1. Seat of the Association

The EAPC is a privately organized association, founded according to Austrian association law, registered with the Association Authority of the District Administration of Leibnitz, Austria. Its official seat is Römerstrasse 18, 8430 Leibnitz, Austria. E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.eapc.eu.

2. Official language of the Association

The official language is English.

3. Purpose of the Association

The main focus of the activities of the EAPC is the exchange of experience among the members as well as the promotion and strengthening of democracy in the European countries.

4. Means of reaching its goals

To achieve the given goals, EAPC relies on its internal activities for members and on conferences and cooperations open to all political consultants. In addition, it will seek increased European publicity to give EAPC a higher profile in Europe.

5. Membership

Regular members of EAPC can be persons from all European countries as well as persons from all other countries worldwide. Members of EAPC must clearly commit themselves to democratic values in their daily work and fully accept all the rules that EAPC has additionally set itself. One of the central goals of EAPC must be to have members in all European countries.

6. Bodies of the EAPC

All bodies of EAPC are defined in the Constitution of the Association, Article 8.

These are:

1. a) General Assembly

It is the supreme body of EAPC and is responsible for the basic direction of the Association. All tasks are regulated in the Constitution.

1. b) The Board

The Board is responsible for the operational management of the Association. It consists of ten members of the Association, with specific tasks assigned to each member both at the constituent meeting and subsequently.

Some of the key focal points include:

– the development of membership and the achievement of the goal of recruiting members as representatives in each European country.

– the preparation, organization, and realization of events both for the members and for all those involved in political consulting in Europe.

– the public relations work both internally among the members and externally, to make the EAPC more visible in the European area.

– to intensify contacts with universities teaching political science so as to present the EAPC as a European platform for all political consultants to future generations as well.

1. c) Auditors

The Auditors of the EAPC are not only the controlling bodies of the EAPC, but they also accompany the Board and make sure that set goals are implemented.

1. d) Code of Conduct Committee

The Code of Conduct Committee, which like the Auditors is elected by the General Assembly, is the ethical control body of the Association. It conducts proper investigation to ensure that the EAPC is perceived as a serious association both internally and externally in the event of violations of the Code of Conduct.

1. e) Advisory Board of Past Presidents

The Advisory Board is a supporting body of the EAPC composed of all past presidents who are members by contribution. The Advisory Board may elect a spokesperson from its members to maintain contact with the Board. The Advisory Board acts in an advisory with regard to the basic direction of the EAPC. There shall be a regular exchange between the Advisory Board and the Board.

1. f) Committees and individual representatives

In addition, the Board has the right to establish its own Committees for specific areas to achieve established goals. Committees should be no larger than three persons. The Board decides on Committees by simple majority. Upon completion of the assigned task, the Board may then dissolve Committees.

The Board may also delegate certain specific tasks to individuals.

7. Tasks of the Board

In addition to the tasks set forth in the By-Laws, it must be the goal of the Board to create clear areas of responsibility within the Board to distribute the work among the entire Board. It is recommended that two members of the Board take on one area of work at a time, develop annual goals for this area, and implement these goals once the Board has passed a resolution.

8. Criteria for the Board and its members

The Board shall represent the genders appropriately. There should also be a regional balance on the Board. However, the basic requirement for each member of the Board must be qualification and willingness to actively participate.

The most important criteria are:

– Extensive experience with the Association

– The willingness to contribute to the activities and take on tasks in the best possible way

– The willingness to devote at least two hours per week to the tasks of the EAPC

– Reliability in the implementation of the tasks undertaken

– Competence, positive thinking, and the power to motivate others in their work

– Full support of Board decisions, even if you disagree with them yourself

– A personality that is fully respected by others

– Ability to work in a team, acting together as a central unit

9. Ensuring continuity

To ensure continuity in the Board and to ensure the quality of the work, the outgoing President shall remain a member of the Board for the following two years and actively participates in the projects.

10. Cooperations

To broaden the base for the EAPC, the Association will aim to increase cooperation with other associations, especially with the sister organizations such as ALACOP, IAPC, AAPC. Likewise, it should be a goal for the respective Boards to seek partnerships with other associations on specific topics. Increased contact with universities teaching political science in Europe should also be sought after.