The text of the Constitution, as published in the Annexes to the Belgian State Gazette of February 14, 1991, under Number 2136, is replaced by the text below:
I. Denomination, Legal Domicile
Article 1.
An international nonprofit association with scientific purpose according to Belgian Law is established. This association is called “International Meteor Organization”.
Article 2.
The legal domicile of the Association is located in Belgium, Flemish Region, at 2540 Hove, Jozef Mattheessensstraat 60. It can be transferred to any other location within the Flemish or Brussels Capital Region by decision of the Council.
II. Objectives
Article 3.
The objectives of the Association, which does not seek profit, are:
- to affirm the need for studying meteors and related phenomena;
- to promote a global perspective towards the study of meteors and related phenomena, by striving towards common standards and research programs and by developing the international spirit among meteor workers;
- to encourage and develop the study of meteors and related phenomena by amateurs and professionals, both on practical and theoretical levels;
- to encourage and develop international cooperation, among as well as between amateur and professional meteor workers;
- to centralize and distribute scientific data on meteors and related phenomena in order to guarantee both their conservation and their accessibility by amateurs and professionals;
- to provide assistance to individual meteor workers as well as groups for the organization of scientific activities.
Article 4.
In order to achieve its objectives, the Association can, but is not restricted to:
- publish an international scientific journal printed in English;
- make available various scientific publications;
- propose international standards for observing and reporting data;
- collect and distribute observational data;
- organize or provide assistance in the organization of: conferences, lectures, introductory camps, observations, exhibitions and traveling;
- participate in conferences, lectures, observations, exhibitions and excursions, and, in particular, in the colloquia of the International Astronomical Union.
The Association can pursue directly or indirectly all legal means leading to its objectives.
III. Members
Article 5.
The Association consists of voting members, associate members, and honorary members.
Article 6.
Voting members are all founding members and individuals accepted as such by the General Assembly who have paid the required dues. Only voting members have the right to vote and to hold office.
Article 7.
Associate members are individuals or corporate persons having applied for membership to the Council who have paid the required dues. Associate members share the same privileges as voting members, except the right to vote and to hold office.
An individual having the status of associate member can apply for voting membership by filing a request to the Council. This request will be submitted for approval to the General Assembly.
Article 8.
Honorary members are individuals that were given this title by the General Assembly for their high merits in the study of meteors and related phenomena, or for their exceptional services to the Association. Honorary members share the same privileges as associate members, but do not have to pay dues.
Article 9.
Notwithstanding Article 11, voting members being given the title of honorary member keep their former status until they cease to fulfil the requirements of Article 6.
Honorary members can apply for voting membership in the same way as associate members. If voting membership is granted, then the requirements of Article 6 are applicable.
Article 10.
Membership fees are fixed by the Council.
Article 11.
Membership is lost:
- by resignation: any member of the Association can resign membership at any time by sending a registered letter to the President;
- by non-payment of dues;
- by expulsion: a member can be expelled by a decision of the General Assembly, following a proposal of the Council, and after the member concerned has been given the opportunity to be heard at a meeting of the General Assembly. The fully detailed proposal of the Council must be included in the agenda of the meeting, sent to the members (including the member concerned) together with the convocation for the meeting. In a secret vote and after deliberation, the voting members present or represented will decide by simple majority whether the proposal for expulsion is to be submitted for ballot to all voting members, in accordance with Article 14 and Article 15.
The resigning or expelled member will enjoy the material benefits of membership until the end of the term for which dues were paid. By no means is he entitled to full or partial restitution of membership fees.
Article 12.
The commitments and involvements of the Association impose no obligation or responsibility upon the members other than the payment of the required membership fees. No member who ceases to be part of the Association nor the beneficiaries of a deceased member, have any right to the assets of the Association.
IV. General Assembly
Article 13.
The General Assembly consists of the voting members of the Association. Associate members and honorary members may attend the meetings of the General Assembly in an advisory capacity. The Council may invite third parties to attend the meetings of the General Assembly in an advisory capacity.
The General Assembly alone may:
- approve the accounts and adopt the budgets;
- appoint and remove Council members;
- accept members in the capacity of voting member;
- grant the status of honorary member;
- expel members;
- modify the Constitution;
- dissolve the Association;
- take decisions on matters reserved to the General Assembly by Law or by this Constitution.
Article 14.
All decisions of the General Assembly are taken by written ballot following proposals communicated by the Council to all voting members. These proposals contain a deadline for receiving the votes and the address to which they should be sent. This deadline must be at least two months after the proposals were sent out.
The votes will be counted by a Council member in the presence of at least one witness. No votes will be counted or consulted before the deadline. The Council will guarantee the proper procedure as well as the secrecy of the ballot. Alternatively, the Council may provide an electronic procedure for voting and communicating the results. In this electronic procedure, the same guarantees are provided as in the written procedure.
Decisions are taken by simple majority of the validly cast votes, unless a special majority is required by Law or by this Constitution. A blank vote is considered invalid. If the vote is tied, the proposal is rejected.
Article 15.
Proposals regarding a request to become voting member, granting an honorary membership, the expulsion of a member, the modification of the Constitution, and the dissolution of the Association must first be discussed at a meeting of the General Assembly. The detailed proposals must be sent to the members together with the convocation for the meeting of the General Assembly as specified in Article 16.
After deliberation, the voting members present or represented decide by simple majority whether the proposal will be submitted for ballot to the General Assembly.
The final decision is made through ballot by the General Assembly in accordance with Article 19.
Article 16.
The General Assembly meets:
- by decision of the Council; or
- at the request of at least one fifth of the voting members; or
- at the request of at least twenty voting members.
The General Assembly meets at least once in every two years.
The General Assembly is convened by the Council and meets at the Association’s legal domicile, or at any other place indicated on the convocation. The Council may decide that members can participate remotely in this meeting in accordance with article 10:7/1 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations.
The convocation of the meeting, which includes the agenda, is sent to all members of the Association at least three months before the meeting is to take place.
The meeting is chaired by the President of the Association, or, in his or her absence, by the Vice-President of the Association, or in his or her absence, the oldest Council member present, or in the absence of Council members, by the oldest voting member present.
Article 17.
Voting members can give proxy to other voting members to represent them at a meeting of the General Assembly. A voting member can hold at most five proxy votes.
The General Assembly meets validly, irrespective of the number of voting members present or represented.
Article 18.
During the meeting of the General Assembly, all attendants are entitled to question the Council about the management of the Association.
In particular, they can inquire about accounts and budgets, and the proper procedure of ballots submitted since the previous meeting. The Council has to provide answers to all questions to the best of its abilities.
Article 19.
Proposals approved by simple majority at a meeting of the General Assembly will be decided upon following the procedure of Article 14. This procedure is to be initiated within four months after the conclusion of the meeting. A report on the meeting, compiled by the Secretary-General, will be attached to the proposals.
Article 20.
The decisions of the General Assembly are noted in a register kept by the Secretary-General. He guarantees access by all members as well as third parties justifying their interest. The decisions of the General Assembly are communicated to all members within four months after the conclusion of the ballot.
V. President
Article 21.
The President of the Association is a voting member elected by the General Assembly for a term of four years in accordance with the procedure in Article 25.
VI. Council
Article 22.
The Association is managed by the Council, composed of at least five and at most twenty voting members. At least one Council member must be of Belgian nationality. The President is member of the Council by right. The other Council members are elected by the General Assembly for a term of four years in accordance with the procedure in Article 25.
A Vice-President, a Secretary-General and a Treasurer are elected by the Council amongst its members.
The Council takes the necessary provisions to ensure the continuity of the management.
Article 23.
The Council can pursue all actions necessary for the management of the Association and can decide in all matters, except those reserved by Law or by this Constitution to the General Assembly.
The Council can delegate the daily management of the Association to the President; or another Council member; or a manager, chosen among the members of the Association. The Council may confer a specific assignment to one or more members or third parties, by special power of attorney. The appointment as daily manager is published in the Annexes to the Belgian State Gazette.
The termination of the delegation of the daily management or the specific assignment by special powers of attorney takes place in the same way as the appointment.
Article 24.
The association is legally bound by the action of at least two Council members, acting jointly.
For acts of daily management and for legal acts carried out by special power of attorney up to a maximum amount of 10,000 Euro, the appointment as daily manager or the presentation of the special power of attorney is sufficient. The General Assembly can adjust this maximum amount by simple majority.
Article 25.
At least six months before the term of a Council member expires, the Council sends out to all voting members a Call for Candidates. This Call contains a deadline for receiving the candidacies and the address to which they should be sent.
The candidacies must contain a curriculum vitae and a program for the office for which the candidate applies.
Outgoing Council members are re-eligible. The Council can also propose candidates, even after the deadline for receiving the candidacies. If all Council members of Belgian nationality are resigning, the Council must propose at least one candidate of Belgian nationality.
Within a month after the aforementioned deadline, the Council communicates the candidacies to all voting members, and invites them to vote for the candidates of their choice. The invitation contains the voting procedure and a deadline by which the voting ends. This deadline must be at least two months after the candidacies were sent out to all voting members.
The votes will be counted by a Council member in the presence of at least one witness who is not a candidate. No votes will be counted or consulted before the deadline. The Council will guarantee the proper procedure as well as the secrecy of the ballot. Alternatively, the Council may provide an electronic procedure for voting and communicating the results. In this electronic procedure, the same guarantees are provided as in the written procedure.
If all the Council members of Belgian nationality are resigning, the candidate of Belgian nationality with the highest number of votes is elected by right.
The result of the ballot is communicated to all members by the Council, no later than two months after the deadline by which the voting ends.
Article 26.
The General Assembly can remove a Council member by a decision taken by simple majority. A Council member resigns by notifying the President in writing. The President resigns by notifying the other Council members in writing.
In the event that the President resigns, the Vice-President assumes the duties of the President. In the absence of a Vice-president, the oldest Council member assumes his duties. The procedure for appointing a new President will be initiated without delay.
Article 27.
The Council is convened by the President and meets:
- whenever the President decides so; and
- at the request of at least one fifth of its members.
The Council meets at least once a year.
The Council deliberates and decides validly, irrespective of the number of its members present. It is not possible to vote by proxy.
Article 28.
Within the limits set by Article 27 and Article 29, the Council establishes its own regulations for meeting, deliberating, and voting. These regulations may provide for holding virtual meetings. These regulations provide a procedure for casting and registering votes.
Article 29.
A proposal cannot be decided validly by the Council unless it is communicated in advance by the President to all Council members and at least two thirds of the Council members cast a valid vote. In the case of a physical or virtual meeting, however, this quorum must be understood as two thirds of the Council members present. Blank votes are considered invalid. The Council decides by simple majority of the validly cast votes. If the vote is tied, the proposal is rejected.
Article 30.
The decisions of the Council are noted in a register kept by the Secretary-General. He guarantees access by all members as well as third parties justifying their interest. Where useful or necessary, the decisions of the Council are communicated to the members.
Article 31.
Judicial actions, both as claimant or defender, are held in name of the Association by the Council, represented by the President or one or more Council members.
Article 32.
The Council members have no personal obligation related to their function. They are only responsible for the execution of their mandate. The mandate of Council member is not paid.
VII. Modification of the Constitution, Dissolution
Article 33.
All proposals concerning the modification of the Constitution or the dissolution of the Association are submitted by the Council to the General Assembly.
The procedure provided for in Article 15, Article 19, and Article 14 is followed. Contrary to Article 14, such a proposal is only accepted if at least two thirds of the voting members have cast a valid vote and at least two thirds of the valid votes cast have accepted the proposal. A blank vote is considered invalid.
If fewer than two thirds of the voting members have cast a valid vote, the proposal will be resubmitted for ballot within one month. The decision will then be taken by a majority of two thirds of the valid votes cast, irrespective of the number of votes cast.
Article 34.
In case of dissolution, the Council designates one or more officers, charged with the liquidation of the goods of the Association. These officers have the most extensive power of attorney for the pecuniary realization of the assets of the Association, the clearance of the liabilities, and to continue legal procedures or disputes, or to close them by settlement.
The net amount will be accorded by decision of the Council to one or more organizations having internationally oriented objectives similar to those of the Association.
VIII. Entry into Effect
Article 35.
The text of the Constitution as modified above enters into effect on the date of publication in the Annexes to the Belgian State Gazette.
Note: The above text of the Constitution was published in the Belgian State Gazette on July 30, 2024. For legal reasons, the official version of the Constitution is in Dutch, the official language of the Flemish Region of Belgium, in which the seat of the Organization is located. The text above is an English translation provided by the Organization as a courtesy to its members.