Constitution
CONSTITUTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF ANGIOLOGY
(modified on April 24, 2021)
Article 1
By the subscribers to the present statutes an association is founded entitled "International Union of Angiology (IUA)". It is ruled by the French law of 1901 decreed August 16, 1901, Law number 81 909 of October 9, 1982. The following subtitle describes the constituents of the organisation: "A Society for Vascular Medicine, Surgery and Endovascular Interventions".
Article 2: Goals
The goals of the Union are:
a) to stimulate and disseminate, at an international level, scientific knowledge in the whole field of vascular diseases;
b) to stimulate and promote the exchange of information, ideas, practices across all borders, to achieve vascular health for everyone, everywhere;
c) the IUA facilitates propagation of all documents and knowledge on angiology (understood as vascular medicine, surgery, and endovascular interventions) through various media, by the organisation of congresses, seminars, national and international meetings, and by the publication of journals as well as by textbooks.
d) to stimulate programmes of screening and prevention of vascular diseases;
e) to stimulate research as well as clinical work in angiology in the different countries;
g) to encourage the dissemination of knowledge regarding vascular diseases to the public and the professionals;
h) to develop international standards of practice and training in the management of vascular diseases;
i) to encourage international exchange for training in the management of vascular diseases;
l) to encourage the formation and activities of societies or associations of angiology and to encourage these societies to join the IUA.
Furthermore, it will set up committees or commissions to handle different activities of the IUA.
Article 3: Headquarters
a) The registered office of the IUA is located at "Collège Français de Pathologie Vasculaire, Maison de l'Angiologie, 18 rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris, France".
b) The headquarters of the IUA is located at the address of the President.
c) The Executive Board establishes the site of the Administrative Secretariat of the IUA.
Article 4: Official language
The official language of the International Union of Angiology is English.
Article 5: Membership
The IUA is composed of members interested in vascular diseases.
Admission of membership to the Union is approved by the Executive Board after the evaluation by the Membership Committee.
All financial members in good standing are defined as “active” members and can participate in the activities of the IUA such as Boards, General Assemblies, and Committees. All fees are determined annually by the Executive Board.
Membership in the IUA comes to an end by:
1) Resignation.
2) Dismissal. This is decided by the Executive Board because of non-payment of the membership fee or other serious reasons as judged by the Executive Board. The member is invited to defend his/her case during a meeting of the Executive Board with the possibility of redress at the next General Assembly if notification is sent by the member within two months of receipt of the letter of dismissal. Dismissal approved by the General Assembly is considered irrevocable.
There are 8 groups of members:
a) Honorary members
These are members who have rendered significant services to the Union. They have to be approved by the Administrative Board and pay no annual fee.
b) Corporate members
Corporate members are those companies or industries that pay an annual fee determined by the Executive Board.
c) Full members
Full members are those who pay an annual fee at the beginning of each year. This fee is determined by the Executive Board and includes the subscription to the official journal of the IUA.
d) Emeritus members
A full member of the IUA can apply to the Executive Board to become an Emeritus member at age 65. The membership fee for Emeritus members is reduced by 50%.
e) Associate members
Associate members are those who do not hold a medical degree or PhD (for example, vascular technologists, vascular nurses). The annual fee is determined by the Executive Board.
f) Associate societies or organisation members
This category includes national or international scientific societies or organisations dealing with practical or theoretical aspects of vascular disease. Each society or organisation will pay an annual fee and nominate one representative who is a full member of the IUA to the Administrative Board.
The associate societies have some benefits and obligations as outlined in the Internal Regulations (Art. 15).
g) Institutional members
Institutional members are those members from the same institution whose fee is paid by the institution. Each group of 3 members pays the Institutional fee and receives one journal subscription. The annual fee is determined by the Executive Board.
h) Fellows of the International Union of Angiology (FIUA)
The title of Fellow of the International Union of Angiology (FIUA) may be conferred on members who have fulfilled scientific, clinical, and other criteria for the title as determined by the Executive Board. They pay an annual fee at the beginning of each year. This fee is determined by the Executive Board. Only Fellows of the IUA can be members of the Executive Board.
Article 6: Finances
Income sources of the Union are as follows:
1) Membership fees.
2) Donations.
3) Income from publication of the journals or other means of publication.
4) Income from activities of the IUA.
5) Grants coming from the state or public institutions.
6) Funds from the chapter and world congresses. This amount to be determined by the Executive Board in conjunction with the Organising Committee for the congress.
7) Any other resources authorised by legal or regulatory rules.
Article 7: Offices
a) The President
The President represents the IUA in all its activities in civil life and has all powers in that respect (for example, to appear in proceedings to defend the IUA and for any inquiry into IUA activities), including the administrative and financial activities (as bank account).
The President draws up the agenda of meetings and convenes meetings of the Executive Board, the Administrative Board, and the General Assembly. The duration of the mandate is 2 years.
b) The Secretary General and the Associate Secretary General
The Secretary General, assisted by the Associate Secretary General, supervises the administrative work of the IUA.
They are elected for a 2-year renewable term.
c) The Treasurer General and the Associate Treasurer General
The Treasurer General, assisted by the Associate Treasurer General, manages all financial aspects of the IUA, executing all payments and collecting all income under the supervision of the President. The Treasurer General keeps a record of all transactions and produces a complete report to the Executive and Administrative Boards and the General Assembly.
They are elected for a 2-year renewable term.
d) The President Elect
The President Elect is the President of the next IUA World Congress. He/she is elected among the Vice-Presidents by the Executive Board and approved by the Administrative Board. The President elect is a voting member of the Executive Board.
e) Absence or incapacity of the President
The President Elect is authorised to take over the functions of the President and to decide on the necessary items. If the President Elect is incapacitated, he/she is replaced by another member of the IUA Executive Board.
f) The Executive Board
The Administrative Board elects an Executive Board for 2 years.
The Executive Board is composed of active voting members:
1) President
2) Chapter Vice-Presidents
3) Secretary General
4) Associate Secretary General
5) Treasurer General
6) Associate Treasurer General
7) President Elect
8) Immediate Past President
The Chief Editor of the official journal is a non-voting member of the Executive Board.
Active Past Presidents of the Union, the representatives of the IUA Journals, the Secretaries of Chapters and societies, and representatives of the Multinational Chapter are members of the Administrative Board and can be invited to meetings of the Executive Board as observers.
g) Advisors to Executive Board
This body is composed of the Past Presidents of the IUA.
They oversee whether the Executive Board exercises the powers under the legislation and in accordance with the constitution of the IUA; supervises how the bookkeeping is maintained and review the annual, extraordinary and consolidated financial statements; call attention of the Executive Board to identified shortcomings and give suggestions for their elimination.
They are voting members of the Administrative Board.
h) Advisors to the President
The President can appoint 6 active members from the Administrative Board as advisors. They have the function of counsellors of the President.
Advisors to the President are voting members of the Administrative Board. They can be invited to the meetings of the Executive Board as non-voting members.
i) Administrative Board
The Administrative Board consists of the National and Society Delegates (who constitute the Parliament of the IUA). They have to be active members of the IUA.
Other voting members of the Administrative Board are the Advisors to the President and the Advisors to the Executive Board. They have to be active members.
The Administrative Board can nominate a temporary replacement, with the next General Assembly deciding on a permanent replacement. The term of the temporary member to the Administrative Board nominated in that way ends at the time when normally the term of the replaced member expires.
j) National and Society Delegates
National delegates to the Administrative Board are elected in the following way: each national group of members elects for 2 years one or more national delegates depending on the total number of national members. One national delegate is elected per 200 full members of a national group and a supplementary delegate will be elected for each additional 200 or fraction of 200 members.
Society delegates (one for each associate society) are nominated by the Executive Boards of the associate societies. They become members of the Administrative Board and the Parliament of the IUA for 2 years. They have voting rights if they are active members.
Article 8: Chapters
The IUA has chapters corresponding to the geographic divisions of the members.
The Executive Board can create other chapters according to the need of the IUA.
The decision has to be ratified by the Administrative Board.
At present the chapters are:
1) European Chapter
2) North American Chapter
3) Latin American Chapter
4) Asian Chapter
5) South Asian Chapter
6) Australian and New Zealand Chapter
7) North African and Middle East Chapter
8) Southern African Chapter
9) Chinese Chapter
10) Multinational Chapter
Each chapter has a Vice President, who is a voting member of the Executive Board.
For Chapters 1 to 9, a Secretary is nominated by the Administrative Board for 2 years from among the national delegates. The Secretaries of the Chapters are voting members of the Administrative Board and can be invited to meetings of the Executive Board.
Chapter 10 includes multinational vascular societies and organisations. Each Multinational Chapter society or organisation nominates a representative who serves as a voting member of the Administrative Board and can be also invited to meetings of the Executive Board, subject to that society paying the annual fee for the associate society or organisation (Article 5f) and the representative being an active full active member of the IUA.
Article 9: Meetings of the Boards
The Executive Board meets every time the President requests it and the meeting can be summoned also by virtual modality when necessary. The decisions of the Executive Board are taken by a majority of votes. In the case of equality of votes, the vote of the President is casting.
The Administrative Board meets once every year, convened by the President. The decisions of the Administrative Board are taken by a majority of votes. In the case of equality of votes, the vote of the President is casting.
Article 10: Committees, Councils, or Commissions
The Executive Board can create Committees, Councils, or Commissions according to the need of the IUA and the rules reported in the Internal Regulations.
All members of the Committees, Councils, or Commissions have to be active members of the IUA.
At the present there are:
a) The Membership Committee
It is composed of the President and Chapter Vice-Presidents and Secretaries. It reviews the applications that are presented, taking into account the curriculum vitae, position, and titles of the candidates. It meets as often as necessary at Executive Board meetings.
b) The Financial Committee
It is composed of the President, Immediate Past President, President Elect, Treasurer General, Associate Treasurer General, Immediate Past Treasurer General, Secretary General, and 3 members of the Administrative Board. It meets as often as necessary.
c) The Scientific Committee
It is composed of the President, one Past President, one Vice-President, the Secretary General, and 6 members of the Administrative Board. Its goal is to determine the most important scientific activities of the IUA. It works together with other scientific organisations, the administrative authorities of Health in various countries, and national and international Health organisations. It promotes the study of angiological problems in all their aspects, establishes guidelines on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of vascular disease, and other fields of interest of the IUA. The Scientific Committee may set up Working Groups to assist with its activities.
d) The Committee of Publication
It is composed of the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Editors of the Journal of the IUA, one Past President, one Vice-President, and 2 representatives of the Administrative Board. Its goal is to ensure the promotion of the journal and to co-ordinate all publication activities.
e) The Vascular Centres Committee
It is composed of the President, one Past President, the Secretary General, one expert in the field, and 6 members of the Administrative Board. Its goal is to co-ordinate the policy of the IUA for the establishment of rules for the creation and implementation of Vascular Centres worldwide. The Vascular Centres Committee may set up Working Groups to assist with its activities.
f) The Council on Vascular Medicine
It is composed of the President or one Past-President, one Vice-President, the Secretary General or Associate Secretary General, one expert in the field, and 6 members of the Administrative Board. Its goal is to develop the field of interest concerning basic and applied research, pathophysiological mechanisms, and diagnostic and therapeutic aspects concerning Vascular Medicine.
g) The Council on Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Intervention
It is composed of the President or one past-President, one Vice-President, the Secretary General or Associate Secretary General, one expert in the field, and 6 members of the Administrative Board. Its goal is to develop the field of interest concerning basic and applied research, pathophysiological mechanisms, and diagnostic and therapeutic aspects concerning Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Interventions.
i) Other Committees, Councils, and Commissions
Other Committees, Councils, and Commissions may be set up by the Executive and Administrative Boards to co-ordinate the different scientific or non-scientific activities of the IUA.
Each Committee and Council must submit a written report on its activities to the Administrative Board and General Assembly 30 days before their meetings. All requests or suggestions made by the Committees, Councils, and Commissions must be approved by the Administrative Board. Each Committee, Council, and Commission has a Chairman and a Co-Chairman nominated by the Executive Board and has a term of office of two years.
Article 11: IUA Foundation
The IUA may constitute a non-profit Foundation, with the aim to collect funds for the promotion of scientific, educational, and preventive activities.
The Board of Directors of the Foundation is composed of the Executive Board of the IUA. Supervisory Board is the supervisory body of the IUA Foundation. Three members of the Supervisory Board are appointed by the Board of Directors for a 2-year renewable term, according to the Constitution of the Foundation.
Article 12: The Ordinary General Assembly
The ordinary General Assembly is composed of all the active members of the IUA whatever their title of membership. It meets normally once a year, preferably at the World Congress in the year of the World Congress and at a Chapter meeting nominated by the Executive Board in the alternate year to the World Congress. The President can call an Ordinary General Assembly when deemed necessary. Urgent meetings of the General Assembly can be organised in between after written request signed by at least 200 members from 10 countries or more. The meeting can be summoned also by virtual modality when necessary.
Concerning the annual meeting, active members are invited at least two weeks before the date determined by the Executive Board. The agenda of the meeting is enclosed in the invitation letter and is set up by the President.
The Secretariat of the General Assembly is the same as for the Executive Board.
The President, assisted by the members of the Executive Board, chairs the General Assembly and communicates the situation of the IUA.
The General Assembly approves the present accounts, votes on the plan of management for the next period and confirms changes of members of the Administrative Board according to the rules of the bylaws. It delegates to the Administrative Board and the Executive Board all power to accomplish the operations that are part of the goals of the IUA, in case the power foreseen in the bylaws to that respect should be insufficient. Moreover, it decides on all questions brought on the agenda. All the decisions of the General Assembly are taken by a majority of votes of present or represented (only one proxy) active members, without any referral to the first or second convocation.
Article 13: The Extraordinary General Assembly
It is composed of all active members of the IUA whatever their title of membership. The President can call an Extraordinary General Assembly when deemed necessary, or on the request of one-half of the number of active members plus one, according to the modalities as mentioned in Article 12.
It should be composed of at least one-fifth of the active members. It has to decide using a three-quarter majority of votes of the members present at the meeting. The active members that are unable to come to the meeting can be represented by another member of the IUA having a written proxy. A list of the members present will be set up and certified by the members of the Executive Board. In case the quorum is not obtained, a second extraordinary meeting can be organised within 2 weeks. During this new meeting, valid decisions can be taken by a majority of votes of active members present or represented (only one proxy). These meetings can be summoned also by virtual modality when necessary.
The Extraordinary General Assembly can decide on:
• modification of the constitution
• a fusion of the International Union of Angiology with another association having the same goals
• the dissolution of the International Union of Angiology and attribution of its belongings according to the laws and rules being operative.
Article 14: Official records (minutes)
The official minutes on the decisions of the Boards and Assemblies are recorded by the Secretary on a register and signed by the President and a member of the Executive Board being present at the deliberations. The Secretary can deliver all certified copies to testimony in front of third parties.
Article 15: By-laws (Internal regulations)
The Executive Board can, if necessary, establish the text of internal regulations to determine practical details of the present by-laws. Such "Internal regulations" as well as its eventual changes will be proposed for approval to the Administrative Board.
Text of the modified constitution approved by the Extraordinary General Assembly held on April 24, 2021, in Rome. The text of the previous modifications was approved by the extraordinary Assembly in Budapest, Hungary on September 7, 2015; in Prague, Czech Republic on July 2, 2012; in Lisbon, Portugal on June 25, 2006; in Rome, Italy on May 24, 2004; and in Rochester, Minnesota, USA on September 14, 1983. (Translation of the French text of the constitution deposited at the "Prefecture de Police de Paris" on December 9, 1983.)