Representing Homeopaths in Europe

The European Central Council of Homeopaths Constitution

1 Name The name of the Council is the European Central Council of Homeopaths (ECCH) (hereinafter called "The Council") 2 Aims and Objectives The aims and objectives of the Council are: 2.1 2.2 To encourage the highest standards of professional practice of homeopathy in homeopaths in order that they are best able to restore and improve the health of patients. To establish and maintain as between the members for the time being of the Council a forum for determining standards of education, training, qualification, ethics and discipline for professional homeopaths, for the development of the profession, for the development of homeopathy and for the benefit and protection of the public. To agree, set and monitor the highest standards of practice of homeopathy throughout Europe. To promote and maintain the right of the professional homeopath to practise homeopathy throughout the Europe, and to seek official recognition for the profession from the institutions of each national government and from multi-national government bodies. To act as an international advisory body to governmental, scientific, academic and any other relevant institutions. To promote and maintain freedom of choice for members of the public to select homeopathic treatment as an integral part of their health care. To promote and protect the definition of "Homeopathy": "Homeopathy is that healing art and science of medicine which has been clinically developed from the principles discovered by Samuel Hahnemann and described in his treatise 'The Organon' The practice of homeopathy involves the selection and prescription of a single remedy, which through prior testing on healthy people and from clinical experience, is known to produce a similar symptom picture to that of the patient. The remedy is prescribed in the minimum dosage required to bring about healing."
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2.3 2.4

2.5 2.6 2.7

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To promote and protect the definition of a "Homeopathic Remedy": "A homeopathic remedy is that substance which, through prior testing on healthy people, known as proving', and from clinical experience, is known to produce a similar symptom picture to that of the patient. The majority of remedies are prescribed in a potentised state produced by a standardised process of trituration, serial dilution and succussion known as potentisation. Potentisation increases the potential therapeutic action of remedies. A remedy is homeopathic only by virtue of its ability to produce similar symptoms in the healthy to that of the patient it is prescribed for."

2.9 2.10

To encourage unity and harmony within the homeopathy profession through mutual cooperation and the exchange of knowledge, experience and resources. To promote and encourage the development of a professional body representing homeopaths in each country and continent and to strongly encourage co-operation and unity between them. To form links and associations, and bring into membership where appropriate, all other bodies which promote and support the teaching and practice of homeopathy. To form a profile of the professional homeopath and define their role in the health care of modern society. To promote and support research into all aspects of the art and science of homeopathy. To ensure, for the use of the professional homeopath, the continuing availability of all single potentised remedies in all potencies and mother tinctures, produced to the highest standards of homeopathic pharmacy.

2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14

Headquarters For the time being the Headquarters of the Council shall be: School House, Market Place, Kenninghall, Norfolk, NR16 2AH United Kingdom. A change of address of the Headquarters may be made at any time by a resolution of the Executive Committee properly convened in accordance with Article 16 of the constitution

Professional Membership 4.1 Professional membership of the Council shall be open to any register or association of practising homeopaths (hereinafter called an association or referred to as a member) properly constituted. Such a register or association must be composed of or represent either:(a) (b) 4.3 homeopaths in those countries where such practice is lawful or recognised; or those wishing to lawfully practise homeopathy professionally and secure its recognition in those countries where it is not lawful or recognised.

4.2

Each register and association must comply with the Membership Standards in Article 7 below.

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Professional Members and Applicants for Membership 5.1 Professional Membership An association that applies to become a Member of the Council may be accepted as a Professional Member where: (a) the register or association has been fully constituted for more than one year; and (b) the register or association satisfies each of the necessary requirements in Article 7. 5.2 Applicants for Membership An association that applies to become a member of the Council may be accepted and designated as an Applicant for Membership where: (a) (b) (c) 5.3 the register or association has not been fully constituted or has been fully constituted for less than one year; the members of the register or association wish to lawfully practise homeopathy professionally and secure its recognition in those countries where it is not lawful or recognised; the register or association does not satisfy each of the necessary requirements in Article 7

Application for Professional Membership Organizations remain as Applicants for Membership for a minimum of 1 year. After this,and if an Applicant for Membership satisfies all the necessary requirements to be a Professional Member under Article 5.1, it may apply to the Council to be accepted as a Professional Member.

Observer Status 6.1 Observer status can be given to registers and associations that aspire to become members of ECCH and also to organisations working to raise the professional development of homeopathy. 6.2 Representatives from Observer Status organisations can attend and participate at meetings. 6.3 Organisations in this category may only use the wording Observer Status with ECCH. 6.4 Organisations in this category cannot use the Councils logo. 6.5 Observer status does not include voting rights but does include the right to put forward proposals to the Council. 6.6 Organisations wishing to apply for this category will pay the agreed Application fee. 6.7 If accepted as Observer Status, organisations will pay the agreed Annual fee.

Professional Membership Standards A register or an association will only be eligible to become a Member of the Council if: 7.1 It meets ECCH criteria as defined in 7.2 and 7.3. There is no objection to more than one register or association from a country or a register or an association representing more than one country. Its membership criteria must include: (a) recognition of the aims and objects of the Council; (b) agreed codes of practice, standards of practice and registration procedures.

7.2

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7.3

It is properly constituted, has effective administration and procedures and has a publicly available register of qualified homeopaths.

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Applications for Membership 8.1 8.2 Each application for membership shall be submitted to the Council. Each application for Professional Membership shall be accompanied by: (a) (b) (c) 8.3 evidence that the register or association meets the requirements set out in Articles 4, 5, and 7 a copy of the published register, a copy of the annual accounts for the previous financial year and names of the registers or associations representatives; a profile of homeopathy in the particular country or countries of the applicant.

Observer Status shall be granted at the discretion of the Council.

Subscriptions 9.1 A proposal for the annual per capita rate of subscription payable for their individual members by each Member and each Applicant for Membership will be drafted by the Executive Committee and sent to each Member at least 35 days before the Annual General Meeting for a formal vote at the AGM. Two different per capita rates shall be levied for the categories of practitioner and student members. The formula for determining the annual subscription payable by each Member Association shall be as follows: The annual subscription shall be based on the per capita rates decided for each year multiplied by each Member Associations membership numbers in the two categories of practitioner and student on the 1st December the previous year. The Council shall agree the annual subscription for organisations with Observer Status. Membership fees for the current year shall be paid by the date of the Annual General Meeting

9.2

9.3 10

Annual General Meeting The Council shall meet once a year for an Annual General Meeting. At that meeting it will: 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Elect the Officers of the Council; Appoint an Executive Committee; Receive the accounts for the previous year; Agree the rate of subscription and the time and method of payment for the forthcoming year in accordance with the determination of the Executive Committee under Article 9; Receive reports from its Executive Committee and any sub-committees on the business transacted during the year;

10.6 Receive reports from any member on any subject relevant to the aims and objects of the Council; 10.7 Consider any resolutions by any Member Association, by any organisation with Observer Status and by the ECCH Executive on any subject relevant to the aims and objectives of the Council including proposals for changes to the Constitution provided that notice has been given to the General Secretary at least 35 days before the meeting; Formulate in general terms the policy of the Council for the next year.
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10.8

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A formal call for nominations will be made by the Election Committee 56 days before the Annual General Meeting setting a deadline for their receipt of 35 days before the AGM. Nominations can only be put forward by ECCH Member Associations and must be sent in written form to the ECCH Secretariat.

10.11 Notice of the Annual General Meeting together with any proposed resolutions and nominations shall be sent by the General Secretary at least 28 days before the date of it. 11 Meetings The Council shall meet at agreed times in the year for the purpose of pursuing the business of the Council as determined by the aims and objectives. 12 Extraordinary General Meetings Extraordinary General Meetings shall be called as and when necessary by the Executive Committee giving a minimum of 28 days notice. At any time an Extraordinary General Meeting may be called for by notice in writing to the General Secretary by full members representing one quarter of the full members. Extraordinary General Meetings shall be called for only when particularly significant circumstances call for it. This includes serious situations when ECCHs reputation or financial or legal state in any way is endangered, or when acute situations arise where the situation for homeopathy in general is gravely endangered. 13 Procedure at Meetings The Chairperson or in his or her absence a Vice-Chairperson of the Council shall conduct the meeting and in their absence the meeting will elect a Chairperson. The Meetings will be conducted in accordance with the Standing Orders to be prepared by the Executive Committee and available for inspection by any member at any reasonable time at the office of the Council. Members are entitled to copies of the Standing Orders on request. 14 Officers of the Council 14.1 The Officers of the Council shall consist of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and the Treasurer, provided always that the Council may from time to time create additional officers either on a permanent or on an ad hoc basis. Officers shall normally be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Council. Nominees for the position of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Treasurer may be anyone a nominating Member Association considers fit for the position. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be elected for a minimum two-year period. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be elected on alternate years. Every second year a Treasurer shall be elected for a period of two years. A retiring officer shall be eligible for re-election to the office vacated. Any casual vacancy in any office referred to in 14.1 may be filled by election by the Council. The term of office of a person so elected shall be the unexpired period of office of the person whose office he or she shall be elected to fill. The Council shall appoint two representatives on the Council to act as an election board. They will ask current officers if they wish to continue in office and call for new nominations. Any officer of the Council shall be deemed to have vacated his or her office if he or she brings the reputation of ECCH into disrepute or becomes unfit to serve according to a two third majority vote of the Council, or if he or she resigns his or her office by notice in writing to the Council or if the body of which he or she is an individual member ceases to be a
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14.2

14.3 14.4

14.5 14.6

ECCH Constitution May 2012

member of the Council. Proxy votes will not be counted. At least half of all full members must be present at the meeting in order for a vote to be carried. If a dismissal by the Council is against his/her wishes the defendant may request to make an appeal to a meeting of members by giving notice in writing to one of the other officers within 14 days of notification of their dismissal. The defendant may appeal and make representations at the meeting of members, in which case the complainant may also make representations. The decision of the members at that meeting shall be final, and no new appeal shall be valid except where new evidence justifies one. 14.7 14.8 The Chairperson shall conduct the business of general meetings, meetings of Executive Committee, and generally oversee the business and policy of the Council. The General Secretary shall be responsible for dealing with all formal business between the Council and its members, between the Council and European and International government institutions and other outside bodies. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of accounts for the Annual General Meeting, the custody of the Councils funds and the transaction of financial business.

14.9

14.10 The Council shall appoint a General Secretary, to serve as a paid officer as well as any other paid officers deemed necessary. 15 The Executive Committee 15.1 Shall comprise of at least the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson, the Treasurer and the General Secretary who are conveniently able to meet at regular intervals to conduct the business of the Council to ensure that policies are formulated, representations made at the proper times to be effective, and decisions are implemented. Subject to the practicalities of 15.1 the membership of the Executive Committee shall reflect the widest range of countries and interests of the Council. Shall have full powers to appoint sub-committees, working parties and delegations. Shall have full powers to allocate finances subject to the advice of and consultation with the Treasurer. May make policies on behalf of members subject to proper consultation (within practicalities of time and scope) with members.

15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 16

Change of Constitution This Constitution may be altered at any Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting of the Council by a two-thirds majority vote in favour. For changes in the constitution proxy voting will be allowed. A minimum of one third of all full members must be present at the meeting in order for a vote to be carried.

17

Voting 17.1 Only representatives of full Member shall have the right to vote at any meetings of the Council, the Executive Committee, other Committees, Sub-Committees, Working Parties or any other meeting of members of the Council. At any meeting of the Council or any meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee at which a vote is required, each full Member shall have one vote irrespective of the number of representatives that association has present at the meeting. Votes may be made in person by Members representatives attending the meeting, or by proxy.
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17.2

17.3

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A member not represented at any meeting of the Council may ask the representative of a Member attending to act as their Proxy and vote on their behalf at the meeting. The member not sending a representative may: i. state how they want the appointed Proxy to vote on their behalf where the issues are notified in advance of the meeting, or ii. give their vote to their Proxy to be used how the Proxy chooses. Any one Members representative attending the meeting in question can hold a maximum of 2 proxy votes. The Member nominating a proxy should hand in a formal notification to the ECCH Secretariat naming their proxy and stating whether they give the proxy the power of decision on the vote or indicating their vote on the issues sent out ahead of the meeting. Any representative present at the meeting may call for a vote to be taken. Any resolution will be carried by a two-thirds majority vote in favour. Votes for and votes against the motion are counted. A two-thirds vote requires a minimum of two thirds of the total votes cast to carry the motion. Abstentions are not counted. With the exception of the issues mentioned in 14.6 a vote will be carried providing at least one third of the number of all full Council members are present. A meeting may decide to cancel itself should a quorum not be present. A fresh meeting of the full Council members present may then be called. The new meeting may make decisions over any general matters that arise, with the exception of issues mentioned in 14.6 and 16.

17.5 17.6

18

Exclusion of Members 18.1 If at any time any member (the complainant) considers that any other member has become unsuitable as a member because of any of the following: (a) Article 2; (b) (c) (d) (e) it no longer fulfils the criteria of Articles 4, 5 and 8; it conducts itself in any way that is likely to bring the Council into disrepute; it contravenes any of the policies or reasonable requirements of the Council for assistance in carrying out these policies; it fails to pay its subscriptions; it no longer subscribes to the aims and objects of the Council as set out in

the complainant may give notice in writing to the General Secretary who will refer it to the Executive Committee at its next meeting. 18.2 At the meeting where reference has been made by the General Secretary of a complaint the Executive Committee will consider the complaint and if it is considered to be valid will refer it to a meeting of the full Council. The Council may expel any member if satisfied that the member has contravened any of the principles set out in Article 18.1. The defendant may appeal to a meeting of members by giving notice in writing within 14 days of notification of its expulsion. The defendant may appeal and make representations at the meeting of members, in which case the complainant may also make representations. The decision of the members at that meeting shall be final, and no new appeal shall be valid except where new evidence justifies one. If the council representative of either party involved in the complaint is a member of the Executive Committee then he/she will not be able to participate in dealing with the complaint.

18.3

18.4

19

Surplus Assets to be distributed among Members If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Council there remains, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall be paid to or distributed among the members of the Council. Where a member leaves the Council for any reason other than upon a

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winding-up or dissolution, the member shall not be entitled to withdraw their contribution to or share of the assets for the time being held by the Council.

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Use of the Councils Name and Logo Only Professional Members of the Council may use the name and logo of the Council in their stationary and publicity materials. Any other use is granted solely at the discretion of the Council.

21

Law Applicable For the avoidance of doubt and confusion any interpretation of this Constitution, standing orders made hereunder, and procedures of the Council shall be governed by English Law within the general context of European Community Law.

Dated: this 24 March, 1991

This Constitution was originally prepared by T.Huggon of Browne Jacobson, Solicitors of 44 Castle Gate, Nottingham, NG1 6EA, as approved at the meeting of the Council on 24th March, 1991 in Oslo, Norway and has been lodged at the official Headquarters of the Council. This constitution was amended by the ECCH Council at its Annual General Meetings on 2 February 1996, 12 June 1999, 9 June 2000, 11 June 2002, 27 May 2003, 4 June 2004, 20 May 2005, 18 May 2006, 24 May 2007, 29 May 2008, 22 May 2009, 29 May 2010, 28 May 2011, 25 May 2012

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