EFJ RULES 

EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF JOURNALISTS (EFJ) - RULES 

PREAMBLE

 
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is a regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). It is created within the framework of  the IFJ Constitution and represents the interests of journalists' unions and their members within the industrial and political framework of Europe, particularly the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The European Federation of Journalists 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' human rights, as laid down in the European Convention of Human Rights, Article 10 (1).

The European Federation of Journalists is an autonomous body according to the Rules of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). As a member of the ETUC the European Federation of Journalists is officially accredited by the European Union.

 1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1.1   The European Federation of Journalists will co-ordinate the activities of IFJ-affiliated unions in Europe. It will develop and promote common interests in the fields of social, economic, cultural and media policy, and fight for the aims and objectives being defined in the IFJ Constitution within the European Union and other European institutions.

1.2   The European Federation of Journalists shall work closely with the ETUC and other trade unions representing groups of workers in the mass media and will co-operate in working out general principles and guidelines for common trade union policy in the field of mass media and information.

1.3   The European Federation of Journalists shall also seek broad trade union support for professional and industrial policy regarding the development of mass media with the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

1.4   The European Federation of Journalists shall promote understanding and solidarity among European unions affiliated to the International Federation of Journalists.

2. COMPOSITION
IFJ members in Europe  are entitled to be members of the European Federation of Journalists.

3. TASKS
3.1   The European Federation of Journalists under its own responsibility shall elaborate a working programme in line with IFJ policies and principles. According to the working programme adopted by the General Meeting (GM), the Steering Committee shall determine priorities of work in representing and working for journalists' and journalists unions' interests in Europe.

3.2   The European Federation of Journalists reports to the IFJ Executive Committee.

4. GENERAL MEETING
4.1  The General Meeting (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 the members of the Steering Committee. The IFJ President and IFJ Executive Committee members elected from Europe shall have the right to participate without the right to vote. Each member union has the right to send observers. Observers from ETUC and other organisations may be invited.

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

The voting system at the GM shall be the same as the voting system at the IFJ Congress. A transfer of votes after registration to the GM is not possible. Member unions 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.
 
4.2   The working languages of the GM shall be English, French and German.

4.3   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 at least two months before the GM.

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

4.5 The GM shall:

a. elect

- a Presidium  to chair the GM;

- a motions' commission to consider the motions and urgent motions;

-an electoral commission.

Members 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;

c.       approve the minutes of the last GM resp. of the last AM;

d.       decide on membership of unions failing     to meet the EFJ financial obligations;

e.   approve the report of the Steering Committee, which will be presented by the chair;

f.        consider the reports of the Expert Groups;

g.       approve a report of audited accounts and finances presented by the honorary treasurer and consider the report of the Finance Commission;

h.       consider a report on the activities of the IFJ Project Division;

i.         adopt a budget plan for the following years;

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

k.       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 at least one month before the GM. New rules shall be in effect at the next GM.

l.         decide on the admission of urgent motions. Urgent motions can be presented until the opening of the meeting.

m.     adopt the working programme of the EFJ and decide on the establishment of expert groups;

n.       decide on membership fees for the EFJ;

o.       elect the electoral commission;

p.       elect the chair of the Steering Committee;

q.       elect the other members of the Steering Committee;

r.        elect reserves for the Steering Committee;

s.       elect the members of the Finance Commission.

4.6 Member unions which would like to host a General or Annual Meeting must submit their invitation including information on transport, facilities, costs, conditions and sponsors 15 months in advance of the meeting to the Steering Committee.

5. ANNUAL MEETING
Between the General Meetings, there shall be an Annual Meeting (AM), which shall focus on a subject in line with the priorities of work of the EFJ.
The AM is prepared by the Steering Committee in cooperation with the European Officer. The invitation and draft agenda has to be sent to member unions at least two months before the AM.
The AM can decide on motions on actual matters and developments which concern journalists' and journalists unions' interests in Europe. Member unions with voting rights and the Steering Committee have the right to submit motions. Motions from member unions must be submitted to the Steering Committee at least one month before the AM and shall be sent to member unions at least two weeks before the AM. The voting system shall be the same as the voting system at the EFJ General Meeting.
The AM considers the report of the Finance Commission.

6. THE STEERING COMMITTEE
6.1   The Steering Committee is the working body which shall be responsible for the co-ordination and supervision of the European Federation's activities. It shall propose a working programme to the GM and shall be responsible for the execution of the GM and AM decisions. The coordination includes the work of the IFJ Project Division, as far as Europe is concerned.
 
6.2   The Steering Committee has nine members and a mandate of three years. They shall be elected by the GM. They can be reelected to the Steering Committee for a maximum of two additional periods. Vacancies in membership of the Steering Committee will be filled by the reserves in the order of votes received at the last GM. If a member of the Steering Committee fails to attend half of the meetings within a year without good reasons, he/she will also be replaced by a reserve.

6.3   The member unions have the right to propose delegates for the list of candidates. No union may have more than one national representative in the Steering Committee. The list of candidates will be closed one month before the GM and circulated among member unions three weeks before the GM. It can be reopened again at the opening of the GM by majority vote on request of member unions. All candidates must have a written mandate from their home union which commits to pay the expenses connected to the function.

6.4   The members of the Steering Committee and the reserves shall be elected by secret ballot. These elections will be chaired by an electoral commission set up at the GM; it will consist of three voting delegates, who are not members of the steering committee or candidates for election.

6.5 The Steering Committee elects a vice-chair and a honorary treasurer from its members.

6.6 The General Secretary of the IFJ shall act as   General Secretary of the EFJ.
6.7   The IFJ President and IFJ Executive Committee elected from Europe shall have the right to participate in the meetings of the Steering Committee without the right to vote.
6.8   The working language of the Steering Committee shall be English.

7. FINANCE COMMISSION
7.1 The objective of the Finance Commission is to review the EFJ accounts. The Finance Commission must report to the General Meetings and give status reports to the Annual Meetings.
7.2 The Finance Commission consists of three lay auditors. None of them belong to any other elected body of the EFJ.

8. SECRETARIAT
8.1   The European Federation of Journalists has a European Officer who is member of the IFJ- staff. His/Her task is to execute the work for the European Federation within the framework given by the Steering Committee. He/She is appointed by approval of the Steering Committee and is responsible to the Steering Committee.
8.2   He/She shall participate in the meetings of the Steering Committee, the GM and the AM without voting rights.

9. EXPERT GROUPS
EFJ-Expert Groups work by mandate of the Steering Committee and shall report to the Steering Committee and the IFJ Executive Committee.
9.1   EFJ-Expert Groups are working bodies of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee appoints its members and decides on the aims and objectives of the work. The Expert Groups are open to experts from outside Europe.
9.2   Members must be experts proposed by member unions which commit to pay the expenses connected to the function
9.3   The Expert Groups must give a report of their work to the Steering Committee at least two times a year. They also report to the General Meeting. The Expert Groups shall, in cooperation with the European Office, make relevant information available on the IFJ/EFJ-websites. The working language of the expert groups is chosen by the members of the expert groups and is German, English, or French.

10. FINANCES
10.1 The financial year of the Federation shall be from January 1 to December 31.
10.2 The activities of the European Federation of Journalists will be subject to EFJ membership fees, EU-contributions, IFJ-contributions and other sources.

10.3 Member unions shall pay fees according to the decision of the GM.

10.4 Activities in line with the EFJ working programme, the GM and the AM can - in coordination with the Steering Committee - be executed and financed by the IFJ Project Division.
10.5 Unions failing to pay their fees or failing to seek special arrangements with the Steering Committee, have their membership terminated by the GM. They will be accepted back into the European Federation of Journalists on payment of fees owed.

11. DISSOLUTION
The European Federation of Journalists may be dissolved upon the vote of two-thirds of the votes cast at an GM being in favour of dissolution. The GM which voted for dissolution shall also determine the allocation of funds still available.


Adopted at the GM in Thessaloniki, 16-17 May 2004.