The following is the official text adopted by ENIL´s General Assembly
meeting in Stockholm on June 12, 1996.
Name and SeatThe organisation has the name "European Network on Independent
Living", hereafter referred to as "ENIL", and is registered
as a non-profit making membership organisation in Sweden, the registration
number beingENIL has its seat in Stockholm. ENIL is the organisation of the Independent
Living Movement in Europe. Some of the Movement's branches have translated
the term Independent Living into their respective language equivalent.PurposeENIL's purpose is to develop and support the Independent Living Movement
in Europe in order to improve the situation of persons with disabilities
through
ENIL works towards building a closer network among disabled people and
their organisations for Independent
Living on a local, national and European level in order to improve co-operation,
disseminate information and advocate for members' rights. To this end ENIL has prepared an Action
Plan to
MembershipIndividual disabled persons as well as organisations of disabled people
and their national bodies in Europe can apply for membership, if they support
and adhere to the Independent Living philosophy and approach and if - in
the case of organisations - they are run, represented and controlled by
persons with disabilities. More information on philosophy, approach and
demands on members is stated in the document "Principles
of Independent Living".ENIL's Board decides on membership applications by simple majority.The membership fee is decided at the General Assembly. The fee may differ
for individual members, organisations and national organisations.Cancellations of MembershipMembers have the right to cancel their membership. Membership fees will
not be refunded.ExclusionA member may be excluded from the organisation, if the member does not
fulfil the member's duties as stated in the statute such as:
The General Assembly decides on exclusion cases after a hearing with
the respective member. A hearing shall not be necessary, if the member explicitly
forgoes this option, or if the member has moved to an unknown address, or
if neither the respective member nor an authorised representative for the
member is present at the meeting where the issue is to be dealt with. The
respective member has to be notified of the exclusion in writing and without
delay.Membership RightsEach member has the right to participate in and to contribute to the
organisation's activities. This includes in particular the right to:
General AssemblyThe General Assembly is the organisation's main decision making body.
The General Assembly has to take place at least once in every three years.
Each individual member has one vote at the General Assembly. Each member
organisation and national organisation - independent of the number of members
- has one vote as well. No one can represent both herself/himself and an
organisation at the same time. Thus, one person one vote, the exception
being those instances where a present member can show a proxy written by
an absent member to vote on the absent member's behalf.The Board has to inform the membership in writing about the General
Assembly at least six (6) weeks before the planned date of the General Assembly.
The notice has to contain the place, date and time of day and include an
agenda. The agenda should contain all the items that are known up to the
date of posting the agenda.The General Assembly elects the chair for the meeting and the minute
taker. The minutes shall be signed by the meeting's chair and the minute
taker. Members shall receive the minutes of the meeting no later than three
(3) months after the General Assembly.Decisions of the General AssemblyThe General Assembly decides primarily over the following issues:
Decisions on the General Assembly are made by simple majority by all
the members present with voting rights, as long as this procedure is in
accordance with the law and the organisation's Statute. In case of a tied
vote on a motion the motion will be turned down.The following decisions require a majority vote of three quarters of
the present members:
The quorum of the General Assembly is, if ten (10) members from at least
five (5) countries are either physically present or have authorised present
members to vote on their behalf. Before the General Assembly can start,
the number of members with voting rights has to be counted and adopted by
the Assembly. If the General Assembly has no quorum, the Board shall announce
another General Assembly to be held no later than one (1) month after the
date of the first General Assembly. This subsequent General Assembly can
have a quorum with a smaller number of members with voting rights than what
has been specified above. The Board, in this case, decides how many members
with voting rights make up the quorum.At the election of the Board members and other officers, each member
has one vote to be cast on each of the officers to be elected. Those candidates
receiving the highest number of votes are elected. In case of a tie the
General Assembly chair decides by drawing a lot.The BoardThe Board consists
of at least six (6) persons and not more than nine (9). The General Assembly
shall determine the number of Board members before election of the Board
takes place. All Board members must be disabled people. Representation on
the Board should be of different countries, regions, cultures and impairments.
An equal balance in gender should be sought. The majority of Board members
shall be persons who are dependent on personal assistance in their everyday
lives.Board members are elected for a period of office for three (3) years.
If no new election of the Board takes place at the end of that period, the
elected Board members stay on until the following General Assembly.If a member of the Board leaves before the end of the elected period,
the remaining Board members may appoint a substitute by simple majority.
The person shall serve for the remainder of the period. The Board will meet
at least two (2) times a year. The meetings can also be conducted by e-mail,
fax or telephone conference under the condition that at least two thirds
of the Board members participate. The Board may delegate individual members
with specific areas of responsibility.Non-Profit making StatusENIL is a non-profit making organisation.ENIL's funds may only be used for purposes stated in the Statue.DissolutionIn the event of the organisation's dissolution or loss of the organisation's
non-profit making status, ENIL's assets are to be transferred to another
organisation with similar aims.