EVSO® STATUTES


Denomination and Headquarters:

  • Article 1

The association is named: European Veterinary Society for Osteopathy (EVSO®).

  • Article 2

EVSO® is a non-profit European association (EU and Switzerland) governed by the present statutes and by articles 60 and following of the Swiss Civil Code. It is politically neutral and confessionally independent.

  • Article 3
  1. The headquarters of the association is in La Neuveville, Switzerland.
    b. The mailing address is determined by the Committee.
  • Article 4

The duration of the association is indeterminate.

Purpose of the Association:

  • Article 5

The purpose of the association is to ensure the quality and promotion of osteopathy and manual medicine in veterinary medical practice.


Members

  • Article 6
  1. Members of the association may be veterinarians who have graduated from European or recognized veterinary schools in Europe and veterinary students from European schools who have made a written application and have been accepted by the Committee.
  2. Membership is lost:
  • by death;
  • by written resignation sent at least six months before the end of the fiscal year to the Committee;
  • by exclusion pronounced by the Committee, for "just reasons", with a right of recourse before the General Assembly. The appeal period is thirty days from the notification of the Committee's decision;
  • default payment of contributions for more than one year.

In all cases the contribution of the year remains due.

  1. The founding members are the members named in Appendix 1.


Organs and Procedure

  • Article 7

The bodies of the association are: the General Assembly, the Committee and the Auditor.

  • Article 8

The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the association. It brings together all the members and non members of the association and makes the important decisions. Only EVSO members can vote (modified at GA 14th November 2020). The committee decides every year on the opening of the GA to the public at the time of the annual convocation. ​It is competent in particular for:

  • the modification of the statutes;
  • the appointment of the members of the Committee and the Auditor;
  • vote the discharge of the Committee.


  • Article 9
  1. The General Assembly meets at least once a year in ordinary session.
  2. The General Assembly may be convened in extraordinary assembly by order of the Committee or by one fifth of the members of the association.
  3. Invitations are sent by e-mail or exceptionally by post at least 60 days before the date of the General Assembly.
  4. Any proposal to be submitted to the General Assembly must reach the Committee in writing or by e-mail with confirmation of receipt at least 30 days in advance.
  5. The agenda of the General Assembly is sent by the Committee to each member by e-mail at least 10 days in advance.
  6. In exceptional situations where an urgent decision must be taken by the General Assembly, it is possible to use an electronic vote. Votes must be made within 10 days.
  • Article 10
  1. Each Honorary Member (EVSO®-A), each EVSO-B Member (Transitional Period), EVSO®-C Member and each Graduate Member (EVSO®-D) (Schedule 2) up to date with their annual dues for the year in progress has the right to vote.
    The core members (EVSO®-B) (Appendix 2) are convened to the General Assembly and have, at least during the transition period (see definition in Appendix 2) the right to vote. The continuity of this right will have to be reconsidered at the end of transition congress.

  2. Decisions of the General Assembly are taken by a simple majority of the votes of the members present having the right to vote. In the event of a tie, the chair or deputy chair (in the order indicated in Article 12) has double counting.

  3. Decisions concerning the modification of the statutes and / or the dissolution of the association are taken according to the voting distribution of the three following groups (modified November 2021):
  • Decisions must be approved by the members present at the GA at the majority. In case of no-majority, the decision is taken by the majority of the committee. If there's no majority in the committee, the decision is taken by the president.
  • Decisions concerning the dissolution of the association are taken according to the voting distribution of the three following groups:
    • the Committee weighs for 1/3 of the votes
    • the founding members (Appendix 1) as well as the honorary members (EVSO®-A) who do not belong to the Committee account for 1/3 of the votes
    • the members EVSO®-C and EVSO-B present not belonging to the Committee, represent 1/3 of the votes
    • each group will designate a group representative in the minutes before the vote. The latter will be responsible for presenting to the Assembly the voting result of his own group. In the event of a tie, his voice will count double within his group


  • Article 11

The administration of the association is entrusted to the Committee which manages the assets and projects of the association

  • Article 12

The Committee is made up of at least three members of the association, including at least one president, a treasurer and a secretary general. In the absence of the president, he is replaced by the 1st vice-president, who is replaced by the 2nd vice-president. The members of the Committee and the two Vice-Presidents are elected by a simple majority of voting members for 2 years renewable, at a General Assembly. The committee members have to be a member EVSO® or become member within 1 week.

  • Article 12bis (modified at GA 2nd November 2021)

Conditions for applying for the presidency of EVSO®:​

  1. A candidate for the presidency cannot be a school director​
  2. Has to be an EVSO-C Member​
  3. Has to be elected by the committee ​and then be approved by the members at the GA at the majority
  • Article 13

The committee is responsible for:

  • taking the necessary steps to achieve the goal;
  • convening ordinary and extraordinary general meetings;
  • taking decisions on the admission and resignation of members and their possible exclusion;
  • ensuring the application of the by-laws, to draw up by-laws and to administer the property of the association.
  • Article 14

The members of the Committee commit the association by the joint signature of two, including that of the president or one of the two vice-presidents who signs as substitute. For all financial transactions, the signatures of the Treasurer and the Acting Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson (in the order indicated in Article 12) are mandatory.


Miscellaneous

  • Article 15

The management of the accounts is entrusted to the treasurer of the Association and is audited every year by the auditor appointed by the General Assembly.

  • Article 16

The amount of the contributions is fixed by the General Assembly.

  • Article 17

The members of the association are not personally responsible for social debts that are only guaranteed by the social assets of the association.

  • Article 18

In the event of dissolution, the assets of the organization, once the accounts are completed, will be given to an organization pursuing a similar goal or to a humanitarian foundation. They have been modified by the Lyon 2017 General Assembly.

The present statutes were adopted by the Constitutive Assembly of May 11, 2012 in Lisses and modified in 2016 (Liège), 2017 (Lyon), 2020 (online) and 2021 (online) during the General Assembly.

                                                  

Stephanie Achcar                                                                  Larissa Vicart
President EVSO®                                                                  General Secretary EVSO®           
F - Versailles, 2.11.2021                                                       CH - Mariastein, 2.11.2021


Annex 1

Founders


Dr. Frédéric Ab-der-Halden

Dr. Jean-Jacques Breton

Dr. Frank De Craene ᵼ

Dr. Fabrice Fosse

Dr. Jean-Marc Hames

Dr. Eric Lebas
Dr. Alain Lecat

Dr. Yoann Le Foll

Dr. Jean-Philippe Liot

Dr. Isabelle Lussot-Kervern

Dr. Sarah Miccichè Walzinger

Dr. Jean-Pierre Pallandre
Dr. Roberto Ré

Dr. Marie-Odile Sautel

Dr. Serge Sawaya

Dr. Eva Schmidt

Dr. Sabine Scholz

Dr. Christian Struchen

Dr. Dorothea Brigitte Traenckner

Dr. Xavier Tricot ᵼ

Dr. Christine Warzecha



 

Annex 2


Acceptance of members

Definition

4 levels of EVSO® members:

EVSO®-A = EVSO® - Honorary Members (honorAry)

EVSO®-B = EVSO® - Basic Members

EVSO®-C = EVSO® - Certified Members

EVSO®-D = EVSO® - Graduate Members


Members EVSO®-A, EVSO®-B, EVSO®-C, EVSO®-D are practicing veterinarians in their country (with the exception of veterinary students who are eligible for EVSO®-B status) and in good standing with their respective legislation.


EVSO®-A

Honorary members are elected by the General Assembly. They must have an important place in the history of osteopathic veterinary medicine, and / or must show an important commitment in the field of research or a political implication for the promotion of the objectives of EVSO®.

EVSO®-A members have:

  • the right to vote at the general meeting.
  • their name published on the EVSO® list of the website
  • the right to use the EVSO® name and logo


EVSO®-B

Core members must complete the EVSO® registration form and pay an annual fee, the amount of which is set at the Annual General Meeting -. Students can only obtain the EVSO®-B member status.

EVSO®-B members:


  • have access to the website, members only section. They get preferential rates at EVSO® congresses.
  • During the transition period (defined below), EVSO®-B members have the right to vote at the General Assembly. It will be necessary to vote to maintain this right during the definitive period.
  • have the opportunity to see their name appear on the site, with a clear distinction compared to EVSO® C members
  • have the right to use the EVSO® name and logo.


EVSO®-C
Certified members have:

  • the same rights as EVSO®-B.
  • the right to vote at the general meeting.
  • their name and exact coordinates are published on an EVSO® list of certified members on the website
  • the right to use the EVSO® name and logo.
  • the obligation to pay an annual subscription, the amount of which is defined at the Annual General Meeting

​​

Are defined: (modified at GA 2nd November 2021):
Extension of Transitional period until the deployment (not establishment) of EVSO 2.0 Project at a GA. Definitive period starting with the deployment of the EVSO 2.0 Project.

​​

1.1 EVSO®-C IN TRANSITIONAL PERIOD (modified at GA 2nd November 2021):

  1. Modalities for veterinary practitioners who have been working in the field of veterinary osteopathy for less than 2 years:
  • They must demonstrate a minimum of 500 hours of training by specifying the name and content of the course.
  • They must present a clinical case.
  • They must commit to treating a minimum of 20 cases per month.

  1. Modalities for veterinary practitioners working in the field of veterinary osteopathy between 2-5 years:
  • They must demonstrate a minimum of 300 hours of training by specifying the name and content of the course.
  • They must present a clinical case.
  • They must commit to treating a minimum of 20 cases per month.

  1. Modalities for veterinary practitioners in the field of veterinary osteopathy for more than 5 years:
  • They must provide the written details of their training in osteopathy.
  • They must present a clinical case.
  • They must commit to treating a minimum of 20 cases per month.


1.2. EVSO®-C IN DEFINITIVE PERIOD (Modified at GA 2nd November 2021)

Status EVSO-C is on hold until the establishment of EVSO 2.0 Project


1.3 EVSO®-D (modified in November 2021)

Status EVSO-D is on hold until the establishment of EVSO 2.0 Project


à The Status EVSO-C in the definitive period & EVSO-D are on hold until the establishment of EVSO 2.0 project. We still accept EVSO-C submissions according to the current conditions (without MCQ).


  1. Remuneration of the members of the Committee and the active members of the various committees


Remuneration of Committee members and active members of the various committees was decided in AG Liège 2016. The amount of this remuneration will be decided annually and submitted to the GA for approval.


A Finance and Fees Regulation was created at the Lyon 2017 Annual General Meeting (see Appendix 3). It must be renewed every 2 years at the General Assembly.

Annex 3

FINANCE AND FEES REGULATIONS
SEPTEMBER 2017


Article 1: Purpose

This regulation determines the financial competences of the Committee as well as the remunerations of EVSO® members performing a service for the association.


Article 2: Legal aspect

This regulation is based on the amendment at the AG Lièges 2016, appendix 2 of the statutes, point 2)


Article 3: Financial competence of the Committee

The committee has the power to use a maximum of € 1500.- per case and a maximum of € 4000.- per year for expenses not appearing in the budget.


Article 4: Participation in the sessions as official representative EVSO®

There is no provision for compensation for participation in the various sessions, except for compensation for transport costs, calculated on the basis of the equivalent of the cheapest public transport price (train, plane), but this as far as the meeting will be announced to the Committee at least 15 days previously, and a meeting protocol will be sent to the committee within 10 days.


Article 5: Committee

No remuneration is foreseen for the members of the Committee, except the compensation of the expenses of transport, calculated with the equivalence of the price of the least expensive public transport (train, plane). The members of the Committee are exempt from their annual dues.


Article 6: Other remuneration (modified at GA 2nd November 2021)

Any other remuneration that exceeds the financial standing of the Committee requires a special request at the EVSO® Annual General Meeting.

1 - Remuneration of EVSO-C Reviewers: 

The official reviewers listed on EVSO® Reviewer's list or designed by EVSO® participating to EVSO®'s Clinical Case Review on EVSO® demand will be remunerated according to the model below:

  • 1/3 of the review income will be distributed to EVSO® 
  • 2/3 will be distributed to the reviewers equaly


2 - Remuneration of the speakers on EVSO®'S webinar:

On demand, with the committee's approval.


Article 7: Enforcement and duration

This regulation was approved at the AG Lyon 2017, on September 23rd
It must be renewed every 2 years at the GA.

Article 8: Membership fees & Regulation (added at GA 2nd November 2021)

Membership fee to become an EVSO® Member is 150€ per calendar year.

The calendar year starts on January 1 and ends on December 31

The membership fee covers the current calendar year and is due by 31 March of the current year.

There will be no prorating.


Article 9: EVSO® Sponsorship (added at GA 2nd November 2021):

Provision of funding for a thesis or research topic with following conditions.

Conditions:

  • Applicant must be an EVSO® member.
  • Applicant must be at least in the final stages of osteopathy veterinary study according to current EVSO® standards.
  • Make a written request to the committee for the amount of expenses.
  • Request must be prior to the start of the research.
  • The committee reserves the right to accept or decline depending on the interest of the study. The committee can provide expertise as technical, academical & intellectual support, which should be accepted. The study design has to be approved by the committee.
  • Materials invested by EVSO® remain owned by EVSO® to permit borrowing equipment to others (ex: editorial costs, use of software).
  • The sponsorship (grant) does not include travel, consultancy or additional examinations 
  • The financial support cannot exceed 300€.
  • Obligation/recommendation to publish with an impact factor of min 0.4 (College 0.8). A bonus of 200€ will be granted if so.
  • EVSO® has the right to publish it on its website.
  • EVSO® name must be mentioned and the candidate must work with its scientific committee.
  • Language of writing: preferably in English, mother language accepted with an abstract in English