EFJ RULES 

EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF JOURNALISTS (EFJ) - RULES 

SECTION I: Title and Headquarters

1.            The name of the organisation is the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). Its headquarters is based in Brussels (Belgium), presently in the Residence Palace, International Press Center, Block C, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels.

SECTION II: Character

 2.

 a) The European Federation of Journalists shall consist of journalists' trade unions and associations in Europe and shall act in accordance with the provisions of its constitution, as the regional group of the  International Federation of Journalists.

It has been created to represent the interests of journalists' unions and associations and their members within the industrial, economical, social, cultural, legal and political framework of Europe, particularly the European Union and the Council of Europe. It is a democratic organisation, independent of all ideological, political, governmental and religious bodies. It shall work in all parts of Europe to enforce trade unionist and professional matters and to protect and defend freedom of expression and information as well as journalists' rights, according to the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 10 (1).

 b) Europe as defined in these rules is composed by the countries which are members of the Council of Europe.

c) The European Federation of Journalists is an Association Internationale sans but lucratif (AiSBL) as defined under Belgian law. The Administrative Committee is responsible for meeting the Federation’s obligations as an AiSBL.

d) The European Federation of Journalists is an autonomous body of the ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) and officially accredited by the European Union as a social partner.

SECTION III: Objects

3.         Among the aims and objectives of the Federation are:

(a)          to protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of all journalists and journalists’ unions and associations in Europe;

(b)          to defend and promote trade union principles and organisation

(c)to promote and defend freedom of information, media freedom and pluralism and independence of journalism particularly through research and monitoring of violations and taking action to defend journalists and their work;

(d) to uphold and improve professionalism and to promote high standards of journalism, ethics of journalism, and journalistic education;

(e) to improve and defend  the social and working conditions of all journalists, employed and freelance, and to encourage and support  member unions and associations in collective bargaining and to strengthen their role as a collective organisation representative of journalists at the workplace ;

(f) to promote co-operation between member unions and associations, and to support trade union development, by means of the organisation of regional groups;

(g) to promote and maintain editorial democracy;

(h) to promote the social role of journalists and the profession of journalism, particularly its contribution to democracy and freedom;

(i) to encourage the provision of professional and trade union education and training for journalists;

(j) to co-ordinate action to ensure the safety of journalists and to incorporate safety training in collective agreements between member unions and associations and employer organisations;

(k) to promote understanding and solidarity and to encourage member unions and associations to provide goodwill and assistance for members of other member unions and associations who may be working in their territories;

(l) to work closemy with the ETUC, other trade unions and with relevant NGOS and social partners in the field of media, information and for the promotion of press freedom

(m) to establish and maintain close relations with relevant international, government and non-government organisations in pursuit of these objects;

(n) to fight for authors' rights and international reimbursement systems;

(o) to promote equality of gender, to exercise non-discrimination in its activities and to strive to achieve gender equality in representation within its statutory bodies.

SECTION IV: Membership

4.             All European member-unions and associations of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are entitled to be full members of the European Federation of Journalists. No member-union or association is allowed to be a member of the European Federation of Journalists without being a member of the International Federation of Journalists.

5.            To become a member of the European Federation of Journalists, a member-union or association must be a full or associate member-union of the International Federation of Journalists, submit an application form to the General Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, and after acceptance by the Steering Committee, pay the fee as provided by article 44 of these rules.

6.            Unions and associations from countries outside Europe may be accepted as EFJ member-unions or associations after approval by the EFJ Steering Committee ratified by its next Annual  or General Meeting.

SECTION V: General and Annual Meetings

7.            The General Meeting (GM) shall be the supreme governing body setting the general direction of the Federation.

8.            The GM shall normally meet every third year in advance of the IFJ Congress. It shall be composed of one delegate from each member union and association who shall have the right to vote and the members of the Steering Committee. The IFJ President and IFJ Executive Committee members elected from Europe shall have the right to participate. Each member union and association has the right to send observers. Observers from the ETUC and other organisations may be invited.

9.            The Steering Committee may convene an extraordinary GM at any time if three fourths of the members of the Steering Committee vote in favour. The Steering Committee shall convene an extraordinary GM if half of the member unions and associations make such a demand in writing.

10.         Member unions and associations shall have votes on a national basis at General Meetings, according to the following scale:

Up to 600 members 2 votes

Up to 1.200 members 3 votes

Up to 2.400 members 4 votes

Up to 4.800 members 5 votes

Up to 8.000 members 6 votes

Up to 12.000 members 7 votes

Up to 15.000 members 8 votes

Up to 26.000 members 9 votes

Over 26.000 members 10 votes

11. Member unions and associations who have not paid their membership fee according to provisions shall not have the right to vote or to submit candidates for the Steering Committee.

12.         The working languages of the GM shall be English, French and German.

13.         The Steering Committee will prepare the agenda of the GM and decide on voting rights. The invitation and draft agenda has to be sent to member unions and associations at least two months before the GM.

14.         The GM shall have its own working rules. A report on decisions of the GM will be prepared immediately and sent to member unions and associations. The minutes will be confirmed by the Steering Committee. They shall be kept on record in the secretariat.

15.         The GM shall:

a) elect:

-  a Presidium of three people to chair the GM;

- an electoral commission.

Members of the Presidium and of the electoral commission shall not be members of the Steering Committee nor candidates for the next  Steering Committee.

b) confirm the agenda, changes of the working rules proposed by the Steering Committee and the voting rights of the unions and associations.

c) decide on the admission of urgent motions and table urgent points or motions to the agenda only with the approval of at least two-thirds of the voting delegates present. Urgent motions can be presented until the opening of the GM.

d) approve the minutes of the last GM respectively of the last AM.

e) decide on membership of unions and associations failing to meet the EFJ financial obligations.

f)  approve the report of the Steering Committee, which will be presented by the President.

g) consider the reports of the Expert Groups.

h) approve a report of audited accounts and finances presented by the Honorary Treasurer and consider the report of the Finance Commission.

i) consider a report on the activities of the Secretariat.

j) adopt a budget plan for the following year and the framework for a three years’ budget.

k) decide on motions for activities of the European Federation of Journalists. Member unions and associations with voting rights and the Steering Committee have the right to submit motions. Motions from member unions and associations must be submitted to the Steering Committee at least one month before the GM and shall be sent to member unions and associations at least two weeks before the GM.

l) decide on motions for changes of the rules of the European Federation of Journalists. These motions must be submitted to the Steering Committee at least two months before the GM and shall be sent to member unions and associations at least one month before the GM. To be adopted they must be accepted with the approval of at least two-thirds of the voting delegates present. New rules shall be promulgated by the Steering Committee no later than three months after the conclusion of the GM.

m) adopt the working programme of the EFJ.

n) decide on the establishment of expert groups.

o) decide on membership fees for EFJ member unions and associations for the next three-years period.

p) elect the President and Vice-President.

q) elect the other members of the Steering Committee.

r) elect up to four reserves for the Steering Committee.

s) elect the members of the Finance Commission.

t) revoke the mandate of Steering Committee members if required, as set out in articles 23 and 27.

16.         Member unions and associations which would like to host a General or Annual Meeting must submit their invitation including information on transport, facilities, costs, conditions and sponsors 6 months in advance of the meeting to the Steering Committee.

17.         Between the General Meetings, there shall be Annual Meetings (AM), which shall focus on a subject in line with the priorities of work of the EFJ.

18.         The AM shall be composed of one delegate from each member union or association who shall have the right to vote and the members of the Steering Committee. The IFJ President and IFJ Executive Committee members elected from Europe shall have the right to participate. Each member union or association has the right to send observers. Observers from the ETUC and other organisations may be invited.

19.         The working language of the AM shall be English, French and German.

20.         The AM is prepared by the Steering Committee in cooperation with the EFJ secretariat.  The invitation and draft agenda have to be sent to member unions and associations at least two months before the AM.

21.         In a statutory part, the AM shall:

a)        elect a Presidium to chair the AM and a motions’ commission.

b)        confirm the agenda and the voting rights of the unions and associations.

c)         add urgent points to the agenda only with the approval of at least two-thirds of the  voting delegates present.

d)        approve the minutes of the last GM resp. of the last AM.

e)        approve the report of the Steering Committee, which will be presented by the President.

f)         consider the reports of the Expert Groups.

g)        consider a report on the activities of the Secretariat.

h)        approve a report of audited accounts and finances presented by the Honorary Treasurer and consider the report of the Finance Commission.

i)          adopt a budget plan for the following year.

j)          decide on motions.

Member unions and associations with voting rights and the Steering Committee have the right to submit motions which are of journalists' and journalists' unions and associations’ interest in Europe. They must be submitted to the Steering Committee at least one month before the AM and shall be sent to member unions and associations at least two weeks before the AM. The voting system shall be the same as the voting system at the EFJ General Meeting. Urgent motions can be submitted until the opening of the AM and must be accepted with the approval of at least two-thirds of the voting delegates present. Motions at the Annual Meeting cannot deal with EFJ rules.