THE CONSULAR CORPS IN SCOTLAND

 

ARTICLES OF ORGANISATION AND THE RULES FOR THE REGULATION OF ITS AFFAIRS

 

 

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

 

 

NAME

 

Based in Edinburgh, Scotland’s Capital City, the Consular Corps respects the history of the Consular Officers in the City of Edinburgh, the Port of Leith and the Glasgow Consular Corps and, on the merger of these bodies and with the assumption to membership of individual Consular Officers throughout Scotland, takes the name “The Consular Corps in Scotland”.

 

The Consular Corps in Scotland takes no position on political issues; its primary aim being to provide a professional and social forum for its members whose functions are associated with Consular matters.

 

 

INTERESTS

 

The Consular Corps in Scotland (hereinafter referred to as CCS) is an association serving the interests of all Consular Officers of any grade and category holding Consular Patents granted by their States and Governments and the Exequatur granted by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to serve throughout Scotland or to cover a Consular District which may be the whole or any part of Scotland and the interests of all other Full Members as specified below (paragraph 2b).

 

 

 

THE ARTICLES OF ORGANISATION AND RULES

FOR THE REGULATION OF THE AFFAIRS

of the Consular Corps in Scotland

 

GENERAL

 

The “Articles” and “Rules” detailed and specified below replace the Articles of Organisation, as amended, of both the Consular Corps in Edinburgh and Leith, and The Glasgow Consular Corps.  

 

 

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

1. Membership of the Consular Corps in Scotland has two categories: a Full Membership and an Associate Membership.

 

 

 

1. Full Membership can be held by:

 

(a) Consular Officers of any grade and category who apply for membership, and where applicable, are granted leave to apply for membership by the Head of their Consular Post, and whose Consular Post is located anywhere throughout Scotland;

 

(b) Heads and senior staff of organisations or offices representing foreign or international interests other than Consular, having their offices anywhere throughout Scotland and having recognition by the British Government.

 

1. Associate Membership can be held by:

 

(a) Non-consular employees at Consular Posts throughout Scotland who are granted leave to apply for membership by the Head of their Consular Post;

 

(b) Heads and senior staff of organisations or offices representing foreign interests such as Trade or Cultural Missions and similar, with the explicit approval of the Head of the Consular Post representing the State in question.

 

(c) Associate Members will pay a subscription of half of the amount applicable to Full Members.

 

(d) Associate Members will not be eligible for appointment to the posts of Dean, Vice-Dean, Secretary, Treasurer or Auditor.

 

1. Honorary Membership may be granted by the Committee. An invitation to become an Honorary Member may be extended to retired Full and Associate Members and their widowed spouses. Whilst not required to pay a Subscription, Honorary Members may be asked to contribute towards certain costs, for example catering costs, from which they receive a direct benefit.

 

1. A Membership subscription shall be paid by each Full Member and each Associate Member annually to the Treasurer, after this has been determined by the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The fees fall due for payment on 31st January of each year. Any Members who will be in default of this payment for longer than eight weeks may have their membership and rights suspended by the Committee until the payment is made.

 

1. Additional dues may be levied, if approved by the AGM, to contribute to costs or actions promoted by the CCS.

 

 

REGULATION OF THE AFFAIRS

 

1. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CCS shall be held every year in Spring, normally in April, and shall be called at least three weeks prior to the date of the AGM.

 

1. An Extraordinary General Meeting ("EGM") may be held at the request of at least five members who shall give their names and specify the motion on which a vote should be taken in writing to the Secretary, whom falling another office bearer, at least four weeks before the proposed date of the EGM, to allow three weeks notice to be given to the membership. Accordingly, any changes to the Articles and Rules of the CCS, whether submitted to the AGM or the EGM, must be proposed by a minimum of five Members.

 

 

1. The Day-to-Day Business of the CCS shall be conducted by the Dean and the Committee consisting of the Dean, the Vice-Dean, the Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer and a minimum of five Committee members. The Committee shall normally include at least four Career Consular Officers and at least four Honorary Consular Officers.

 

1. The Deanship shall be held alternately by a career Consular Officer and an Honorary Consular Officer, when possible. The Dean shall be elected every year at the AGM. Therefore, the normal period of Deanship will be one year. ln exceptional circumstances however, the Dean in office may be re-elected for a second term, but not for a further term. This does not preclude him or her standing again after a seven year interval. The Vice-Dean shall be elected by the Committee.

 

1. The Committee specified in paragraph 9 shall be elected at the AGM. The Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer are elected for a five-year period at the AGM at which their respective predecessors stand down. The remaining Committee members are elected for a period or one year, but may seek re-election for consecutive periods up to a maximum of five years, after which they would not be eligible for re-election as a non-office bearing member of the Committee until after the lapse of one year.

 

1. The Quorum for any AGM or EGM shall be as follows: for an election of an office bearer requiring a simple majority, and for any other decisions put to the vote requiring a simple majority the quorum shall be 16 Full Members of which at least three should be Members of the Committee. The Dean has a casting vote. Associate Members and Honorary Members have no right to vote, nor Members whose Subscriptions are overdue.

 

1. A special election of a Dean ad Interim shall be called in the event that the serving Dean has to stand down. For this, an EGM has to be called. The Vice-Dean ad-interim will serve until the next AGM, or an EGM if so called for the specific purpose of electing a new Dean.

 

1. Resignations. If any other Committee Member stands down during his/her term of office, the Committee has the right to co-opt and appoint an ad interim member. Any such appointment must be confirmed at the next AGM.

 

1. The Committee will meet at least four times per year. A quorum for Committee meetings and decisions shall be the Dean and at least four other Committee members.

 

1. Absence of Dean. During any unduly long but temporary absence of the Dean from office, the Committee will ask the Vice-Dean to act as Dean ad-Interim when the situation so requires.

 

1. Nominations of office-bearers. At all elections of office-bearers, nominations should be made in an appropriate form bearing the names and addresses of the proposer and seconder in writing, to reach the Secretary at least one week before the date of the meeting. The proposer must obtain the approval of the candidate to his/her candidature. Either the proposer or the seconder, or both, should be present at the meeting at which the election takes place. Proxies or postal voting may not be used. If more than one nomination has been made and seconded, and if two or more candidates receive an equal number of votes, a second ballot shall be taken forthwith. The Dean may direct that the election take place by a secret ballot. Ballot slips must be scrutinised by at least two scrutineers, and the result and details shall be publicly declared at the meeting. If no decision is then obtained, the appointment shall be made by the drawing of lots. However, in the case of a single nomination for any office, the Dean shall declare the candidate elected.

 

 

1. Accounts of the CCS are maintained by the Honorary Treasurer and must be audited by an Auditor, who is not a Member of the Corps in any capacity, appointed by the AGM.

 

1. Articles can be adopted or changed by the AGM or EGM, requiring a 75% majority of members present, the quorum being 16 full members of which at least three should be members of the Committee.

 

1. The Protocol incorporated in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations shall be observed regarding the Order of Precedence.

 

1. A copy of these Articles shall be emailed by the Secretary to all founding Members of the Corps and new Members upon their assumption of Office.

 

 

 

Edinburgh, 11th April 2019