ERCOFTAC Council (EC)

The ERCOFTAC Council, hereinafter the Council, is:

• competent for the powers provided for in the by-laws;
• composed of a minimum of 10 members and will be chaired by the Chairman of ERCOFTAC.

The Council shall be composed of elected representatives of voting members. All Pilot Centres may nominate two members to the General Assembly for election. The representatives approved by the General Assembly are hereafter referred to as Council members. The Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of ERCOFTAC, the Scientific Program Committee and the Knowledge Network Committee and the Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer are ex-officio members of the Council. The Board may propose up to five additional Council members to the General Assembly.

The Council members are appointed by the General Assembly on the following conditions:

• Each Council member shall be elected for a 2 year term and is eligible for reappointment.
• They are serving in a personal capacity only. Each year up to half the Council may be changed. This applies only to Council members who have completed two years service.
• In case of a vacancy, the Council will nominate a temporary substitute. The next General Assembly will elect a permanent replacement. A Council member's two year term shall begin from the date of election by the General Assembly.
• The position of a Council member is unsalaried.

The role of the Council is to approve reports, the annual budget and accounts of the Board prior to presentation to the General Assembly and to find suitable candidates to serve on the Board. Only the Council can propose candidates for the Board to the Assembly for election.

The Council will convene at least once a year ahead of any General Assembly. The meeting must be convened by the Chairman of the Board and will be presided over by him or her. The agenda of the Council is drawn up by the Chairman. The meeting may be held at any place specified in the notice convening the meeting. Any resolutions of the Council will be adopted by simple majority of the Council members present or represented. The Chairman will hold the casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

A decision of the Council is valid if a minimum of 5 members is present or represented. A Council member may be represented by another Council member. No Council member may have more than one proxy vote.

P​ast Composition before By-law amendments in 2023:

ERCOFTAC is governed by its General Assembly of all representatives of member organisations. In practice power is generally devolved to the Management Board and its Executive Committee.

The composition of the Board is governed by the By-Laws of ERCOFTAC. These specify that:

• The Association shall be managed by a Board composed of a minimum of 10 members, of whom at least one has the Belgian nationality.
• The Board shall be composed of elected representatives of voting members. Half shall be elected from the members of the Industry register and half shall be elected from members of the Research register. Hereafter these representatives are referred to as Board members. The Board may propose up to five additional members to the General Assembly. The chairmen of the Scientific Program Committee and the Technical Committee are ex-officio members of the Board.
• The Board members are appointed by the General Assembly on the following conditions: Each Board member shall be elected for a 2 year term and is eligible for re-appointment. They are serving in a personal capacity only.
• Each year up to half the Board may be changed. This applies only to Board members who have completed two year service. In case of a vacancy the Board will nominate a temporary substitute. The next General Assembly will elect a permanent replacement. A Board member's two year term shall begin from the date of election by the General Assembly. The position of a Board member is unsalaried.

It has become the general custom for each ERCOFTAC Pilot Centre to nominate members of the Board, typically one from industry and one from research. In the case that they are not nominated by their Pilot Centre, the Board Chairman, SPC Chairman, IPC Chairman, Treasurer and Deputy Chairmen are regarded as Board members ex-officio. Formally these officers can comprise the 5 additional members the Board can suggest to the General Assembly. The Board is elected en mass by the General Assembly every two years; provisional interim appointments can be approved each year.

At the start of 1998 the Board moved to holding its meetings once a year, generally in autumn. The Executive Committee meets in spring with similar powers. Either a Board or an Executive Committee meeting follows the meetings of the Scientific Programme Committee and the Industrial Programme Committee, and considers their recommendations as well as other matters.