiatives directed especially at national, European and international bodies.
- Offering assistance respectively organising projects in the field of supervision dealing with research, teaching and supervision practice as well as the publication of scientific work.
- Stimulating and giving assistance to initiatives of supervisor education in those countries with little or no opportunities to study and to train in supervision.
- Quality assurance of supervision by promoting comparable standards of supervisor education.
- Establish or participate in a corporation so that this corporation can carry out entrepreneurial activities as a goal-achieving mechanism to achieve the association’s aims and purposes if the outsourcing of entrepreneurial activities is necessary to maintain non-profit status.

5. Membership

Conditions of membership All organisations that are members must have a position as a legal entity in their own country.

Full membership can be granted to organisations for supervision, which in their country satisfy the following conditions combined:

They represent graduates of educational programs for supervision. If this condition cannot be met, the national organization is granted the period of five years to fulfilthe requirements with the professional activities, guided by the ANSE executive board.
They try to create a network of supervisors in their country offering them organisational structures.
They understand supervision as a method for professional self-reflection.
They represent a meeting-point for supervision, which spanning various professional fields and methodological schools.
Supervisors shall have completed a specific post-graduate (third degree) education.
The educational programs for supervisors are open for students descending from different professions.
- Associate membership can be granted to organisations that are striving for co-operation on a European level, although they have not yet reached the standards mentioned above.
- Sponsoring membership can be granted to natural persons and organisations who wish to support ANSE financially or with other monetary or monetary-like benefits.
- Honorary membership can be granted to natural persons and organisations who are considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the development of supervision.
- Supportive membership can be granted to natural persons and organisations who only wish to show their supportive connection to the association.

5.2.Application procedure

The application for membership according to points 5.1.1., 5.1.2., 5.1.3 and 5.1.5 must be presented to the executive board in writing, enclosing the necessary documents.
The executive board or an elected committee examines the qualification of the candidate with the submitted documents and makes a recommendation for decision-making at the general assembly.
The general assembly decides on the admission with simple majority.
The executive board will inform the applicant of the decision in writing. If rejected, the applicant will receive a written explanation.

5.3. Membership fees

5.3.1. The Membership fee is collected annually.

It must be paid before the 31st of March of the current financial year. The financial year corresponds to the calendar year.
The amount of the membership fee for the different categories of members shall be determined by the general assembly.

5.4.Ending Membership Membership ends with:

Dissolution of the national organisation for supervision In this case membership ends automatically.

Resignation Resignation is possible only at the end of the financial year. The resignation must be declared in writing. The report in concern must arrive at the ANSE office, by recorded delivery, at least three months before the end of the financial year. Until the moment of resignation, the member remains committed to pay full membership fees.

Cancellation Should a member be in arrears with payment of the membership fee for more than six months, a reminder and a grace period of one month shall be given. Should no payment be made during the grace period, a second reminder shall announce the member’s cancellation if payment is not made after another two months. Cancellation is made by the decision of the executive board.

Expulsion Should members be guilty of violating the interests of the association, they can be expelled from the association by a decision made at the general assembly. Before making the decision, the executive board must grant the member the opportunity to give an oral or written statement. This statement must be submitted to the board within one month after the announcement of the intended expulsion. At the next general assembly, the members can decide (with simple majority) whether the member will be expelled or not. The decision taken by the general assembly shall be submitted to the member in a letter with an explanation by recorded delivery.

5.5.Rights and duties of members

5.5.1. Rights Full and associate members and the executive Board have the right to make motions in the General assembly. All members have the right to participate at events organised by the association under preferred conditions, as specified for the very event

5.5.2. Duties Full members, associate members and supportive members must pay membership fees determined at the general assembly. Members are obliged to recognise the statutes of the association, to promote its aims and to preserve the image of the association.

6. Bodies

The bodies of the association include:

6.1. The general assembly.

6.2. The executive board.

6.3. The committees.

6.4. The auditors.

7. The general assembly

7.1. Composition

7.1.1. All members, bodies and guests who are invited by the executive board can participate in the general assembly.

7.1.2. Full and associate members are represented by two delegates from their association. Members are allowed to join the general assembly via internet (video conference), if the executive board has announced the possibility to join via internet within the invitation.

7.2. Regular general assembly A regular general assembly shall be convened at least every two years.

7.3.Extraordinary general assemblies These assemblies shall be convoked by the executive board if the interest of the association require them or by a petition stating the assembly’s purpose and agenda an reasons signed by at least one third of the full members and presented to the executive board.

7.4.Invitations Invitations must be sent out by the executive board at least 30 days before as a letter including the agenda. The invitation is considered sent to the member if it has been addressed to the latest address announced to the association. The executive board is allowed to send invitations via e-mail if the member has explicitly given its e-mail address to the executive board.

7.5.Agenda

7.5.1.The agenda shall be fixed by the executive board. If a member is in arrears with membership fees (31st of March of the current financial year) they loose their right to vote in the general assembly.

7.5.2. Every member shall have the right to submit an addition to the agenda within 20 days of the assembly. The chairperson of the assembly shall cite the additions at the beginning of the assembly.

7.5.3. The assembly shall decide by simple majority about additions to the agenda which will be presented during the general assembly.

7.6. Tasks The general assembly has the following tasks:

7.6.1.Discussion and decision of the agenda.

7.6.2.Acceptance of the annual report.

7.6.3.Acceptance of the annual accounts (including reports of the auditors).

7.6.4.Approval of performance and election of the members of the executive board.

7.6.5.Approval of performance and election of the members of the committees.

7.6.6.Approval of performance and election of the auditors.

7.6.7. Determination of the activity plan.

7.6.8. Deciding on the budget.

7.6.9. Deciding on membership fees.

7.6.11. Deciding on the compensation of the members of the executive board for activities.

7.6.11. Deciding on the admission and rejection of members.

7.6.12. Deciding on statutes.

7.6.13. Deciding on deliberate dissolution of the association.

7.6.14. Offering of honorary memberships.

7.6.15. Deciding to establish or participate in a corporation so that this corporation can carry out entrepreneurial activities as a goal-achieving mechanism to achieve the association’s aims and purposes and if the outsourcing of entrepreneurial activities is necessary to maintain non-profit status.

7.6.16. The general assembly is allowed to take decisions and specify directions on all areas without a necessary change of the statutes as long as the areas do not regard the change of:

the association name,
the association headquarters,
a clear and comprehensive description of the association’s purpose,
the activities intended to achieve the purpose and the method of raising financial resources,
provisions regarding the acquisition and termination of membership,
the rights and obligations of the association’s members,
the association’s organs and their tasks, in particular a clear and comprehensive statement of who manages the association’s business and who represents the association externally,
the type of appointment of the association’s bodies and the length of their term of office,
the requirements for valid resolutions by the association’s bodies,
the type of arbitration of disputes arising from the association relationship,
provisions regarding the voluntary dissolution of the association and the utilization of the association’s assets in the event of such a dissolution.

7.7. Decision-making

7.7.1.All full members have the right to vote.

7.7.2. The general assembly makes its decisions, if not otherwise established by the statutes, with simple majority. The associate members have consulting functions.

7.7.3. In specific cases, which shall be decided by the executive board, a decision-making by postal votes or via internet is possible.

7.7.4.No decisions can be made on motions not set on the agenda.

7.7.5. A minute shall be drawn of the decisions taken and signed by the minute-drawing person and the president. The record shall be mailed to the members no more than 12 weeks after the general assembly.

7.7.6. Decisions about questions outside the association’s statutes and rules must be taken at the general assembly.

7.7.7. Decisions taken by the general assembly are definite and final for the association.

7.7.8. Members who join the general assembly via internet have to cast their vote to the executive board via e-mail or via other valid online-voting procedures, that were announced in the invitation to the general assembly.

8. The executive board

8.1.Formation

8.1.1.Members of full members can be elected to the executive board.

8.1.2. In order to underline the European character of the association, members of the executive board shall represent different national organisations for supervision.

8.1.3. There is a possibility to co-opt associate members onto the board for consultative functions.

8.2.Election of members of the executive board

8.2.1. Members of the executive board are elected by the general assembly upon recommendation of the respective national organisation. The distribution of functions within the executive board is the responsibility of the board, which can set its own rules of procedure

8.2.2. Members of the executive board are elected for a four-year period, or until a new executive board has been elected.

8.2.3. Election is by simple majority.

8.3. Composition

8.3.1.The executive board consists of a minimum of 2 persons.

8.3.2.If needed the president, the secretary and the treasurer shall be elected for the executive board.

8.3.3. The executive board shall elect from its members a vice-president, a vice-treasurer and a vice- secretary.

8.3.4 Due to potential conflicts of interest, members of the executive board shall not simultaneously be members of a management body/executive board of a member of the association. An exception to this ban can be granted by the executive board of the association.

8.4.Duties

The executive board has the following duties:

organisation of the general assembly.
handling of correspondence.
carrying out the decisions of the general assembly in accordance with the regulations.
coordination of the work of committees, commissions and task groups.
conclude employment contracts with employed representatives of the association and work/labour contracts for individual project-related work. If the contract is concluded with a member of the executive board (self-dealing business) the affected board member has no vote.

8.5.Representation The association is represented, in court and out of court by two members of the executive board, one must be the president or vice-president. In cases of financial affairs, the second representative must be the treasurer or vice-treasurer.

8.6. Responsibilities of the president

8.6.1.The regular or, if necessary, the special calling of the executive board.

8.6.2. Chairmanship (or the delegation of the chairmanship) in meetings of the executive board and the general assembly. If the president is not able to hold (or delegate the) chairmanship in meetings of the executive board, another board member takes this task.

8.7.Meetings of the executive board Meetings of the executive board are to be convened if required by the interests of the association (at least once a year), or if one third of the members of the executive board have signed a petition demanding the holding of a meeting, which states the reasons of this meeting. Executive board members can join meetings via internet, if this is agreed with the president or a board member delegated by the president in advance.

8.8. Decision-making

8.8.1. The executive board has a quorum if all of the members have been invited and at least two of the members are present.

8.8.2. The executive board makes its decisions with simple majority. If equal the president decides.

8.8.3. The decisions must be included in the minutes, which has to be signed by the secretary and the president board members delegated by the secretary/ president and mailed no more than 12 weeks after the meeting to the members of the board.

8.8.4.The executive board gives itself rules of procedure. The rules of procedure have a control area for everything, that does not need to be decided by the general assembly as stated by law or by the statutes (see point 7.6.16.).

8.8.5. Should one elected member retire, or for other unexpected reasons (like illness or death) should not be able to fulfil its role or assigned tasks, the executive board has the right to co-opt another eligible member, whose mandate must be ratified at the next general assembly.

9. Committees

9.1. The committees, as well as their duties, direction and limitations are determined by the executive board and ratified at the general assembly.

9.2. The committees have an outline of their tasks, which must be approved by the executive board.

10. Court of arbitration

10.1. The court of arbitration shall preside over all conflicts arising inside the association.

10.2. The court of arbitration consists of five full members of the association. In the case of a conflict each party shall give the executive board the names of two members to serve as arbitrators, within 21 days. These members shall elect a fifth person as president of the court of arbitration. In the event of a tied vote, the president is decided by drawing lots among the proposed candidates.

10.3. The court of arbitration shall make its decisions before all of its members with a simple majority. It shall decide to the best of its knowledge and belief. Its decisions shall be final for the association.

11. Amendments of the statutes

11.1. Applications for amendments of the statutes must be presented to the executive board at least 90 days before the general assembly and mailed at least 30 days before the assembly to all members.

11.2. Amendments of the statutes need a voting by a majority of two thirds.

12. Dissolution of the association

12.1. The deliberate dissolution of the association shall be possible only in an extraordinary general assembly convened specially for this purpose and by a voting majority of two thirds.

12.2. The last executive board holding office at the dissolution has to report the deliberate dissolution of the association in writing, it must announce the dissolution publicly and liquids the association.

12.3. The association’s property present at liquidation shall not in whatever way benefit the members of the association but shall be donated exclusively to charitable organisations or used to benefit of the public in conjunction with the paragraphs 34 ff. Austrian tax law (Bundesabgabenordnung).