Updated on 6 June 2019
Conférence Internationale permanente d’Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes, abbreviated “CIUTI“
Brussels
CHAPTER I
Name and legal form
Art. 1 An international non-profit association is hereby founded under the name of: “Conférence Internationale Permanente d’Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes” (CIUTI, International Standing Conference of University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters). This association is governed by the Belgian law of 27 June 1921, as amended by the Laws of 6 December 1954, 30 June 2000 and 02 May 2002.
Registered office
Art. 2 The registered office is currently located at 1000 Brussels, (KU Leuven), Warmoesberg, 26, judicial arrondissement of Brussels-Capital. The registered office may be moved to anywhere in Belgium by decision of the General Assembly published in the annexes of the Moniteur Belge within one month from the date of the decision.
Official languages
Art. 3 The working languages of the association are English and French.
Purposes
Art. 4 CIUTI is a not-for-profit association with the following mission:
- Optimise the quality of training; facilitate the mobility of students and instructors among member institutes.
- Ensure collaboration among its members on research and developing new teaching methods.
- Promote relations with national and international organisations, associations and companies invested in the training of professionals in the fields of interpretation, translation, and multilingual and intercultural communication.
CHAPTER II
Members
Art. 5 The association is composed of full members and associate members.
Art. 6 Full membership may be granted to any institute that
- is legally constituted in accordance with the laws and customs of the country in which it is established;
- is statutorily attached to an institution of higher education or qualifies as one itself;
- has an administration and faculty able to ensure university-level professional training;
- accepts as regular students only those holding a degree qualifying them to enroll in an institution of higher education in the country concerned;
- guarantees a level that meets the requirements for the training of professionals in the fields of interpreting, translation, and multilingual and intercultural communication.
Art. 7 The General Assembly may invite to join as associate members those associations or organisations interested in CIUTI’s activities and promotion of its objectives.
Membership admission, termination and fees
Art. 8 The admission of new members will be approved by decision of the General Assembly with a two-thirds majority of members present.
Art. 9 If any member fails to meet one or more of the conditions listed in Article 6, it will notify the President without delay and no later than four weeks before the opening of the next Annual General Assembly. The Association will decide whether membership is to be continued and, if so, under what conditions.
Art. 10 Membership is terminated by notifying the President in writing no later than four weeks before the opening of the next Annual General Assembly.
Art. 11 Any decision concerning the suspension or expulsion of a member, who will first be given the opportunity to state its defence, will require a three-quarters majority of the members present at the General Assembly, not including the member concerned, who abstains from voting. Expulsion results in loss of membership.
Art. 12 A suspended member cannot exercise its rights as a member until a three-quarters majority of the members present decide otherwise. The resigning or expelled member has no right to the social fund and cannot claim reimbursement of dues paid.
Art. 13 The financial resources of the Association derive primarily from the dues and contributions of the member institutes. Full and associate members pay the same annual dues, the amount of which is determined by the General Assembly. This amount may not exceed 500 euros.
Art. 14 Any member institute which has not paid its annual subscription, including that of the current year, will not have the right to vote at the General Assembly. Non-payment of dues by a member institute may result in the suspension or expulsion of the member by the General Assembly.
Rights and obligations of members
Art. 15 By the mere fact of their membership, full members of the association agree to abide by its bylaws, internal rules and regulations, and decisions taken by the General Assembly.
Art. 16 Associate members agree to abide by its bylaws, internal rules and regulations, and decisions taken by the General Assembly. They endorse the aims of the association and may participate in the General Assembly in an advisory capacity.
CHAPTER III: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Composition
Art. 17 The General Assembly is composed of all members. Only full members have the right to vote; each member has one vote. Each member is represented by a natural person, called a delegate. Each delegate can have a member-appointed deputy. Each member bears the expenses of its delegate and deputy.
Powers
Art. 18 The General Assembly possesses all powers necessary for realising the association’s purpose and defines the general policies of the association. It alone has the authority to nominate and remove board members and auditors, grant discharge to board members and auditors, approve budgets and accounts, amend the bylaws, dissolve the association and expel a member.
Art. 19 The President will present to the General Assembly the Annual Report of the Board of Directors. On behalf of the Board, the Treasurer will present to the General Assembly a detailed report on the results of the accounting audit of the elapsed calendar year.
Art. 20 The General Assembly will nominate two external auditors whose term will last until its next meeting, where they will report their audit results. Board members cannot be nominated as auditors.
Art. 21 Without prejudice to Article 5 of the Law of 27 June 1921, any proposal to amend the bylaws must be brought forward by the Board of Directors or by at least one fifth of the full members of the association. The Board of Directors must, at least three months in advance, notify the members of the association of the date of the General Assembly at which the proposal will be considered. No decision will be adopted unless it passes by a two-thirds majority. However, if two thirds of the full members of the association are not present at this General Assembly, another meeting will be convened with the same agenda and the Assembly will rule definitively and legitimately on the proposal in question, irrespective of the number of members present or represented. Amendments to the bylaws will come into force only after the public notice requirements set forth in Article 3 of the Law of 19 June 1921 have been met.
Convocation and Voting
Art. 22 The Annual General Assembly will be convened once a year by the Secretary-General of the Board of Directors. The General Assembly will meet on a date and at a location that is determined during its previous meeting.
Art. 23 The organising member institute will bear the cost of organising the General Assembly meeting.
Art. 24 The President will set the agenda for every General Assembly.
Art. 25 Unless otherwise provided in these bylaws, the General Assembly can validly deliberate only if two thirds of the full members are present or represented by another full member. A full member can represent no more than two other full members.
Art. 26 Unless otherwise specified in these bylaws, decisions will be adopted by a simple majority of the full members present or represented.
Art. 27 All decisions will be recorded in a register signed by the President or by two board members and readily available to members by the Secretary-General.
Art. 28 The Secretary-General will also convene special meetings of the General Assembly upon request by the Board of Directors or one fifth of full members.
Once requested, the special meeting will be convened within a maximum period of three months. The agenda and notice of the meeting, indicating its location, will be sent to the full members at least thirty days before the date of the meeting.
If, for reasons of force majeure, the special meeting cannot take place on the chosen date and at the chosen location, the Secretary-General will immediately notify the member institutes and and request that they indicate the earliest date on which they would be able and willing to host the General Assembly. Any proposals received will then be reviewed and voted on by the officers of the association.
CHAPTER IV: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Composition, term of office, powers
Art. 29 The association will be governed by a Board of Directors composed of at least six and no more than twelve members. At least one Board member must be a Belgian national.
Art. 30 Once elected by the General Assembly, Board Members are appointed for a period of three years. They may be re-elected; however, Board members may not serve more than three consecutive terms.
Art. 31 Board member’s term of office ends if he or she
a) dies,
b) resigns,
c) ceases to be affiliated with the member institute to which he/she belonged when elected, or
d) when the institute with which he or she is affiliated ceases to be a member of the association.
Art. 32 The Board has full powers of management and administration, other than those reserved for the General Assembly. The Board reports its activity and is accountable to the General Assembly.
Management
Art. 33 The Board of Directors will elect, for a term of three years, from among its members, an Executive Committee composed of the following officers: a President, three Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer and a Secretary-General. None of these positions is remunerated and holding more than one of these positions at a time is prohibited. The tenure of an Executive Committee officer is renewable.
Art. 34 The Board of Directors will meet whenever it is in the interest of the association to do so. The Board can validly deliberate only when at least half of its members are present or represented. Decisions are made by a simple majority of the members in attendance or otherwise represented.
Any Board member may be represented by another Board member. No Board member can serve as proxy for more than one other Board member.
Art. 35 Minutes approved by the Board will be recorded in a register and made readily available to members of the association.
Art. 36 Any act that binds the association will, unless special powers are granted by the General Assembly, be signed by the President and one Board member.
Art. 37 Legal actions, either as plaintiff or defendant, will be pursued at the initiative of the Board of Directors, represented by a Board member appointed for this purpose.
CHAPTER V: BUDGET AND ACCOUNTS
Art. 38 The financial year will end on 31 March.
Art. 39 The Board of Directors will be required to submit the accounts of the elapsed year and an estimated budget for the following financial year to the General Assembly for its approval.
Art. 40 The Treasurer is responsible for proper administration and use of all available resources. He or she keeps the officers of the Executive Committee informed of the financial situation of the association and presents its accounts whenever needed. In addition, the Treasurer prepares, on behalf of the Executive Committee, a financial report for each meeting of the Board of Directors.
CHAPITRE VI. FINAL PROVISIONS
Art. 41 The General Assembly, convened under the same rules as those for amending the bylaws, with three quarters of its full members present, may dissolve the association. Under no circumstances may this item be added to the agenda once a meeting is in session.
The General Assembly can dissolve the association only under the same conditions as those needed to amend the purpose(s) of the association.
If it fails to meet the quorum of three quarters of the full members, the General Assembly will convene three months later, at which point it can deliberate on the matter, irrespective of the number of members present.
The association can be dissolved only if 4/5 of the members present vote for dissolution.
Art. 42 After the association’s assets have been liquidated, the remainder will be donated to the International Federation of Translators (FIT, Fédération internationale des traducteurs). These remaining assets may be allocated only after all liabilities have been settled.
Art. 43 The liquidation will be carried out by one or more liquidators who will function under a General Assembly resolution formalising the liquidation. Upon proposal by the Board of Directors, the General Assembly will determine how many liquidators are required and who they will be.
Art. 44 Anything not provided for in these bylaws, and in particular the publications to be made in the Annexes of the Moniteur belge (Belgian Official Gazette), will be settled in accordance with the provisions of the Belgian law of 27 June 1921, as amended by the Laws of 6 December 1954, 30 June 2000 and 2 May 2002.
(Signatures:)
Maurizio Viezzi, Président
Lieven Buysse, Secrétaire Général