The association shall be called the European Prosthodontic Association. Its objectives shall be to further knowledge and promote the teaching and practice of Prosthodontics in Europe.
Membership shall be available to those doctors, dentists, allied dental professionals and scientists, from whatever country, who profess an interest in Prosthodontics and shall be by election. Prospective members should make a formal application indicating their special interest in Prosthodontics.
Members - They follow the regular membership application procedures. They can vote at the Annual Business Meeting but cannot hold office as officers of the EPA.
Active members - Only EPA-recognized specialists can be “active members”. Continuously paid membership, attending at least two EPA meetings in a 5-year period, are prerequisites in order to maintain the “active membership” status and the certification as EPA specialist. Status of active membership will be reevaluated by EPA Specialization Committee (EPASC) every 5 years (See EPASC By-laws in Appendix).
Trainee members - Trainees, graduate students and those holding a PhD or an equivalent degree in any discipline of dentistry may become student members for the duration of their studies. The membership application should be accompanied by a letter from the Director of their program, including the area of the discipline and the expected graduation date. Graduate student members cannot attend the Annual Business Meeting and have no voting rights.
En bloc associate members
En bloc membership to the EPA, can benefit from a wide range of privileges, including among others, but not limited to:
EPASC recognized active members cannot be en bloc members and they have to keep their personal membership.
En bloc associate membership would require annual bulk payment from the interested national prosthodontic associations to the EPA.
Members of the en bloc societies shall have voting rights at the Annual Business Meeting. Each society can have one representative and 1 voting right for <500 members, 2 representatives and 2 votes, >500) at the Annual Business Meeting who should make themselves known to the Honorary Secretary prior to the meeting. En bloc representatives of each country should meet the Executive Committee and propose ways to advance their relationship with EPA (i.e. newsletters, educational activities, research projects, scholarships) at least once a year.
A list of applicants for membership will be posted on a prominent notice board during the conference for consideration by the delegates. The names of the applicants will be presented as a formal agenda item at the Annual Business Meeting and be approved by popular vote by the members present.
Continuous EPA membership is a requirement to be included in the List of Active EPA Recognised Specialists in Prosthodontics. Applicants for inclusion in the List of Active EPA Recognised Specialists in Prosthodontics will be approved only by the EPA Specialist Committee (EPASC).
Honorary Life Membership may be conferred on those who have rendered distinguished service to the furtherance of prosthodontic knowledge or have otherwise advanced the interests of prosthodontics and the Association. Honorary membership should be recommended by Council and be by unanimous election of the Association at the Annual Business Meeting.
Shall be payable on admission to membership at an Annual Business Meeting and annually at the date of the annual conference thereafter. The amount of subscription shall be recommended by the Board of Trustees for approval by Council and subsequently approved by a majority vote of members at the Annual Business Meeting. All members, (with the exception of Honorary Life Members) must pay their annual membership subscription promptly. The Honorary Treasurer will send one reminder to those members who have not paid their membership subscription by 1st day of January following the conference.
Any member whose subscription is in arrears for two complete subscription years shall be deemed to have forfeited membership and must be re-elected at a business meeting and pay the appropriate subscription. Their names will be removed from the membership databases and from the web-site.
The finances of the Association are governed by the European Prosthodontic Trust, which is recognised as a charitable organisation for tax purposes in the UK. There will be five Trustees appointed to the Board. At least three Trustees are required to constitute a Board of Trustees Meeting. One new Trustee will be appointed by the Board annually and the most Senior Trustee will retire annually. Trustees may serve a maximum of five consecutive years. The Honorary Treasurer is also a Trustee, ex officio, and the Honorary Secretary attends the Board for the purpose of taking minutes and forming a link with Council. Members may serve more than one five-year term but not sequentially. The Board must meet at least once per year with the most Senior Trustee present taking the Chair. The duties of the Trustees are set out in the Trust Deed which is held by the Honorary Secretary. If, for any reason, one of the five Trustee places becomes vacant during any year of office the remaining Trustees may co-opt a new Trustee from the EPA membership for the remaining part of that year.
Members of Trustees are required to be present at the annual meeting. Absences are allowed only for very important reasons. Otherwise, the rest of the board has the right to replace the absent member with a majority vote at the very meeting.
This shall consist of the President, a First President Elect who will succeed in office and a Second President Elect who will be next in succession. Each President after their year of office will remain on Council as Immediate Past President for one year followed by another one year as a Past President. A Past President can serve as an officer on the EPA Council no longer than one additional year after immediate past presidency.The Chair of the EPASC is also a voting member of Council.
Three elected members, who must be EPA members, shall also sit on the Council and hold office for a three year term. They shall not serve for more than three years in succession except under exceptional circumstances and only with the approval of Council. One elected member should be replaced each year.
In exceptional circumstances, Council may appoint up to three co-opted members from the membership, who should hold office for as long as their expertise is needed, but are not voting members of Council.
The President, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer shall constitute the Executive Committee which shall conduct the business of the Association in the intervals between Council Meetings.
These shall be to conduct the affairs of the Association with equity and arrange for its meetings as conveniently as possible for members and in accordance with the objectives of the Association.
The Council shall meet prior to the Annual Business Meeting and refer to it any matters, which may affect the welfare of the Association.
At least one Council meeting will take place via teleconference within the first three months of the year. It will have the same value as the actual Council meeting.
The Officers of the Association shall be elected annually at the Business Meeting.
Nominations for Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Editor should be submitted to the Secretary for election, bearing in mind that these officers may normally expect to serve up to a maximum period of six years in office. Prior to the final year of service of an officer, a successor should be elected who would serve on Council and learn from/assist the retiring officer as required.
Nominations for a future President Elect shall be made, in sufficient time for proper consideration by the Council, to the Honorary Secretary. Nominees must signify that they are willing to serve as President of the Association to provide leadership for the Association and for the Annual Conference. Council is not obliged to appoint any candidate that they consider is not of sufficient merit to warrant the honour of becoming EPA President. The name(s) of the successful candidates shall be announced at the Annual Business Meeting together with the results of any election. Council would not consider future Presidents more than three years in advance following the Annual Conference. Honorary Secretary shall invite all active EPA members for nomination to the new post.
If more than one nomination is received Council will decide the successful candidate, by ballot if necessary. If no nominations are received by the Honorary Secretary before the Annual Conference, members of Council may propose a new ordinary member for Council at the Council meeting that precedes the Annual Conference. Nominees must signify that they are willing to serve as Council Members before their election is approved by the membership at the Annual Business Meeting.
Nominations for two Honorary Auditors shall also be made. Existing Auditors shall be eligible for re-election.
These shall be to preside at all meetings of the Council and the Association, including the Annual Conference and to act in the best interests of the Association at all times.
These shall be to assist the President and to prepare for leadership of the Association.
These shall be to receive all money due to, and pay all monies owed by, the European Prosthodontic Trust keeping a particular account of all such receipts and payments. The Treasurer shall conduct the finances of the Trust in close co-operation with the Trustees. The Treasurer should refer to the Trustees any proposed expenditure by the elected officers or other parties acting on behalf of the Association which may be considered excessive. The Treasurer shall submit an audited financial report to the Trustees, the Council and the Annual Business Meeting. The Treasurer must submit the accounts of the Association for scrutiny by the Honorary Auditors on an annual basis and must present a financial report to the Trustees, Council and the Annual Business Meeting.
Duties of the Honorary Secretary shall be to keep the minutes of the business of the Association, to attend to correspondence, and work in co-operation with the President and Chair of Trustees and submit an annual report to Trustees, Council and the Annual Business Meeting. Honorary Secretary should draft minutes of the Trustees, Council and Annual Business meetings and circulate them 2 weeks after the annual Conference among the officers. After approval of the minutes by the officers of the Association, Secretary shall submit an annual report at the Annual Business Meeting where the report will be evaluated, discussed and finally ratified at the Annual Business Meeting. The minutes of the meeting will then be published in a timely manner on the EPA website. The Secretary shall submit an annual report to the members of the Council and the Annual Business Meeting.
These shall be to arrange for the publication of the Conference Proceedings of the Association and other appropriate information in the best possible manner, keep a register of all material forwarded to the Association and superintend its storage or return. The Proceedings of the Association will be in English. A copy of the Proceedings shall be placed on the website. The Honorary WebMaster / Editor shall submit a report to Council and the Annual Business Meeting. The webmaster will maintain the website and ensure it is up to date. The webmaster will advise Council on any changes necessary to improve the site and hence the public image of the Association.
The Annual Conference, which will be held in the European Country where the President resides and/or practices Prosthodontics. Under exceptional circumstances, and only with the prior approval of both the Trustees and Council, can the venue be in a country other than the home country of the President.
The Annual Conference will normally be organised for the first Thursday in September each year and the conference duration will be two and one half days (5 sessions). However, with the approval of Council, the dates for the conference can be changed, but should be in late summer/early autumn.
Conference fees are intended to cover the cost of organising the conference and should be calculated accordingly so that a surplus is made at the end of the conference. All persons attending conference must pay the required fees. Only the President has the discretion to reduce or waive conference fees for individual cases.
The proposal for future conferences should be made to the Council at least two months prior to the annual EPA Conference along with a “business plan” with a focus on the location, venue, facilities, travel time, budget, accommodation options and cost, assuring support from local prosthodontic society, safety, etc. Proposals made during the Council meeting will not be accepted.
Council would not consider future Presidents and venues more than three years in advance following the Annual Conference.
This shall take place during the Annual Conference of the Association, and no other events, presentations or sessions will be scheduled during the time allocated for the Annual Business Meeting.
The Annual Business Meeting shall have, at least, the following agenda:
The official language of the Conference shall be English and the language of the host country holding the Conference will be the second language.
The President Elect shall be installed as President for the succeeding year at the end of the Annual Conference.
Amendments to the Constitution can only be made at an Annual Business Meeting. Proposed amendments must be notified to the Secretary at least two months before the meeting at which they are to be considered to allow circulation in advance to all members. The amendments will only be approved if there is a three quarter majority of the members present.
Standing and Ad Hoc Committees: Standing and ad hoc committees shall be under the purview of the President of the year and shall be formulated and populated as per the needs of the President and Council.
EPA Specialisation Committee (EPASC), with the charge to assess candidates for EPA Specialty recognition, operates under Standing Rules or By-laws of the EPA. EPASC By-laws will be added as an appendix to the EPA Constitution and will be presented as a separate section of the EPA website.
