Statutes approved by General Assembly September 1992 and amended August 2000, March 2005, May 2014 and approved by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office August 2014.
Title I. – Name and domicile
Article 1
The name of the association is the European Association for Urban History Ry, hereafter referred to as the “Association” or the “EAUH”. An unofficial French name, L’Association Européenne d'Histoire Urbaine, may also be used.
Article 2
The domicile of the association is in Helsinki, Finland
Title II. – Purpose and activities
Article 3
The purpose of the EAUH is to promote the study of all aspects of urban history in Europe and beyond, from the origin of towns and cities through to the present day.
The EAUH carries out its purpose
- by organizing an open conference in the field every two years. Conference sessions can be conducted in English and/or French.
- by supporting other more limited conferences, as well as student and staff exchange, publications and other forms of cooperation, as funding and opportunity exists. Wherever possible this shall be achieved in collaboration with national bodies of urban historians and research centres in the field.
Article 4
To achieve the purpose of the Association (Article 3) the EAUH shall be managed by the Board, also called the International Committee, with members from different countries (see Articles 8–12) and by three Officers – a President (see Article 17), Secretary (see Article 18) and Treasurer (see Article 19).
Title III. - Membership
Article 5
Membership is open to all those interested in urban history. Membership applications shall be approved by the Board of the Association. The membership fee shall be fixed by the Ordinary General Meeting.
Article 6
Anymember has a right to resign from the membership by sending a written notification to the Board of the Association or to the Chairman of the Board, or by informing the General Meeting of the resignation in which case resignation shall be recorded in the minutes of the General Meeting.
The Board can terminate the membership of any member who has not paid the membership fee or has not otherwise fulfilled the obligations he/she has committed himself/herself to in the Association, or who has considerably damaged the Association, or has not fulfilled the conditions of membership mentioned in the Statutes of the Association.
Title IV. – Governing and administration of the Association
Article 7
The EAUH shall be governed by the Board of the Association (see articles 8–12) and the General Meeting (see articles 13–15).
Article 8
The Board shall be the managing and executive body of the Association.
The Board shall consists of 15–23 members appointed by the Ordinary General Meeting. 13–18 members shall be chosen from European countries, and 2–5 members from regions outside Europe. Members of the Board shall be drawn from as wide a range of countries as possible.
Article 9
Members of the Board shall be elected by the members of the Association in the Ordinary General Meeting which is organized every two years.
At least four months before the Ordinary General Meeting, the Board announces the number of coming vacancies. Candidates for election shall be nominated by notice to the Secretary three months before the Ordinary General Meeting, the notification being signed by at least twelve current members.
Members of the Board serve for a period of four years, and are eligible for re-election once. Every two years, half (or nearly half) of the Board Members shall be elected for terms of four years each.
Article 10
Former Board members shall be called Honorary members. They may continue to attend meetings of the Board for a maximum of two years after their term of office has expired.
Honorary members shall not have the right to vote.
Article 11
The Board shall be entitled to invite other persons to attend meetings of the Board in order to broaden the range of experience and expertise available to it.
Article 12
The President and Secretary shall be elected by and among the members of the Board. The members of the Board shall also elect either from amongst themselves or from outside the Treasurer.
The Board shall be quorate when at least half of its members, including the President, are present. Votes shall be decided by a simple majority. If the vote is tied, the President shall have the casting vote.
Article 13
The Ordinary General Meeting shall be held every two years during the biennial conference which is organized during August–November.
The Board of the Association shall convene the Ordinary General Meeting by sending a written notice of the meeting by post or email, or by placing an invitation on the website of the Association at least one month before the date of the meeting.
Each member shall have one vote in the General Meeting.
An extraordinary meeting shall be held, when the General Meeting in its ordinary meeting decides so, or when the Board sees there is reason for one, or whenever at least 10 per cent of the members entitled to vote demands one from the Board in written form with regards to a specific matter. Such a meeting is to be held in thirty days after the demand has been presented to the Board.
The Board shall convene an extraordinary general meeting by sending a written notice of the meeting by post or email, or by placing an invitation on the website of the Association at least ten days before the meeting.
The Board of the Association or the General Meeting may decide that the members may participate in the General Meeting by post or telecommunications or by other technical means.
Article 14
The following matters shall be considered in the Ordinary General Meeting:
The financial statement, annual report and the auditors’ report
Approval of the financial statement and discharge from liability to the members of the Board
Approval of the operating plan, budget and membership dues
Election of members of the Board
Election of two auditors for a term of two years
Decisions shall be made by a simple majority of votes.
If the vote is tied, the Chairperson of the General Meeting shall have the casting vote.
Article 15
The accounting period of the Association is 1.4. – 31.3.
The financial statement and other required documents shall be given to the auditors for their review not later than two months before the Ordinary General Meeting. The auditors must give their written statement to the Board at least two weeks before the Ordinary General Meeting.
Article 16
The President, Secretary and Treasurer are each authorized to sign for the Association.
Article 17
The President is elected by the Board of the Association in its first meeting after the Ordinary General Meeting.
The President shall be responsible for the organization of the biennial conference and shall report to the Board. Between the meetings of the Board, the President shall liaise regularly with the other Officers and members of the Board. The President chairs meetings of the Board. He or she may serve for two years maximum.
Article 18
The Secretary shall be elected by the Board. He/she shall be responsible for organizing the agenda and taking minutes of the Board, as well as liaising with the other Officers and members of the Board. He/she shall also be in charge of correspondence and liaison with international bodies, national organizations, research centres and others interested in the field. The term of office of the Secretary shall be four years, and he/she shall be eligible for re-election once.
Article 19
The Treasurer shall be elected by the Board. He/she shall be responsible for the receipt and disbursement of the monies of the Association in a manner consonant with the purposes and interests of the association. He/she shall give an annual financial report to the Board, as well as see that the financial statement, auditors’ report and budget are presented in the Ordinary General Meeting. The Treasurer shall manage and administer the bursary scheme of EAUH in accordance with the instructions of the Board. The term of the Treasurer shall be four years, and he/she shall be eligible for re-election once.
Article 20
The income of the EAUH consists of membership fees and the sums directed to it by private or public organizations.
Title V - Modification of statutes and dissolution
Article 21
The General Meeting of the Association may amend the statutes by a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting. It must be included in the notice of the meeting that amending the statutes will be discussed.
Article 22
The Association may be dissolved by the agreement of not less than three-quarters of those members present at a General Meeting. It must be included in the notice of the meeting that dissolving the association will be discussed.
Article 23
If the Association is dissolved, the assets of the association are to be used to promote the cause of the organization in a manner specified in the dissolving meeting. In the event that the Association is wound up, any remaining funds shall be used for the same purpose.