European media research organisation

STATUTE 1

Name

The name of the organisation shall be “European Media Research Organisation”. The abbreviated name is “EMRO”. It is a not-for-profit organisation registered in Switzerland.

STATUTE 2

Objective

The objectives of the organisation will be:

1. To promote contact and discussion of individuals* working for organisations engaged in audience measurement at a national level for any medium or combination of media.
2. To hold an annual conference in the country of one of its Members.
3. To hold one or more meetings of the accredited country representatives of its Members each year.

STATUTE 3

Membership

1. The Members of EMRO shall primarily comprise organisations in the field of audience research in European countries, not individuals.
   
   Organisations from each country shall be required to be one of the following:
   • JIC- organisations (Joint Industry Committees),
   • MOC-organisations (Media Owner Committees),
   • Agencies, institutes, research companies, consultants etc if they are directly involved in currency audience measurement activities.
   If there is a JIC in a country, the JIC will preferably be the member organisation for that country.
2. The member organisation(s) of each country will appoint one person as its accredited country representative.
3. For voting purposes, member organisations may appoint another member organisation to be a proxy in any event of absence.

STATUTE 4

Committee Meeting

1. Accredited country representatives acting on behalf the Members shall meet as a Committee at least once a year.
2. The President will act as Chairman of this Committee. The other Board members shall also attend.
3. The agenda for the meeting shall be devised by the President, together with the Secretariat.
4. The agenda must be sent to the Members at least 20 working days in advance of the meeting.
5. Documents that are the object of decisions must be sent at least 15 working days in advance of the meeting.
6. Decisions can only be taken if at least half of the Members’ accredited country representatives are present at the meeting.
7. Decisions will be taken by simple majority vote.
8. In the event of parity of votes, the President shall have the deciding vote.
9. At a minimum, the agenda for the meeting shall comprise:
   • Preparation for the next Committee Meeting and Annual Conference: place and framework of the meeting.
   • A statement of the financial situation.
   • Approval of the annual financial statement (once a year).
   • The proposed budget for the next year (once a year), including the annual member fee.
   • Election of the President (normally every third year).
   • Election of the Treasurer and Vice-President (normally every third year).
   • Election of 1 Financial Auditor (once a year) belonging to a member organisation.
   • Proposals from the Members.
10. The Committee decides at its Meeting on the admission of new members by simple majority vote.
11. The Committee decides at its Meeting on the expulsion of members by a majority of two thirds of the votes.
12. The Committee may change or make amendments to the Statutes by a majority of two thirds of the votes with at least half of the Members present.

STATUTE 5

The Annual Conference

1. The annual conference of EMRO shall normally, but not necessarily, be held in May or June.
2. Each member will elect the delegates from their country and inform the Secretariat.
   As a guideline, the total number of delegates should not exceed 65, although within this framework, the Secretariat - in co-operation with the Board and the Members - may be flexible regarding the number of delegates from each country.
3. Following appropriate consultation with the Members, the Secretariat, in co-operation with the Board, will be responsible for selecting the venue and preparing the programme of the annual conference.

STATUTE 6

Board & Secretariat

1. The Board shall comprise at least three members: the President, the Treasurer and the Vice President, all of whom shall be appointed by the Members.
2. The President, Treasurer and the Vice President shall be appointed for a three-year term elected by a simple majority of Members at the Meeting of the Committee.
3. The first President of EMRO shall be elected by the founding meeting of the Committee for only one year.
   Subsequent Presidents shall be elected for a three-year term.
   The Board shall draw up a procedure for the election of the Board, which must be approved by the members.
4. Only individuals working for member organisations are eligible to become members of the Board.
5. The Board is responsible for the management of the members, the organisation, the Meeting of the Committee, the Annual Conference, the financial statement and the budgets. The Board can delegate work to the Secretariat.
6. Following appropriate consultation with the Members, the Secretariat will be appointed by the Board and shall work on the basis of a contract.
7. Responsibilities of the Secretariat shall be defined in a detailed job description. The job description must be approved by the Board. It shall at least comprise the following activities:
   • To represent EMRO together with the President and to promote actively the interests of the association.
   • To maintain contact with and between member organisations and the workforce to expand such contact.
   • To be responsible for the administrative arrangements of all meeting(s) of the Committee and the annual conference.
   • To prepare the budget with the Treasurer and to give a report of the financial situation.
   • To collect and summarize the Activity Reports from all EMRO countries at least once a year.
   • To maintain the website of EMRO.

STATUTE 7

Finance

1. The financial year of EMRO shall run from 1st January to 31st December.
2. The annual fee for each country will be decided at the Annual Meeting of the Committee every three years, or more frequently, if required.
3. A budget and an annual financial statement shall be prepared by the Secretariat and Treasurer and presented to the Members at the Annual Meeting of the Committee.
4. The annual financial statement must be audited by the elected Financial Auditor prior to the Meeting of the Committee, at which the annual financial statement is on the agenda.

STATUTE 8

Dissolution

1. The dissolution of the association can only be decided at a Meeting of the Committee. The notice of the Meeting and the agenda must be sent to the members at least 20 working days in advance.
2. The President or any other Board member shall be in charge of all proceedings.
3. The Meeting decides on the dissolution of the association by a majority of two thirds of the votes. The Meeting can only vote on the dissolution of the association if half of the members are present at the Meeting.