12 Decision-Making Process of PPEU

12 Decision-Making Process of PPEU

EGP	Statutes: ARTICLE 4 Membership 4.4 The admission of Members and any subsequent suspension or withdrawal of Membership shall be decided by the Council and requires in each case a three-quarters majority of the Allocated Votes. ARTICLE 6 Structure and Bodies of the European Green Party 6.3 Council 6.3.5 In general decisions are made by voting with a two-thirds majority of the votes cast. Full regulations for the conduct of Council meetings and decision-making are set out in the Rule Book. 6.5 Committee 6.5.4 (…) It works in a consensual way and takes decisions by a simple majority vote. ARTICLE 10 LIQUIDATION 10.1 Upon a proposal to the Council by the Committee or by a minimum of one third of the Full Members, the Council may decide upon the dissolution and liquidation of the European Green Party provided the proper proceedings have been complied with. The decision by the Council to liquidate the European Green Party must be made by a threequarters majority of the Allocated Votes. ARTICLE 11 Additional Provisions and changes to the Statutes 11.2 Changes to these Statutes may only be made by Council voting with a three-quarters majority of the Allocated Votes. Changes to the Rule Book may only be made by Council voting with a two-thirds majority of the Allocated Votes with the exception of the Articles 6.5 and 6.6, which require a three-quarters majority of the Allocated Votes. Rule Book: Article 6 Membership Evaluation and Review 6.5 Disciplinary Measures 6.5.4 The Council shall vote on each such proposal by a two-thirds majority of the Allocated Votes with the exception of the suspension or withdrawal of Membership which requires a threequarters majority of the Allocated Votes. 6.6 Decision to expel a Member 6.6.1 The Council, following a proposal by the Committee or at the request of 1/3 of the Full Members, may decide to withdraw the membership of any Member by a three-quarters majority of the Allocated Votes, after hearing the defence of the concerned Member. Article 9 Quorums and votes 9.1 A quorum of a simple majority of the Allocated Votes shall be present before each voting session can take place. 9.2 Voting shall be by two-thirds majority vote of the votes cast with the exception of: • changes to the Rule Book, which shall require a two-thirds majority of the Allocated Votes; and • admission of members; • suspension and expulsion of members; • changes to the Articles 6.5 and 6.6 of the Rule Book; • changes to the EGP Statutes; • liquidation of the EGP, which shall require a three-quarters majority of the Allocated Votes. 9.3. An overview of the voting procedures and majorities is to be found in Annex D. 9.4. For amendments to resolutions and to other documents a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient. 9.5 Where EU provisions for the European political parties require decisions to be made only by Member Parties in the EU countries, the European Green Party will comply by consulting all Members and then taking a decision by vote of those Full Members in the EU countries. Article 10 Allocation of Votes and Delegates 10.1 Allocation of Votes 10.1.1 Each Full Member has a minimum entitlement of one vote. 10.1.2 The Full Member is entitled to one additional vote for each of the following thresholds reached during the last National or European elections: 150.000 votes; 400.000 votes; 800.000 votes; 1.200.000 votes; 1.600.000 votes; 2.000.000 votes and every additional million votes. 10.1.3 The Full Member is entitled to a supplementary vote for each of the following thresholds reached during the last National or European elections: 4%, 8%, 12%, 16% and 20%. 10.2 Allocation of Delegates 10.2.1 Each Full Member has a minimum entitlement of two delegates to achieve gender balanced participation. 10.2.2 Full Members are entitled to 2 additional delegates if their total number of votes is 4 or more or to 4 additional delegates if their total number of votes is 8 or more. 10.3 Allocation of votes and delegates for Multiple Full Members 10.3.1 For those countries with more than one Full Member in the European Green Party the rules of article 10.1 to 10.2 are applied as follows: • Election results for regional parliaments are not used for the allocation system in the European Green Party. • The additional voting rights based on absolute numbers of votes as allocated under Art.10.1 apply to each Full Member. 10.3.2 For the additional voting rights based on National and European % election results, the following system is used to give effect to the provisions of Art. 10.1-10.2: • the highest national or European % election result of both Members are calculated together and that sum is used for the allocation system. The additional voting rights are distributed to the Full Member with the highest % electoral result. • in the case of Full Members which are regional parties these additional voting rights are proportionally distributed among those Members based on the highest % electoral results those Members have in the area where they run respectively. 10.4 Where Full Members participate in an electoral alliance or coalition, their votes will be calculated in proportion to the Green votes in the total votes of the alliance/coalition based on the seats gained respectively by the alliance and the Full Member. 10.5 Adjustments to the number of delegates and votes shall be made immediately following elections, whose results change them. 10.6 The highest result reached in the last National or European elections is used for calculating the number of votes and delegates. 10.7 In addition to Full Members, the Green Group in the European Parliament and the FYEG have the right to four delegates each and to four votes each. III Congress Article 12 Composition and powers 12.3 The composition of delegations and the allocation of votes for Congress meetings are based on the principle of a minimum of four delegates per Member and voting rights for Full Members based on their size and other criteria as defined below. In addition, GGEP and FYEG have the right to appoint six delegates each to Congress and have the right to six votes each. 12.7 With regards to voting, the quorum and voting rules are applied in the same way as in Council, the Congress being an enlarged Council. 12.8 Congress rules are to be found in the Annex F. Article 13 Allocation of delegates and votes 13.1 Allocation of Congress delegates shall be as follows: • The Congress consists of 400 delegates allocated proportionally. • Each Member shall have at least four delegates. • The delegates will be allocated according to two principles: ◦ 50% of the 400 delegates are proportionally divided according to the highest number of votes which the Member gained in the last national or last European elections. Votes above 2 million are divided by 4 for this calculation; ◦ the other 50% of the 400 delegates are proportionally divided according to the highest percentage reached in the last national or last European elections. 13.2 Where members participate in an alliance or coalition their votes will be calculated in proportion to the Green votes in the total votes based on the seats gained respectively by the alliance and the EGP Member. 13.3 Members which do not qualify for a minimum of four seats via the proportionally allocated delegates shall be allocated additional seats (above the 400). IV Committee Article 14 Composition 14.3 On the proposal of one-third of the Full Members any member of the Committee can be suspended or dismissed by the Council by a two thirds majority of the votes cast after debate in Council where the member is given adequate opportunity to present her/his case. 14.6 The Committee works as a collegial body, deliberations and decisions are reached in a consensual way. The Committee can vote and take decisions by a simple majority. The Committee operates on a principle of collective responsibility in decision-making. Article 15 General tasks and responsibilities 15.6 Committee members have no voting rights at the Council. Article 19 Election procedure of the Committee Members 19.1 Each candidate must be nominated by a Full Member and supported by at least two other Full Members. 19.2 All nominations must specify the particular post for which the candidate is being proposed (i.e. Secretary-General, Co-Chair, Treasurer or a Committee Member). Each Full Member may nominate and support several candidates. Nominations shall be accompanied by a brief introduction of the candidate which will be distributed to the Members with the final list of candidates. 19.3 All nominations, letters of support and any additional material must reach the Secretariat two months prior to the meeting at which the election takes place. 19.4 All posts will be voted on separately. 19.5 If one candidate gains more than 50% of the votes cast in the first round, the person is elected. Should no candidate gain more than 50% of the first round vote, a second round will be run between the two highest scoring candidates. The candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes cast in the second round is elected. 19.6 The order of voting: 1) female Co-Chair 2) male Co-Chair 3) Secretary General 4) Treasurer 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 further Committee Members 19.7 Unsuccessful candidates for the designated posts in rounds 1-4 may present themselves for election as further Committee Members in rounds 5-9. If so, their candidacy must be renewed by their main nominating Full Member, supported by two other Full Members, before voting in round 5 begins. In rounds 6 and subsequently all previously unsuccessful candidates will be automatically entered in the elections for the remaining positions unless withdrawn by the candidate her/himself. 19.8 The gender balance will be monitored after each vote, and the Chair will inform the Council on the gender balance requirement in the remaining posts. 19.9 Geographical balance of Member Parties in the Committee is recommended. VIII Decision making Article 24 Decision-making process 24.1 The European Green Party deliberates freely and with respect to the great diversity that exists within the Green family. Decision making processes reflect the objective of reaching a decision in a consensual way. Voting on policies is conducted in a way that allows consensus to be reached, with respect for minority positions. Decisions on policy are adopted with a two third majority of the votes cast. Decisions on membership are taken by a three quarters majority of the Allocated Votes. 24.2 Details concerning the decision making process can be found at the various chapters. An overview of the voting procedures and majorities is to be found in Annex D. Article 26 Resolutions 26.1 Eligibility for tabling The Committee, Full Members, the GGEP delegation and FYEG are entitled to table draft Resolutions in their own right. Working groups and networks are entitled to table draft Resolutions if they are of relevance to the subject the network/working group is dealing with. Candidate Members need the support of four other signatures of those who are eligible to table draft Resolutions. 26.2 Purpose A Resolution shall generate a statement on an upcoming topic or articulate a Green European demand on a current issue. It must have European and/or international relevance, include political demands and/or calls for action and should contain recommendations for a follow up. 26.3 Procedure for tabling Draft Resolutions are to be presented in English to the Secretariat electronically or in written form six weeks before the opening of the Council. They should not exceed ten thousand characters. The Committee is responsible for checking if the draft Resolutions are valid and in compliance with these rules. Immediately after this check, the Secretariat will publish online the list of all valid Resolutions received and will start, if needed, consultation or clarification with the relevant parties and may initiate negotiations or propose compromise texts. At the latest four weeks before the Council, the Secretariat will circulate to the Members and European Partners and publish on the European Green Party internal website, the texts of all finalised draft Resolutions to be voted on. 26.4 Amendments Proposed amendments may be submitted to the Secretariat at the latest seven days before the opening of the Council. The Secretariat will distribute the amendments at the earliest possible time following the deadline. At the Council there will be a compromise amendment session. A voting list and the final status of amendments will be distributed at the earliest possible moment after the compromise amendment session. At the Council the draft Resolutions and amendments, if any, will be presented, discussed and voted on. Adequate time will be allocated to this process in the Council agenda. 26.5 Emergency Resolutions An issue of great urgency arising after the deadline for draft Resolutions may be dealt with by an Emergency Resolution tabled by the Committee or by a minimum of 5 out of Full Members, the GGEP delegation, FYEG, working groups, networks and Candidate Members under the same conditions as for Resolutions, before noon of the day before the opening of the Council. The urgency has to be substantiated, and validated by the Committee. The signatures of the supporting parties can be collected at the Council itself up until 20.00 hours on the opening day of the meeting. 26.6 Amendments to Emergency Resolutions Amendments to draft Emergency Resolutions have to be submitted by 13.00 hours on the day before the vote. The Secretariat will distribute the amendments at the earliest possible time following the deadline. A voting list and the final status of amendments and texts will be distributed before the vote. 26.7 Oral Amendments Oral amendments may only be introduced during voting sessions at the discretion of the Chair and provided there is no objection from any delegation. They should normally be restricted to clarifications or simple adjustments to the text. 26.8 Order of voting The Council decides at the beginning of the voting session on the order of voting on the Resolutions. The procedures for the conduct of voting on Resolutions are detailed in Article 9. Article 27 Policy Papers 27.2 Initiating a Policy Paper The Full and Candidate Members, the GGEP delegation and FYEG are entitled to propose to the Committee a subject for a policy paper as also are working groups and networks if policy papers are of relevance to their work. The Committee itself can also propose a subject for a policy paper. The proposal has to be substantial, show the aims and benefits, and present the scope of the topic that needs research and discussion (mandate). The Committee presents an overview of all requests it has received to the Council, which decides whether to start work on any such policy paper and if necessary agrees to convene an ad hoc Working Group on this subject or allocates the task to an existing working group/network. 27.3 Discussion Period The respective working group or ad hoc working group produces a draft of the mandated policy paper which should be discussed at the next Council meeting. In the subsequent six month consultation period Members are responsible for discussing the paper within their Parties and appointing a representative to the working group when possible with a view to reaching a broad consensus on the content. 27.4 Voting Normally the draft policy paper will be presented for adoption at the following Council, thus allowing approximately 12 months for its development. The draft shall be sent to the delegates at least eight weeks before the opening of the Council after being validated by the Committee. The deadline for amendments is 14 days before the opening of the Council. The Secretariat will distribute the amendments at the earliest possible time following the deadline. At the Council there will be a meeting dealing with the policy papers and amendments and to negotiate compromises where called for. A voting list and the final status of amendments will be distributed at the earliest possible moment. There will be adequate time given at the Council to present the draft policy papers and amendments before voting. The procedures for the conduct of voting on Policy Papers are detailed in Article 9. XIV Election Procedures Article 38 Provisions for election procedures 38.1 All elections shall be held by secret ballot unless otherwise unanimously decided by the Council. Voting cards shall be provided by the European Green Party office. 38.2 The European Green Party strives for a non cumulation of mandates. 38.3 The European Green Party office will send out a call for candidates for election to the European Green Party Committee 3 months ahead of the Council meeting. Deadline for presentation of candidates is 2 months before the Council meeting. Candidates will be able to present 1 EGP is exploring the possibility of implementing the principle of vice versa representation through EGP Committee member responsible for FYEG in FYEG board. themselves by internet and if the agenda allows to make personal presentations to the Council. 38.4 The European Green Party office will send out a call for candidates for election to other bodies of the European Green Party 6 weeks ahead of the Council meeting. Deadline for presentation of candidates is 3 weeks before the Council meeting. Candidates will be able to present themselves by internet and if the agenda allows to make personal presentations to the Council. Article 39 Procedure for election to the General Assembly of the Green European Foundation 39.1 Three of the five members of the EGP delegation to the General Assembly of GEF shall be elected by Council. 39.2 Two members shall be nominated by the Committee. 39.3 If the composition of the General Assembly should change, the same principle shall apply and the Committee shall retain the right to nominate a similar proportion of members. Article 40 Procedure for Election to Global Greens Coordination 40.1 Four of the six members of the European Green Party delegation to the Global Greens Coordination (GGC), which consists of three main members and three alternate members, shall be elected by the Council. One main member and one alternate member shall be nominated by the Committee. 40.2 If the GGC changes its composition or structure, the same principle shall apply and the Committee shall retain the right to nominate a similar proportion of members. 40.3 The first two candidates to be elected should fill the main seats and the next two be elected as alternates. 40.4 In case of an insufficient number of candidates, the Committee may appoint the remaining members.
EFA	Article 18 1. In the general assembly all members shall have an equal voting right: each full member shall have one vote. Decisions shall be taken by simple majority of the votes present and represented unless otherwise provided for by law or in these statutes. Its decisions shall be equally binding on members who are absent, abstain or vote against. In the event of a tie, the chairman or the director substituting for him shall have the casting vote. Any vote concerning persons shall be by secret ballot. 2. The general assembly may validly decide only if a majority of its members are present or represented. It may decide to amend the statutes only if the amendment is announced when the meeting is convened and if two-thirds of the members entitled to vote are present or represented. If this number is not attained a second meeting may be convened which may take a valid decision irrespective of the number of members present and represented. The second meeting may not be held within 15 days following the first meeting. The general assembly may decide to amend the purpose of the association or dissolve it only by a majority of four-fifths of the votes present or represented. 3. For conversion into an association with a social purpose the attendance requirements for amending the statutes must be fulfilled and the decision taken by the majority required to amend the purpose of the association. Article 23 The Bureau shall be convened by the chairman and/or the secretary. It may take decisions only if a majority of the members are present. Except in the event of urgent necessity, which must be justified and confirmed by the Bureau in the minutes, these meetings shall be convened by ordinary letter or e-mail, at least eight days before the meeting. The agenda for each meeting of the Bureau shall be announced, at the latest, at the meeting. If two members of the bureau so request, the meeting must be held within two weeks of their written request. If the meeting has not been convened in time, the members of the bureau who have requested its convening shall have the right to convene the Bureau themselves. Any member of the bureau may authorise another member of the bureau in writing to represent him at a meeting of the Bureau; nobody may act as a proxy for more than one person. The members of the bureau shall act collectively; the Bureau may take a valid decision only if at least half the members of the bureau are present. If this quorum is not attained, a fresh Bureau meeting may be convened with the same agenda, at which matters shall be validly considered and decided upon if at least two members of the bureau are present or represented. Decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of the votes. In the event of a tie, the chairman or the person substituting for him shall have a casting vote. Decisions of the Bureau shall be equally binding on members who are absent, abstain or vote against. Any vote concerning persons shall be by secret ballot. (…) INTERNAL RULES Article 31 The general assembly may, on the proposal of the Bureau or otherwise, adopt internal rules. Amendments to the internal rules may be drafted by the Bureau but must be submitted for approval to the general assembly, which shall decide by a simple majority of the members present or represented. (…)
EL	./.
PES	Article 17 – Decision-making 17.1. In all the organs of the PES, efforts shall be made to establish the broadest possible measure of agreement following full consultation. 17.2. Decisions on administrative and organisational matters shall be taken by simple majority in the Presidency, whereby all its members with voting rights have one vote each. 17.3. Whenever possible, political decisions shall in principle be taken on the basis of consensus. If a consensus cannot be reached, decisions regarding policy areas subject to majority decision-making within the Council of the European Union shall be taken on the basis of a qualified majority. 17.4. Decisions concerning the admission, suspension and exclusion of members and decisions to change the statutes are taken by qualified majority. 17.5. A qualified majority requires 75% of the votes cast. Votes shall only take place if at least twothirds of the full member parties of the PES are present. Votes are cast per member party and organisation. The allocation of votes for a qualified majority per party and per organisation is equal to that party and organisation’s number of delegates to the PES Congress (see Annex 3). Proxy voting is not permitted. 17.6. If a full member party declares that it is unable to implement a specific decision taken by qualified majority, it can declare itself not to be bound by such a decision provided it indicates this intention before a vote is taken.
EUD	Article 8: The Congress Decision-making in the Congress Decisions in the Congress shall be taken by a simple majority of votes cast. Every member shall have the possibility to represent a maximum of one other member with the written approval of that member. The Congress shall be summoned at least seven days before the appointed date. The agenda shall be set by the Board. Decisions shall only be taken on issues listed on the agenda.
ELDR	Statutes: CHAPTER IV - CONGRESS Article 10 - Composition and powers In accordance with the Internal Regulations, individual members and third parties may be granted the right to take part in a meeting of the Congress. They may voice their opinion but do not have the right to vote. The decisions taken by the Congress shall be binding on all members, including those absent or dissenting. Article 12 – Representation Full, delegates, appointed in accordance with the rules laid down in the Internal Regulations will represent affiliate and individual members at the Congress. Each full member will have as many votes as delegates. A delegate may cast two votes at most. Article 13 - Proceedings, quorums and votes The delegates shall sign an attendance list of full and affiliate members prior to the meeting, under the name of the member they represent. The Congress may validly proceed if at least one third of the full members are present. Where this quorum is not reached, a new meeting of the Congress shall be called no earlier than 15 calendar days after the first meeting. The second meeting of the Congress shall be entitled to validly take decisions, irrespective of the number of full members present. Decisions of the Congress, including the election and dismissal of the members of the Bureau, shall be taken with a simple majority of the votes cast. Abstentions shall not be taken into account and, in the case of a written vote, blank and invalid votes will not be counted in the votes cast. In the case of a tie vote, the decision will be rejected. CHAPTER IV - COUNCIL Article 15 - Composition and powers The decisions taken by the Council shall be binding on all members, including those absent or dissenting. Article 17 – Representation Full, delegates, appointed in accordance with the rules laid down in the Internal Regulations will represent affiliate and individual members at the Council. Each full member will have as many votes as delegates. Article 18 - Proceedings, quorums and votes The delegates shall sign an attendance list of full and affiliate members prior to the meeting, under the name of the member they represent. Unless otherwise provided for in the Articles of Association, a Council may validly proceed if at least one third of the full members are present. Where this quorum is not reached, a new meeting of the Council shall be called no earlier than 15 calendar days after the first meeting. The second meeting of the Council shall be entitled to validly take decisions, irrespective of the number of present full members. Unless otherwise provided for in the Articles of Association, decisions of the Council shall be taken with a simple majority of the votes cast. Abstentions shall not be taken into account and, in the case of a written vote, blank and invalid votes shall not be counted in the votes cast. In the case of a tie vote, the decision will be rejected. Decisions of the Council may also be taken by circular letter, in accordance with the rules laid down in the Internal Regulations. Decisions taken by circular letter are deemed to be taken at the registered office of the Association and are deemed to come into force on the date mentioned on the circular letter. CHAPTER VI – BUREAU Article 23 – Proceedings, quorums and votes Decisions shall be valid when at least half of the members of the Bureau are present. Where this quorum is not reached, a new meeting of the Bureau shall be called no earlier than eight calendar days after the first meeting. The second meeting of the Bureau shall be entitled to take valid decisions irrespective of the number of members of the Bureau present. The Bureau may only deliberate on the matters set out in the agenda, unless all members of the Bureau are present and decide unanimously to discuss other matters. Each member of the Bureau will have one vote. A member of the Bureau may not grant a power-of-attorney to another member of the Bureau. The decisions of the Bureau shall be taken with a simple majority of the votes cast. Abstentions shall not be taken into account and, in the case of a written vote, blank and invalid votes shall not be counted in the votes cast. In the case of a tie vote, the chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote. Decisions may also be taken by conference call or videoconference. Decisions taken by conference call or videoconference are deemed to take place at the registered office of the Association and are deemed to come into force on the date of the meeting. Internal Regulations: IV. PARTICIPATION AND REPRESENTATION AT THE CONGRESS 1. The following delegates shall be entitled to attend the meetings of the Congress with voting rights: Delegates of full member parties whose number shall be allocated as follows: a) Six delegates from each Member State. In the case of a Member Statewhere there is more than one full member party, these delegates shall be allocated to each full member party as far as possible in proportion to the number of votes cast for each such party at the last European elections (until the Congress following the first elections to the European Parliament to be held by the uniform procedure envisaged under the terms of Article 138 (3) of the Treaty of Rome as modified by the Treaty on European Union the results of national elections will apply); b) For each full member party a number of delegates based on the following relationship to the number of votes cast for that party at the last European elections (until the Congress following the first elections to the European Parliament to be held by the uniform procedure envisaged under the terms of Article 138 (3) of the Treaty of Rome as modified by the Treaty on European Union the results of national elections will apply), corrected according to the percentage turnout at the elections: * one delegate for every 100,000 votes or a major part thereof up to three million votes; * thereafter, one delegate for every 250,000 votes or a major part thereof between three and five million votes; * and one delegate for every 500,000 votes or a major part thereof exceeding five million votes; c) The members of the Council who are delegates of a full member party; d) Members of the Bureau and Members of the European Parliament who are delegates of full member parties; e) Ten delegates nominated by LYMEC (European Liberal Youth). 2. The following delegates will be entitled to attend the meetings of the Congress, without voting rights: a) Two delegates from each affiliate member party; b) One delegate from each observer party. c) Members of the Bureau who are not included as voting members of their member party delegatation; d) The ELDR members of the Group of the ELDR Party in the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions; e) One delegate from each established parliamentary group in other European parliamentary assemblies, who must not belong to a political party affiliated to any group in the European Parliament other than the parliamentary Group of the ELDR Party; f) One delegate from Liberal International, who must not belong to a party affiliated to any group in the European Parliament other than the parliamentary Group of the ELDR Party. 3. Individual members and other persons may be entitled to attend the meetings of the Congress, without voting rights, by prior written invitation of the Bureau. 4. A list of delegates and substitutes shall be sent by each member party to the secretariat at least six weeks prior to the Congress to allow verification of credentials. 5. Any verification of credentials will be carried out, if required, by the Bureau. 6. A member party’s votes are not transferable. V. ELECTIONS 1. Ballots shall be secret. Delegates may complete a maximum of two ballot papers per election. Abstentions, blank ballot papers and invalid ballot papers will not be counted among the votes cast. a) Election of the President and the Treasurer The President and the Treasurer are elected separately, by a majority of more than 50% of the votes cast. If there are more than two candidates, and no one obtains more than 50% of the votes cast, a second round takes place between the two candidates who obtained the most votes. b) Election of Vice Presidents The Vice Presidents are elected on a single ballot paper. Delegates must mark as many choices as there are mandates to be filled. Failure to do so invalidates the ballot paper. Those candidates who obtain the highest number of votes are elected until all vacant mandates are filled. If two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes for the last vacant mandate, an extra round will be arranged between those candidates to determine who will fill the mandate. 2. Candidates for election to the Bureau can be nominated up to the official opening of the Congress. Candidates for election to the Bureau must be nominated by a full member party of the Association. VI. CONDUCT OF SESSIONS OF THE CONGRESS 7. Votes will be cast by holding up voting cards. A written ballot may be taken by decision of the Congress. Decisions of the Congress are taken by simple majority unless required otherwise by the Articles of Association. For decisions of the Congress at least one third of the total number of delegates must be present and voting. 8. There shall be a written ballot for the appointment and dismissal of members of the Bureau or officers. The Congress shall appoint tellers for counting votes. 9. The President or session Chairperson shall announce the result, or, if of the opinion that the result is not clear, shall order a count. The President's or Chairperson's decision may be challenged and a written vote held if 30 delegates stand to request this. 10. Separate votes shall be taken on any section of any motion or amendment, if: a) requested by the President or Chairperson of that session; b) requested by the Bureau; or c) requested by any delegate as a point of order and either accepted by the proposer of the motion or amendment as appropriate, or put to a vote and confirmed by decision of the Congress. 11. At the end of any debate on an amendment or motion, a vote will be taken.
EDP	I THE CONGRESS or general assembly Article 12: Composition of the Congress Within the limits of forty representatives for party members, the Congress contains the following members: -Six delegates per party member. If in a State member of the European Union, there is more than one Party member, the delegates are divided between the member parties in function of the average votes obtained in the preceding european elections. This rule does not apply to the founding members. -The number of delegates per member party is defined in function of the average votes obtained in the preceding European elections. -One delegate for every thirty thousand(30,000) votes or at least fifty percent of the same, up to three hundred thousand(300,000) votes. -one delegate for every one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) votes, or at least fifty percent of the same, starting from three hundred thousand (300,000) votes and up to three (3) million votes; -one delegate for every five hundred thousand (500,000) votes or at least fifty percent of the same, up to three (3) million votes; In the case in which a member party had participated in the last european elections as part of a list of coalition with other national parties, the number of its delegates shall be equal to double the number, determined by the same criteria, of delegates resulting from the calculation of the votes received in the preceding national political elections. -A number of delegates per party member in function of the average votes this party received in the preceding national or regional political elections (in the case that it is not possible to calculate the results of the party in the national elections due to the local electoral system); -A delegate for every two hundred and fifty thousand (250,000) votes, or at least fifty percent of the same, up to three (3) million votes. A delegate for every five hundred thousand (500,000) votes, or at least fifty percent of the same, over three (3) million votes. -The members of the European Parliament who are members of the European Democratic Party; -The members of Council; -The individual members; -Two delegates per party with the status of affiliate; The physical persons sighted in article 7 point 5 may be invited to participate in Congress. This decision is made by the Council on the suggestion of the president(s). The Congress of the EDP engages in taking position and, in the exceptional case, give it to propositions presented by at least 30% of physical persons sited in article 6 point 5 and of moral persons sighted in point 6. Article 16: Votes and Majorities The delegates and the members dispose one vote each. The quorum is set at one third of the members present. If this quorum is not reached, a new Congress, with the same order of the day, will be convocated within at least eight days, and will be able to deliberate validly, independently from the number of members present. The decisions are approved with a simple majority of favorable votes. The statute amendments are accepted when three quarters of the delegates vote in their favor. The decisions made by the Council bind all the members, including those who voted against or who abstained. Each member may be represented at the assembly by one other member. Each member present may possess only one proxy whose model shall be established by the Council. Article 22: Convocations and the execution of meetings (…) The decisions are made with a simple majority of the present and voting delegates, unless it is otherwise specified by the statutes. When less than one third of the delegates are present, the Council may, with a simple majority of its present members, convocate a second meeting that must take place at the earliest two weeks later. The quorum is not required for the adopted decisions in a second meeting. A member of Council may be represented by another member of Council nevertheless, he\she may not possess more than one proxy at a time. The resolutions are submitted in a register signed by the President of Council and one other of its members, and it is kept in the social office of the association.
EPP	Statutes: Article 13 The members of the Presidency shall meet at least eight times annually, upon convocation by the President, by letter, fax or email at the latest two weeks in advance, unless in case of urgency. The meetings take place on the day and at the time and place stated in the convocation notice. The notice also contains the agenda, which is fixed by the President. The Presidency may only debate the items on the agenda, unless all the members are present and unanimously agree to deliberate and to approve the agenda set at that time. The Presidency shall validly deliberate if a majority of its members are present. In case of failure to achieve this quorum, a second meeting shall be convened with the same agenda, which can validly deliberate, regardless of the attendance quorum. Decisions shall be taken by an absolute majority of the votes cast. All members of the Presidency shall have one vote. In case of a tie, the President has the casting vote. Article 14 If the President considers it advisable, the Presidency may approve a proposal by having all members of the Presidency sign for approval a circular setting out the proposal. In this case, the Presidency is not required to call a meeting. The circular must include the following information: - a statement that the text is a proposal for a decision of the Presidency; - a statement that the decision shall only be approved if signed by all the members of the Presidency; - a statement that the decision may not be amended and that no reservations may be expressed by members of the Presidency; - a statement that all the members of the Presidency must return the document signed and with the handwritten words “read and approved”; - a statement that the signed circular must be returned within ten days to the association. The meetings of the Presidency may also be organized by video- or teleconference. Article 17 On the invitation of the President, the Political Assembly meets at least four times annually, whenever the object or the interest of the association so requires; an extraordinary meeting can be held at the request of either one-third of the Ordinary Member Parties and Associated Member Parties, or of the Presidency of the Group of the EPP in the European Parliament. The Political Assembly shall validly deliberate if it is convened regularly, i.e. by letter, fax or email at the latest two weeks in advance, unless in case of urgency, and if a majority of its members are present. Failure to achieve this quorum can only be established on the basis of a formal proposal, at the request of the delegations of at least seven Ordinary Member Parties or Associated Member Parties. If a second meeting has been convened with the same agenda, within at least two weeks and at most two months after the establishing of the failure to achieve the quorum, this second meeting can validly deliberate, regardless of the quorum. The convocation notice sets out the agenda. Meetings are held at the registered office of the association or at the place stated in the notice of the meeting. For an item not listed on the agenda to be validly put to the vote, at least two thirds of members present must consent. All votes and election procedures shall be made by absolute majority of the members present. In case of a tie, the President has the casting vote. Internal Regulations: I. Congress b. Functioning The Congress can validly take decisions if it has been correctly convened and if the majority of its members are present. Failure to reach a quorum must be established by a formal motion. Decisions shall be taken by an absolute majority of the votes cast. Decisions on modifications to the by-laws are governed by article 21 of the by-laws. Each member of Congress has one vote.
Newropeans	Statutes: ARTICLE 6 - ADMINISTRATION: 1) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The executive Committee administers either by email or teleconference at the President’s initiative, either by arranging a meeting convened by the President or by request of a quarter of its members. It rules by a simple majority vote; if candidates fail to gain absolute majority, the President’s vote is a casting vote. Any inexcused absence may be considered to be a resignation, to be confirmed by the majority of full members of the executive committee at the President’s initiative. 2) GENERAL ASSEMBLY It can take a dual form, both physical and virtual, by taking place in the form either of a physical meeting of all members, a virtual meeting of all members, or a physical meeting of some of the members together with a virtual meeting of all members. Voting through Internet is one of the electoral processes used by Newropeans. If the number of members becomes larger 100,000, Newropeans will set up a Representative Assembly, made of representatives elected by members. It will be possible to invest it with the powers of the General Assembly, with the exception of the authority to elect the Executive Committee. Ordinary meetings: The President of the association convenes the General Assembly at least once a year to provide information about the activities and the management of the association and to submit for approval the ethical and financial reports of the closed year. The President first sends to every member of the assembly the agenda and the resolutions put to the vote. In case of electronic voting, each member has a period of 7 days from the receipt of the email to vote on the resolutions proposed (for/against/abstention). If a member does not respond within seven days, it will be considered to be an abstention. The members that do not have access to the Internet are invited to vote without meeting and have an additional period of seven days to have their vote sent. In the case of a physical meeting, the convening and agenda are sent at least 15 days before the meeting. The President of the association, together with the members of the Office, chairs the General Assembly. The General Assembly rules by a majority of the members present in person or represented, the number of proxies being limited to one per person. The quorum is 40% of the members.
PPI	XI. Voting (1) Each Ordinary Member shall have one vote and resolutions shall be taken by a simple majority of the Members present or represented and voting. In the event of a tie, the motion is defeated. (2) Decisions concerning the admission of new Members (section III. paragraph 4), the exclusion of Members (section VII, paragraph 2), the determination of the annual affiliation fee (section XVI, paragraph 1) and the amendment of this Statutes (section XX), shall be passed by a two thirds majority of the votes cast. (3) An Ordinary Member which is unable to be present at a meeting of the General Assembly may vote by proxy given to another Member, but no Member may accept more than one proxy. (4) In appropriate circumstances determined by the Board, there may be a postal referendum to Ordinary Members between meetings of the General Assembly when the same rules as to voting, majority and in the event of a tie shall apply. (5) Any Ordinary Member which has failed to pay its annual affiliation fee up to and including the end of the fiscal year preceding the General Assembly meeting shall forfeit its right to vote at that meeting of the General Assembly, unless remission or postponement of dues has received prior authorization from the Board. (6) Remote elections and voting on the points described in XI (2) shall be possible for all meetings of the General Assembly.
Jack Allnuts	III - Membership Article 11 (2) A vote to accept a Member must pass with a 2/3 majority in favour. Article 12 (2) A vote to accept a revoke a Member's membership must pass with a 2/3 majority in favour. V - Council Article 18 (1) All Members have the right of expression. (2) Full Member Parties and Associate Member Parties have the right of initiative. (3) Full Member Parties and Associate Member Parties shall have one vote each. (4) Full Member Parties have veto rights over common policy issues only. VI - Congress Article 22 (1) All members shall have the right of expression. (2) Full Member Parties, Associate Member Parties, the Board and the MEPs shall have the right of initiative. (3) Each Full Member Party and Associate Member Party shall have one vote (4) The Board shall have one vote (5) Full Member Parties have veto rights over common policy issues only. Article 23 (1) Amendments to the statutes must pass with a 3/4 majority in a vote of the Congress. VIII - Policy Article 28 PPEU shall only develop policy in areas where the EU has been granted competence by its member states except where all Full Member Parties and Associate Member parties agree unanimously. Article 29 Article 28 notwithstanding, any number of Member Parties can engage in enhanced cooperation regarding common political activities, such as a common election campaign. These activities can take place within PPEU, including the use of its name and logo, subject to the following conditions: (1) All Member Parties must be informed, though the Council, of the activity and must be welcome to participate if they wish to do so. (2) The group of Member Parties involved in the activities must not appear to represent the whole PPEU. (3) The activities shall only be carried out in the countries of the participating Member Parties or, if outside, only with the explicit agreement of the local Member Party. (4) The use of PPEU's logo or name needs to be approved by a majority of 3/4 in a vote in the Council.
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