Preamble

The Association of European Universities Public Relations and Information Officers EUPRIO was established on 12 May 1986 in Brussels with the support of officials from the EC (now EU), and it was announced to the public at a press conference of the Education Ministers of the Community in the Hague (the Netherlands) on 16 May 1986.

The aims of EUPRIO are:
- to promote exchange of ideas and techniques of PR and information for institutions
  for higher education amongst its members;
- to create a network to assist members in their tasks as professional PR and 
  information officers within their institutions;and
- to promote the professional excellence of all members in their work.

Membership is open to:
- all those professionally engaged in the fields of media, public relations, marketing
  and information in institutions for higher education in Europe and relevant, related
  organisations (individual membership);
- institutions of higher education in Europe and relevant, related organisations
  (institutional memberhsip).

The individual membership will give the member involved the right to attend the annual meeting of EUPRIO and to get a member's discount on the conference fee for the annual EUPRIO conference. This on the condition that the individual membership fee will have been paid before the end of March.

The institutional membership entitles groups of up to four employees, engaged in the field of media, public relations, marketing and information within the institute/ organisation involved, to register as members. These members have the same rights as individual members on the condition that the institutional membership fee will have been paid before the end of March.

Institutions/organisations have to make a choice between individual and institutional membership for their employees, who want to become members of Euprio.

Membership fees

The individual membership fee will cover the membership of one individual member and has to be paid on a calendar year basis.

The institutional membership fee will cover the membership of 1-4 employees of the institution/organisation involved, and has to be paid also on a calendar year basis. This means that an institute/organisation has to pay 1 x the institutional membership fee for 1-4 employees, 2 x the institutional membership fee for 5-8 employees, 3 x the institutional membership fee for 9-12 employees etcetera.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is the highest body of the association. The Steering Committee has the powers:
- to appoint the members and deputy members of the Steering Committee, normally
  on the recommendation of the relevant national association;
- to elect the members of the Executive Committee: the president, the deputy
  president, the treasurer and the secretary; 
- to appoint the editor of the newspage on the EUPRIO website;
- to approve of the programme of the annual conference;
- to approve of the choice of place where the annual conference will be held;
- to agree the level of the annual membership fees;
- to approve the budget and the accounts;
- to establish and dissolve such sub-committees as the Steering Committee sees fit,
  from time-to-time;
- to alter the constitution; and
- to discontinue i.e. end the association.

Members of the Steering Committee

Each European country that has had at least five members can appoint a national representative and a deputy national representative. Where possible, they are nominated by their national meeting of Information and PR officers of institutions for higher education, with membership confirmed at the next meeting of the Steering Committee. Both the national representative and the deputy can attend the same meeting of the Steering Committee. All members of the Steering Committee are appointed for an initial two-year term, and can be re-appointed for a maximum of two further two-year terms.Countries are allowed to appoint a joint national representative and/or deputy.

The national representative, together with the deputy, is responsible for all EUPRIO matters in the country concerned, including:
- membership recruitment and retention;
- collection of the annual membership fee and transfer of fees to the Treasurer;
- providing copy for the Electronic Newsletter; and
- promoting the annual conference.

Officers of the Association

There shall be the president, the deputy president, the treasurer and the secretary of EUPRIO, all elected by the Steering Committee. The four officers will form the Executive Committee of EUPRIO which will deal with the preparation of and the realisation of the decisions taken by the Steering Committee and with the day-to-day management of EUPRIO.

The president-elect shall be selected by the Steering Committee at least one year in advance and shall serve as Deputy President for one year prior to taking up the office of President. The outgoing President shall serve as Deputy President for one year after his/her term of office as President.
The treasurer and the secretary shall be appointed for two years in the first instance, and shall serve for a maximum of four years. All terms of office as an Officer shall be in addition to terms of office as a member of the Steering Committee.

- The president shall chair meetings of the Steering Committee and of  the Executive
  Committee and represent EUPRIO at meetings of other  bodies, as agreed from
  time-to-time.

- The deputy president shall deputise for the president, as necessary.

- The treasurer shall prepare the budget and accounts, manage the bank accounts
  and investments, and recommend the level of the membership fee.

- The secretary shall make a written account of the meetings, publish a record of the
  decisions taken and monitor the membership of the Steering Committee

- A meeting of the Steering Committee can only take binding decisions if at least sixty
  percent of its members or their deputies is present.
- Each country represented in the Steering Committee has one vote only.
- All decisions of the Steering Committee are taken by an absolute majority of votes. If
  the votes are divided equally, the president (or chair of the meeting in the absence of
  the president) shall have a casting vote.
- Decisions for altering the constitution need three-fourths of the number of votes of
  those present to be cast in favour.
- A decision to dissolve the association can only be taken after consultation with the
  members of the association at the annual conference. Such a decision has to be
  prepared by a meeting of the Steering Committee, in which three-fourths of votes
  cast are in  favour. After consulting the members the Steering Committee has to
  confirm the decision with a three-fourths majority.
- Decisions of the Executive Committee are taken with an absolute majority of votes. If
  the votes are equally divided, the president (or chair) shall have a casting vote.