The Federation of European National Statistical Societies

Statutes of the Federation
(Articles of association of the Association)

 

 

Art. 1 - NAME, GENERAL GOAL, SEAT AND DURATION OF THE ASSOCIATION

1. The name of the non-profit association is “The Federation of European National Statistical Societies”, abbreviated as FENStatS.
2. The Association is an independent European scientific organisation with non-profit and non-political motives.
3. The Association’s seat is in Luxembourg.
4. The Association is formed for an indefinite period.

Art. 2 - OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

1. The Association promotes mutual communication, co-operation and interchange of views among all those interested in statistical sciences, in their scientific principles, in a broad sense and in as wide a range of applications as possible.
2. The Association serves as an agency for the dissemination of technical and scientific information among the National Statistical Societies forming the Association, promoting their mutual collaboration and activities that can augment the research and scientific impact of the Members, including international conferences, journals, books and other publications.
3. The Association encourages joint participation in national events to increase international exchanges of experiences and research and to organise joint meetings on specific topics of interest for at least two National Statistical Societies.
4. The Association supports the immersion of doctoral and postdoctoral students in statistics within international research networks, and actively cooperates with ECAS (European Courses in Advanced Statistics).
5. The Association proposes actions to the European Commission, other European institutions and additional donors to secure funds for projects in research and education in statistics. Furthermore, FENStatS prepares and presents projects that cater for research and education needs in statistics and requires its delegates to serve in panels and committees where funding is decided.
6. The Association collaborates with international statistical associations, in particular with the ISI (International Statistical Institute) and European Societies with statistical interests, such as ENBIS (European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics).
7. The Association of European Statistical National Societies is web-based, with interactions and management mainly via the Internet; services, news, and newsletters are also available online.
   
   

Art. 3 - MEMBERS - APPLICATION, ADMISSION AND RESIGNATION

1. The Association of European National Statistical Societies is an association whose members (the “Members”) are: 
   
   1. European national statistical societies (the “Member Societies”); and
   2. Corporate members (the “Corporate Members”).
2. The number of Members may not be less than two.
3. An existing European national statistical society may apply as a new Member of FENStatS. A formal written request completed with the information on the objective, organisational structure and membership of the applicant should be sent to the Secretary General of FENStatS.
4. Institutions that are not European national statistical societies (like the European Statistical Office or any other institution dealing with or interested in statistics) may become corporate Members of FENStatS. A formal written request should be sent to the Secretary General of FENStatS, which shall contain information on the size of the relevant institution and its internal structure.
5. Upon receipt of a membership application by the Secretary General, a General Assembly must be convened within five weeks of receipt of the application. The General Assembly has the authority to accept a new Member with a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast.
6. Membership shall terminate in the following circumstances:
   1. By resignation: A Member may resign by submitting a written declaration to the President of the Association, signed by the authorised representative of that Member.
   2. By exclusion: The General Assembly may resolve to exclude a Member by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast. Any decision to exclude a Member must be supported by serious and clearly established grounds.
7. The Association must keep a register of members at the Association’s registered office, in which the Association shall record all decisions regarding the admission, resignation, and exclusion of members, or the event that made such decisions necessary, within one month of becoming aware of the decision. The Board of Directors may decide that the register shall be kept in electronic form.

Art. 4 - ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

1. The organisational structure of the Association shall include the General Assembly and the Board of Directors; the latter shall also be referred to as the Executive Committee.

Art. 5 - GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1. The General Assembly represents the entirety of all Members and is the highest authority of the Association.
2. The General Assembly possesses all the legal rights and powers not attributed to another organ of the Association by the Law or the present articles of association.
3. A resolution of the General Assembly is required in the following cases. The General Assembly may only legally deliberate on the matters set out in this point 3 if the notice of meeting explicitly mentions the matter in question:
   1. amendment of the articles of association,
   2. appointment and dismissal of members of the Board of Directors and determination of their number,
   3. discharge of the Board of Directors,
   4. appointment and dismissal of the certified auditor (if applicable),
   5. discharge of the certified auditor (if applicable),
   6. approval of the budget and annual accounts,
   7. exclusion of a Member,
   8. submission of an application for recognition of public utility status,
   9. dissolution of the Association and appointment of a liquidator, and
   10. all cases where the articles of association so require.
4. The General Assembly is composed of individuals, each acting on behalf of a Member Society or representing a Corporate Member.
5. The General Assembly shall be convened to consider and vote upon any proposed decision submitted by the Board of Directors for which the Board of Directors requires the prior approval of the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall be composed of:
   1. Voting Members: The President of each Member Society, or their duly appointed representatives. Each Member Society shall be entitled to one vote per country. Where multiple Member Societies exist within the same country, they shall jointly appoint a single representative to cast the vote on their behalf. Such an appointment must be notified in writing to the President of the Association prior to the General Assembly. Failing such appointment, the Member Societies of that country shall not be entitled to vote until a representative has been duly appointed.
   2. Non-voting Members: The representatives of Corporate Members, who may attend the General Assembly but shall not participate in voting.
6. The General Assembly is convened by the President of the Board of Directors or at the request of at least one fifth of the Members addressed to the Board of Directors by e-mail or post to each Member at least three weeks before the meeting. Each voting Member may be represented by another Member by means of a written proxy. Any member may also participate in a General Assembly by video conference or by means of telecommunication that allows their identification. In such a case, the participating Members shall be deemed to be present. These means must meet technical specifications that ensure effective participation in the General Association, whose proceedings are continuously broadcast. Meetings held by such means of remote communication shall be deemed to take place at the Association’s registered office.
7. The General Assembly shall meet every year with the Board of Directors. This meeting is prepared by the Board of Directors and chaired by the President.
8. A quorum of the General Assembly is constituted if a simple majority of Member Societies is present or represented at a meeting. Decisions are validly adopted by a simple majority of the votes cast. In the event of a tie, the resolution shall be deemed to have been rejected.
9. In order to amend the articles of association of the Association, the General Assembly may only validly deliberate if the purpose of the amendment is specifically stated in the notice convening the meeting and if at least two-thirds of the full voting Members are present. The proposed amendment must be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the votes of the members present or represented, unless the amendment relates to one of the purposes for which the Association was established, in which case the amendment must be adopted by a three-quarters majority of the votes of the Members present or represented.
10. If two thirds of the voting Members are not present or represented at the first meeting, a second meeting must be convened at least eight (8) days after the first meeting, which may deliberate regardless of the number of voting Members present or represented; in which case the decision shall be validly adopted by a two-thirds majority of the votes of the Members present or represented, unless the amendment relates to one of the objects for which the Association was established, in which case the amendment must be adopted by a three-quarters majority of the votes of the Members present or represented. The second meeting may not be held less than fifteen days after the first meeting. The notice convening the second meeting shall reproduce the agenda, indicating the date and the results of the first meeting.
11. In case a motion concerns sensitive issues for a member and such a sensitive issue is raised by the representative of the Member Society at the beginning of the convened General Assembly meeting, then a majority of two-thirds of the Members of the General Assembly shall be required for any decision on such motion.

Art. 6 - THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1. The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Association, which implements the policies and decisions approved by the General Assembly. The Board of Directors has full powers to carry out the Association’s objectives, except for those powers reserved by law for the General Assembly. It manages the Association’s affairs and represents it in all judicial and extrajudicial matters. It may, under its responsibility, delegate its powers to one of its members or even, if the General Assembly so authorise, to a third party.
2. The President of the Board of Directors is authorised to sign on behalf of the Association, thereby committing it to third parties in all matters previously agreed upon by the Board of Directors or the General Assembly.
3. The Board of Directors is composed of the following individuals, who are appointed and revoked by the General Assembly:
   
   1. the President,
   2. the Vice-President,
   3. the Secretary General,
   4. the Treasurer
   5. the Webmaster
4. In cases of temporary unavailability, the tasks of the Secretary General and the Treasurer may be combined or merged. The outgoing President is considered the “Vice-President” to ensure continuity in the Association’s activities.
5. The Board of Directors shall meet upon the President’s convening or upon the request of at least two of its members, sent by post or e-mail at least eight (8) days before the meeting. The agenda shall be attached to the convening notice of the meeting. The President shall chair the meetings of the board. Each member of the Board of Directors may be represented by another member of the Board of Directors of their choice. Each member of the Board of Directors may not hold more than one proxy. At least half of the members must be present or represented for the Board of Directors’ decisions to be valid. These decisions are taken by a majority of the members present or represented. For the purposes of calculating the quorum and the required majority, directors who participate in the Board of Directors’ meeting by videoconference or by means of telecommunication allowing their identification shall be deemed to be present. These means must meet technical characteristics guaranteeing effective participation in the Board of Directors’ meeting, the proceedings of which are transmitted continuously. Meetings held by such means of remote communication shall be deemed to have taken place at the Association’s registered office. The decisions of the Board of Directors may be taken by unanimous consent of the directors expressed in writing in exceptional and duly justified cases.

Art. 7 - THE PRESIDENT

1. The President is the official representative of the Association. He/she carries out the decisions of the General Assembly and chairs meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly.
2. The offices of President and Vice-President are linked as follows: The General Assembly shall elect a President who has not earlier served a term as President and who shall finally serve a further term as Vice-President. 
3. A vacancy in the Presidency shall be filled by the Vice-President with the same duty and responsibility.
4. A vacancy in the Vice-Presidency shall be filled by the Secretary General.
5. A vacancy in the Secretary General shall be filled by the Treasurer. A President or Acting Secretary General coming to office in this manner shall exercise the full duties and responsibilities of office until the General Assembly shall have taken steps to the appointment of a successor, whichever shall be later.

Art. 8 - THE SECRETARY GENERAL, TREASURER, AND WEBMASTER

1. The Secretary General manages the day-to-day business in accordance with the decisions of the Board of Directors.
2. The Treasurer, in consultation with the President and Secretary General, authorises the expenditures. He/she is responsible for the submission of the financial reports and budget to the Board of Directors and General Assembly. During the second half of the fiscal year, he/she shall liaise with the Secretary General to prepare the balance sheet, the revised forecast for the current year and the budget proposal for the coming year.
3. The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the Association’s websites, ensuring that the web servers, hardware, and software are operating correctly, designing the websites, and generating and revising web pages. 

Art. 9 - ELECTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1. The President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and the Webmaster shall be elected by the General Assembly upon proposals of the Member Societies of the Association.
2. If the representative of a Member Society in the General Assembly is elected to become President, Secretary General, Treasurer, or Webmaster, he/she should be replaced by a new representative of the Member Society.
3. If a member of the Board of Directors (except the President) resigns, the General Assembly elects a new person for this office for the rest of the term.
4. Elections should be held sufficiently long in advance of the end of their terms. The term of office for any position, excluding the Webmaster, is two years, renewable for a second term of two years.
5. The Secretary General, the Treasurer and the Webmaster may be candidates from the General Assembly or beyond.

Art. 10 - FINANCES

1. The resources of the Association derive from:
   1. Membership fees of National Societies. Membership fees are proposed by the Board of Directors and approved by the General Assembly. They must not exceed an annual maximum of € 10000 per individual Member Society. 
   2. Corporate Members and donors: that is, persons or firms/companies or other organisations which are willing to support the Association by means of an annual or ad hoc financial contribution.
   3. Any support for and income from conferences, courses, workshops, funding programs, etc. Separated budgets for special funding programs may complement the regular budget.
2. The Association’s financial management rules are submitted by the Board of Directors and adopted by the General Assembly. The rules include, above all, the mandate of the Board of Directors, the duty of transparency and accountability to the Members, and provisions in the event of the Association’s dissolution. These rules are defined in the form of by-laws.
3. The financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December, except for the first year of incorporation. The Treasurer shall submit a proposal for a budget before the beginning of each fiscal year, which, after approval by the Board of Directors, has to be formally accepted by a vote of the General Assembly. With reference to Article 18 of the Law (as defined below), the Association’s accounting system is that which applies to the category to which it belongs. The Association shall entrust the auditing of its annual accounts to a certified auditor as soon as it qualifies as a ‘large association’ within the meaning of the Law.
4. No remuneration shall be paid to members of the Board of Directors. Reimbursement of expenses, although not guaranteed, aimed at facilitating the activities of the members of the Board of Directors connected with their actions, must be authorised by the Treasurer on the proposal of the Board of Directors. 

Art. 11 - DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

1. The General Assembly may only decide to dissolve the Association if at least two-thirds of its voting Members are present or represented at the meeting. The dissolution of the Association may only be adopted by a majority of three-quarters of the votes of the voting Members present or represented.
2. If two-thirds of the Members are not present or represented at the first General Assembly, a second meeting must be convened within 8 days of the first. This second General Assembly may validly deliberate, regardless of the number of Members present or represented, and adopt the dissolution by a majority of three-quarters of the votes of the Members present or represented.
3. The second General Assembly may not be held less than fifteen days after the first meeting. The notice convening the General Assembly shall reproduce the agenda, indicating the date and the result of the first meeting.
4. In case of dissolution, the General Assembly will appoint one or more liquidators. Its legacy will be donated to a similar association or charitable organisation, upon the proposal of the Board of Directors.

Art. 12 - GENERAL PROVISIONS

For all that is not regulated by the present articles of association, it is referred to the Law of 7 August 2023 on Non-Profit Associations and Foundations, as amended (the “Law”).

These statues (articles of association) were approved by the General Assemly on 23 June 2026 that was held in a physical format in Rome or online via Zoom.

The pdf version of the statutes is available here.