Statutes of the Association for Seismic Protection of the BSEC member states (ASPBSEC)

Status of the association

The Association for Seismic Protection of the BSEC Member States (ASPBSEC) is a forum of representatives of the appropriate national authorities, institutions and interested research communities dealing with the problems of seismology and related fields of engineering seismology, earthquake engineering and other issues of seismic risk reduction. The Association shall act as a non-profit organization, in accordance with the relevant legislation of the state of the Secretariat's seat, the provisions of the Charter of the Organization of the BSEC and the relevant decisions of the BSEC Council of Ministers, as well as the present Statutes.

Main goals and tasks of the association

Taking into account the high seismic activity and seismic risk in the territories of BSEC Member States often accompanied by human and economic losses, the Association has the following main goals:

• to contribute to seismic protection of the population, through seismic risk reduction in the BSEC Member States,
• to launch multilateral cooperation of appropriate national authorities, seismological institutes and centers as well as of representatives of the engineering communities, other institutions/centers, dealing with seismic risk reduction,
• to contribute to the application of the achievements of seismology and earthquake engineering in developing effective measures for seismic risk reduction,
• to elaborate minimum threshold seismic safety levels for hazardous facilities with due account of existing international regulations,
• to elaborate methods for the protection of monuments and historical buildings and to support their application.

The Association will:

• develop facilities and means for seismic risk reduction such as seismic hazard and risk assessment, seismic codes and design standards according to relevant euro codes, seismo-resistant construction and strengthening of existing buildings, public education, early warning and notification system design, etc.
• exchange scientific and relevant technological information and data and organize technology transfer through the implementation of multilateral programs and projects;
• contribute to the strengthening of the scientific and technological potential of the BSEC in the said fields;
• develop mutually beneficial relations with appropriate international institutions and organizations;
• create necessary conditions and opportunities for young researchers;
• launch an effective dialogue with decision-makers, public institutions, relevant NGOs, research and technological centers, universities, business and financial circles.

The Association shall carry out its activities in conformity with its goals and the decisions adopted by the General Assembly.

Membership

The Association shall be comprised of:

• designated national authorities, dealing with problems of seismology and seismic risk reduction,
• interested universities and research institutions dealing with problems relevant to the ASPBSEC.

All interested organizations dealing with the said fields which recognize the present Statutes, share its goals and officially express willingness to contribute to the activities of the Association are entitled to apply for membership.

Admission of new members shall take place at the General Assembly of the Association upon decisions by the Board of Governors on the basis of consensus.

Candidates for membership may participate in events organized by the Association for its members.

Any member may withdraw from the ASPBSEC by notifying the Chairman, who will inform of it the other members. The withdrawal from the Association becomes effective from the date of its notification to the Chairman.

The precise conditions for admitting new members as well as for suspending for a period of time or even terminating the membership of members which violate the present Statutes will be \quad determined by rules of procedure to be decided by the General Assembly.

Management of the association

The highest decision making body of the Association is the Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors will consist of seventeen members, including one National Representative appointed by each Member State and six members, including two of international standing, elected by the General Assembly of the ASPBSEC in their personal capacity, for a period of two years with the right of renewal.

Until the first meeting of the General Assembly the Board of Governors will function with the eleven National Representatives only.

The Board of Governors shall:

• decide on all issues pertaining to the functioning of the Association with the exception of those which will constitute the prerogative of the General Assembly of the ASPBSEC,
• consider matters submitted to its attention by the appropriate Scientific and other Special Committees dealing with concrete areas of research,
• take necessary measures for ensuring the proper functioning of the Association, &ndash decide on the priority fields for scientific research,
• approve regional projects and programs,
• ensure the application of scientific achievements in the fields of seismology, earthquake engineering and seismic risk reduction,
• be responsible for all financial matters related to the activities of the Association, including approval of the amount of the admission fee and annual membership dues, which will apply to all the members of the Association with the exception of the national designated authorities, one for each country.
• have the responsibility for any future amendments of the Statutes of the ASPBSEC,
• prepare the draft agenda of the General Assembly six months prior to its convening and circulate it to its members.

The Board of Governors will function in accordance with the Rules of Procedures to be elaborated and approved by itself, by consensus of all National Representatives.

Between meetings of the Board of Governors the Chairman shall manage the work of the Association.

In the absence of the Chairman the Vice-Chairman shall assume and implement his/her functions.

The Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors shall be elected by the Board among the National Representatives on a rotating basis.

The specification of the rotation system shall be decided by the first Board of Governors.

The Chairman of the Board of Governors will also preside at the General Assembly of the Association.

In his functions the Chairman will be assisted by a Secretariat which will be located in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The Board of Governors will elaborate and approve the Terms of Reference of the Secretariat which should have all the necessary human and material resources in order to be effective instrument of the Association.

The first Chairman of the Association will be the National Representative of the country where the Secretariat will be located.

The general assembly of the association

The General Assembly shall be convened once every two years.

The following shall constitute the prerogatives of the General Assembly:

• election of six members to the Board of Governors, including two of international standing.
• adoption of a Report on the work of the ASPBSEC including an evaluation of implementation of decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and the Board of Governors;
• admission of new members;
• appointment of members to the Scientific and other special Committees;
• appointment of the Auditor of the ASPBSEC;
• participation of the Association in other relevant international organizations.

Each member shall have one vote.

Decisions shall be taken by a simple majority vote of the members present, unless the General Assembly decides otherwise.

Expenses incurred for the preparation and convening of the General Assembly, meetings of the Board of Governors and of the Scientific and other Special Committees shall be borne by the host country, whose National Representative is the Chairman of the Association, which shall also cover the transportation, board and lodging expenses of the participants from each country (Three for General Assembly and one for the Scientific and other Special Committees). Any other expenses will be borne by the Association itself, its members and sponsors.

The General Assembly in its first meeting will decide on its Rules of Procedure.

The General Assembly decisions shall be mandatory for the members of the ASPBSEC.

Financial matters

The sources of income of the ASPBSEC will be:

• admission and annual membership fees of its members to be determined by the first Meeting of the Board of Governors;
• voluntary contributions of governments and sponsors;
• donations;
• income from participation in regional and international projects;
• subsidies and research grants by the European Union and other international organizations.

The Auditor will be responsible for the auditing of expenses as well as the financial and other assets of the Association. The General Assembly will define his/her duties and functions in detail.

Location, seal and logo

The Location of the Secretariat of Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

The seal and logo of the ASPBSEC are

Languages

The official language of the ASPBSEC is English; working languages are English and Russian.