Planta Europa Constitution

Legal setup

Plantlife International (PIWC) is a non-government organisational legal entity implementing the programme of Planta Europa and co-ordinating its activities.

PIWC is registered in England, with the shares held by Plantlife - the Wild-Plant Conservation Charity (PWPCC, a registered company and charity).

PIWC retains legal responsibility for the activities undertaken by the Secretariat and has registered (trademarked) and controls the name 'Planta Europa', either acting in its own right or through the offices of PWPCC.

The Board of Directors of PIWC ensures that the Secretariat has sufficient ability to raise and spend funds, employ staff and undertake whatever tasks are required to carry out the agreed activities, within UK and European legislation.

The Executive Director of PWPCC is also Executive Director for PIWC and is responsible for day-to-day management, and is a member of and reports to the Board of PIWC.

Functions of the Planta Europa Steering Committee

The Steering Committee oversees the implementation of the Planta Europa Network's projects and resolutions. It works closely with the Secretariat and has overall responsibility for organising the Network's conferences.

It fixes levels and structure of any membership fees, within principles agreed at conferences. Financial commitments can only be made within the operating budgets agreed with the Secretariat.

The Steering Committee will propose candidates for the positions of President and Chair of the Planta Europa Network, who will be elected byNetwork members at the conference.

Meetings of the Steering Committee

Observers and advisers to the Steering Committee may attend at the invitation of the Chair. Those working for the Secretariat will also attend as requested by the Chair.

Steering Committee members will be responsible for their own expenses, although assistance will be given by the Secretariat on possible funding sources where appropriate. The Steering Committee will normally meet twice a year.

Conferences

The Network will hold full conferences no more than once every three years, to which all member organisations will be invited.

Voting at the conference will be on the basis of one vote per member organisation, normally by show of hands. Where requested, a secret ballot may be used.

Election of the Steering Committee

Before the conference member organisations will be able to nominate Steering Committee members to a Nomination Committee.

All nominations should be supported by five signatures from Conference delegates, and also by a short statement of the nominee's background, and interest in the work of Planta Europa.

The Nomination Committee will recommend new members to the Conference and the Conference will be asked to endorse the new Committee. The number of Steering Committee members should be determined by the level of activity of the Network.

At a minimum, this should consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, plus two members each from:

• central & eastern Europe
  
• western Europe
  
• northern Europe
  
• southern Europe

The Planta Europa Chair will also hold the position of Steering Committee Chair.

Network operating principles

The Network should:

• be built on what already exists, especially existing organisations and networks
  
• be task oriented with minimum bureaucracy
  
• form a genuine partnership within the spirit of these guidelines
  
• include a fair geographical representation wherever possible

Specific tasks to be implemented by network members will be determined by Planta Europa resolutions passed at the conferences.

In general these should result in:

• a set of commonly agreed tasks designed to build the capacity of the Network to achieve its mission
  
• promotion of plant conservation at a European level

Operating guidelines

These guidelines are a mechanism for achieving mutually operating partnerships between the members of the Planta Europa Network.

They are also a way of releasing synergies between Network members, whereby the attributes of each complement and enhance each other.

All activities deemed to involve the Planta Europa Network (and using the Planta Europa name) must have the prior informed consent of the majority of Network members, expressed at conference.

Between conferences the prior permission of the Steering Committee must be sought.

All such activities, or those which originated at conference, should acknowledge Planta Europa on any publications or other outputs produced.

Each Network member will designate a contact person to be responsible for Network decisions.