Statutes of the Nordic Stroke Society
1. The name of the Society is the Nordic Stroke Society.
2. The society is an association of medical professionals with an interest in good clinical care and research on cerebrovascular disorders.
3. The aim of the Society is to promote implementation of evidence-based care and research of cerebrovascular disorders in the Nordic and Baltic countries with special emphasis on scientific collaboration and exchange across national borders and between professional disciplines.
4. The official language of the Society is English. However, the language of member countries may be used at meetings when this is appropriate (i.e. when all attendees speak the language used).
5. Application for membership can be submitted to the Board of the Society or as an active choice (opt-in) when registering for a Nordic Stroke Society Conference. Membership is approved by the Board and is valid until the member informs on resignment.
6. The General Assembly may, after nomination by the Board, appoint as honorary members persons that have extensively promoted the interests of the Society.
7. The Board consists of 16 members (2 from each of the following countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden). Members of the Board are elected for a period of 2 years. If an ordinary board member is elected as a Chair or Secretary after a 2-year period as ordinary board member, they may serve in the board a maximum of 6 years. It is preferable that the board consists of multidisciplinary stroke specialists and aims to gender equality.
8. The financial business of the society shall be supervised by 2 auditors that are appointed for a period of 2 years by the General Assembly. The Auditors may be re-elected.
9. The Chairperson is obliged to call a Board meeting if this is requested by at least 2 Board members.
10. It is the task of the Chair to lead the meetings of the Society and, in collaboration with the Secretary, to propose an agenda for the meetings. It is the task of the Secretary to send to the members a call and an agenda at least 2 weeks before each meeting and at least 1 month before a General Assembly. In addition, the Secretary is to make reports and oversee the correspondence of the Society. The account year of the Society covers the period from 01 January to 31 December. The accounts shall be delivered to the Auditors with enough time for them to provide a written account to the General Assembly.
11. All acts and correspondence made in the name of the Society shall be signed by the Chair and the Secretary. In financial transactions, the name of the Society is signed by the Chair and the Treasurer separately.
12. In preparation for a General Assembly, an Election Committee will provide a proposal for elections. The members of this Committee are the Chair of the Society and 3 other persons elected by the General Assembly for a period of 2 years. The election committee may be re-elected for two consecutive periods (4 years in total). The 4 members in the Election Committee should represent different countries.
13. The Society arranges a General Assembly at least once every 2 years. At the General Assembly:
· 2 rapporteurs should be elected;
· a report on the activity of the Board should be evaluated;
· the report by the Auditors should be evaluated and a decision on approval of the financial accounts of the Board should be made;
· members of the Board and Auditors should be elected in accordance with the 9th paragraph of the Statutes;
· an Election Committee should be appointed in accordance with the 13th paragraph of the Statutes;
· a decision should be made on the membership fee for the next 2 years;
14. An extraordinary General Assembly should be arranged when the Chairperson or the Board finds it necessary, or when at least 20 of the members of the Society demands this in writing to the Chairperson. The members are called to a meeting as described in the 10th paragraph.
15. Decisions on changes of the Statutes can only be made at a General Assembly. A written proposal on changes must be submitted to the Board at least 2 months before the General Assembly. A proposal on changes of the Statutes and the commentaries by the Board should be sent to the members of the Society together with the call to the General Assembly.
16. For a change of the Statutes to be accepted, at least 2/3 of the members present at the General Assembly have to agree.
17. The Nordic Stroke Society may provide a loan of 50,000 SKR (2009 prices) to National Stroke Societies hosting the forthcoming Nordic Stroke Society Congress (optional).
18. A fixed percentage, 5%, of the Congress participation fee must be transferred to the Nordic Stroke Society to cover minimum maintenance of the Society’s activities (non-optional). In addition, a minimum of 20% of the surplus from the Nordic Stroke Society Congresses must be transferred to the Nordic Stroke Society (non-optional). Money transfers shall be agreed in written between the local Congress organizers and the Society.
The Statutes above were initially approved on August 21th 2009 in Helsinki. Changes of the Statutes in bold were approved by the General Assembly of the Nordic Stroke Society in Kuopio, August 22th 2023.