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
a. 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
o EVSO® 's original aim is to ensure the quality and promotion of Manual Osteopathic Veterinary Medicine (MOVM) in veterinary medical practice.
o EVSO® aims to represent practitioners in the field of Complementary Medicine to European and national political and medical authorities.
o EVSO® is the European reference for Manual Osteopathic Veterinary Medicine (MOVM) and animal osteopathy.
Members
● Article 6
1. The following may be members of the association:
a) Veterinarians who have graduated from European or in Europe recognised University Veterinary Schools.
b) Veterinary students from European University Schools who have made a written application and have been accepted by the Committee.
c) Veterinary graduates from university schools in other continents, who have made a written application and have been accepted by the Committee.
2. Membership is lost:
a) by death;
b) by written resignation sent at least until the General Assembly of the current year to the Committee;
c) 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;
d) default payment of contributions for more than one year, without supporting documents.
In case b)-d) the contribution of the year remains due.
3. The founding members are the members named in Appendix 1, present at the EVSO® Constitutive Assembly in Lisses (FR), on 11 May 2012.
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. The committee decides every year on the opening of the GA to the non-member public at the time of the annual convocation. It is responsible 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 42 days (6 weeks) before the date of the General Assembly.
4. Any proposal to be submitted to the General Assembly must reach the Committee by e-mail with confirmation of receipt at least 21 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 the General Assembly may be held by video-conference. In such cases, an electronic vote can be used
● Article 10
1. Each EVSO® Member up to date with their annual membership fees for the year in progress has the right to vote.
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 President or Vice-President (in the order indicated in Article 12) has double counting.
3. Decisions of the General Assembly concerning modifications to the Statutes are taken by a majority of the votes of the members present and authorized to vote. In the event of a tie, the President or Vice-President (in the order indicated in Article 12 has double counting.
4. Decisions concerning the dissolution of the association EVSO® 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 or being founding member, represent 1/3 of the votes
Each group will designate a group representative in the protocol preceding 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 General Assembly entrusts the administration of the association to the Committee which manages the assets and projects of the association
● Article 12
1. The Committee is made up of at least three members of the association, including at least one President, a Treasurer and a General Secretary. In the absence of the President, he is replaced by the Vice-President, who is replaced by the General Secretary.
2. The members of the Committee are elected by a simple majority of voting members for 2 years renewable, at a General Assembly.
3. The committee members have to be a member EVSO® or become member within 1 week.
● Article 12 (modified at GA 2nd November 2021)
Conditions for applying for the presidency of EVSO®:
1. Has to be an EVSO®-C Member
2. Has to be elected by the committee and then be approved by the majority of the voting members at the GA.
3. President and Vice-President should not be in the board of the same school.
● Article 13
The committee is responsible for:
• taking the necessary steps to achieve the goal;
• convening ordinary and extraordinary General Assemblies;
• taking decisions on the admission and resignation of members and their possible exclusion;
• ensuring the application of the Statutes, establishing regulations and to administer the property of the association.
● Article 14
The members of the Committee commit the association by the joint signature (validation by e-mail) of two, including that of the President, Vice-Presidents or General Secretary. For all financial transactions, the agreement of the Treasurer and the President, Vice-President or General Secretary (in the order indicated in Article 12) are necessary up to 1000€, where the signatures of the Treasurer and the President, Vice-President or General Secretary (in the order indicated in Article 12) are mandatory.
Various
● 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 membership fees 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.
EVSO® Project 2.0
Article 19
1. The EVSO® Project 2.0 is described in the document "EVSO Project 2.0", which is available to all members on the website www.evso.eu in the members' area.
2. The EVSO® Project 2.0 was accepted by the members present at the GA the 8th of October 2022 in Barcelona.
3. The EVSO® Project 2.0 was accepted by the directors and/or representatives of the schools present: AVETAO, OSTEOVET, STOA medicines, TAO Equilibre.
4. After the General Assembly of the 6th October 2023 in Avenches CH the following schools have been certified: AVETAO, AVSOP, Osteovet, TAO Equilibre.
Article 20
1. The Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 by videoconference mandates the EVSO® Committee to set up this project. The state of progress will be communicated at each General Assembly and any questions regarding further development will be discussed.
2. The Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 grants full financial powers to the EVSO® President in collaboration with the EVSO® Treasurer and the Committee Members in the realisation of this goal. These powers can be renewed at each annual General Assembly if necessary.
3. Each financial transaction exceeding Euro 1000 must first be accepted by the EVSO® Committee with a simple majority of all its members, and then recorded in the protocol of the EVSO® Committee meetings.
Article 21
The Committee shall for this purpose:
1. Manage a secretariat, and therefore hire a freelance secretary to actively take care of the administrative procedures and the overall coordination of the Project EVSO® 2.0 and support the committee in secretarial tasks
2. Create, in collaboration with the schools, a network of certified schools "EVSO®-Certified Schools” (ECS)
3. Ensure, together with the schools, the financing of the project.
4. Establish, together with the schools, the EVSO® Certification Commission described in the project.
5. Create the different registers and documents, forms, flyers etc. described in the project.
The present statutes as well as annexes 1, 2 and 3 were adopted by the Constitutive Assembly of May 11, 2012 in Lisses and modified during the various General Assemblies:
11.05.2012 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Lisses
19.09.2014 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Uzwil
02.10.2015 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Berlin
08.10.2016 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Liège
23.09.2017 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Lyon
13.10.2018 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Zurich
17.10.2019 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Versailles
14.11.2020 Annual General Assembly EVSO® (online)
02.11.2021 Annual General Assembly EVSO® (online)
08.10.2022 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Barcelona
25.04.2023 Extraordinary General Assembly EVSO® (online)
06.10.2023 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Avenches
04.10.2024 Annual General Assembly EVSO® in Copenhagen
Larissa Vicart Véronique Weber
President EVSO® General Secretary EVSO®
Avenches CH, 6th October 2023 Avenches CH, 6th October 2023
Annex 1
Founders
present at the EVSO® Constitutive Assembly in Lisses (FR), on 11th May 2012
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 - Membership levels
The Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 mandates the EVSO® Committee to set up the Project EVSO® 2.0.
The period between the Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 and the General Assembly implementing the project is called "Transition Period".
Acceptance of members
3 levels of EVSO® membership are recognised in the Transition Period:
EVSO®-A
EVSO®-B
EVSO®-C
Members EVSO®-A, EVSO®-B, and EVSO®-C 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 Assembly.
• 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 Assembly. 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.
• the right to vote at the General Assembly.
• the opportunity to see their name appear on the site, with a clear distinction compared to EVSO® C members.
• the right to use the EVSO® name and logo.
• the obligation to pay an annual membership fee, the amount of which is defined at the Annual General Assembly.
EVSO®-C
EVSO®-C members have:
● the same rights as EVSO®-B.
● the right to vote at the General Assembly.
● 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 membership fee, the amount of which is defined at the Annual General Assembly.
The Certifications are on hold until the establishment of EVSO® Project 2.0.
The implementation of the EVSO® Project 2.0 will change the conditions to apply for the different levels of EVSO® membership.
● The details of these new levels are described in the EVSO® Project 2.0, which is available to all members on the website www.evso.eu, member's area.
● After having fulfilled some necessary conditions (training hours, sponsorship, etc.) trainees from EVSO®-certified schools (ECS) will be able to obtain the status of :
"EVSO®-GRADUATE MEMBER”
● After having fulfilled some necessary conditions (sponsorship, case report, EVSO® exam, etc.) “EVSO®-Graduate members" will be able to obtain the status of: "EVSO®-CERTIFIED MEMBER”
● EVSO®-C members as of the date of the General Assembly 2023 will automatically obtain the title of "EVSO®-CERTIFIED MEMBER" as long as they are up to date with their fees.
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
The Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 mandates the EVSO® Committee to set up the Project EVSO® 2.0 in order to be able to definitively act and decide on this project if possible at the General Assembly 2024.
The period between the Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 and the General Assembly implementing the project is called "Transition Period".
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 of the Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023.
Article 3: Financial competence of the Committee
See EVSO® Statutes 2023, article 20, paragraph 2 and 3:
2. The Extraordinary General Assembly of 25th April 2023 grants full financial powers to the EVSO® President in collaboration with the EVSO® Treasurer and the Committee Members in the realisation of this goal. These powers can be renewed at each annual General Assembly if necessary.
3. Each financial transaction exceeding Euro 1000 must first be accepted by the EVSO® Committee with a simple majority of all its members, and then recorded in the protocol of the EVSO® Committee meetings.
See EVSO® Statutes 2023, article 21, paragraphs 1 to 6:
The Committee shall for this purpose:
1. Manage a secretariat, and therefore hire a freelance secretary to actively take care of the administrative procedures and the overall coordination of the EVSO® Project 2.0 and support the committee in secretarial tasks
2. Create, in collaboration with the schools, a network of certified schools "EVSO®-Certified Schools” (ECS)
3. Ensure, together with the schools, the financing of the project.
4. Establish, together with the schools, the EVSO® Certification Commission described in the project.
5. Create the different registers and documents, forms, flyers etc. described in the project.
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. Exception made for the mandated secretary, who will be paid at the agreed hourly rate. Exceptions can as well be made by approvement of the committee on written request at least 2 weeks in advance.
Article 5: Committee
Committee members get a 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 membership fees. In the transitional period, a remuneration of 150€ per month will be paid to each committee member by active trimester (minimum total 12 hours per trimester). This remuneration can be renewed at the annual General Assembly if necessary.
Article 6: Other remuneration
Any other remuneration that exceeds the financial standing of the Committee requires a special request at the EVSO® Annual General Assembly.
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 equally
2. Remuneration of the speakers on EVSO®'s webinar:
On demand, with the committee's approval.
3. Remuneration of a Secretary to implement the tasks referred to in Article 21 paragraphs 1 to 6.
4. Remuneration of official representatives in mission related to the implementation of the Project EVSO® 2.0
Article 7: Enforcement and duration
This regulation was approved at the GA Lyon 2017, on September 23rd
It must be renewed every 2 years at the GA.
Article 8: Membership fees & Regulation
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:
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