Standing Orders for the Board and the CNR 
Approved at the AGM in Siena,March 2003
1. Constitution of the CNR
1.1 The Council of National Representatives consists of all National Representatives.The term of National Representative and National Observers begins at an Annual General Meeting and ends at the following Annual General Meeting. The election of the National Representatives should preferably be held prior to the AGM.
1.2 If the result of the election of any designated members is doubtful, he/she will not be an official CNR member before clarity is achieved.
1.3 If during the course of the term of the board a National Representative wishes to resign, the following procedure applies:
1.3.1 A resigning National Representative shall notify all sections in his/ her country of his/ her resignation. The sections will have to insure the designation of a new National Representative; otherwise the place on the CNR will remain free for the rest of the term.
1.3.2 The resigning National Representative shall notify at least the President and the Secretary of his/her resignation. He/she shall report at the same time, if a successor has already been nominated or elected.
1.3.3 Letters from all national sections stating the election of the National representative. Sections may indicate if they are opposed to the person or to the way of election but are in no way obliged to do so. Letters must be sent to the President and the Secretary.
1.4 Any National Representative can be expelled from the CNR for outstanding reasons. The following procedure applies:
1.4.1 During CNR Meetings any National Representative can propose the expulsion of any other National Representative.
1.4.2 The written proposal must be handed in to the chair of the meeting, and must be signed by the NR proposing the expulsion. The chair must then inform the CNR about the proposal without stating the name of the proposing national representative.
1.4.3 Before the discussion on the proposal starts, the NR in question should leave the room. When the discussion comes to an end, he/she is asked back in. The chair gives a summary of the contents of the discussion. The NR concerned is then allowed to comment on the points made known to him/her. This speaking time for this comment is 30 minutes plus 10 minutes for preparation and cannot be reduced by the chair or the CNR. A temporary suspension of the standing orders is not possible or valid at that time either.
1.4.4 After the comment is finished the procedure may start over again if a majority wishes to do so.
1.4.5 Otherwise a secret ballot will be taken. The NR on whose expulsion the vote is taken need not to leave the room, but may participate in the vote. Only national Representatives will participate in such vote.
1.4.6 The proposal for expulsion is carried when a two-thirds majority votes in favour.
2. Tasks
2.1 Tasks allocated to resigning or expelled National Representatives are not automatically transferred to his/her successor. Such tasks will be reallocated at the CNR meeting where resignation or expulsion takes place.
3. Role and mandate of the chair
3.1 The responsibility for chairing meetings of the CNR and the Board lies with a member of one of these bodies. The chair should be chosen by a vote at the beginning of the meeting.
3.2 The chair may at anytime resign, in which case another chair should be appointed. The chair may also be replaced by a vote.
3.3 It is the chair’s responsibility that the procedures stipulated in the standing orders for the CNR and the Board are adhered to.
3.4 The chair is obliged to follow the agenda but may propose a change of the agenda himself/herself. Such a proposal shall be voted on immediately.
3.5 The chair may at any time given time make comments about procedural matters but will be considered a normal speaker in all other cases.
3.6 The chair calls the speakers according to the speakers’ list.
4. Speaker's list
4.1 During all discussions, the chair keeps a speakers list in order that participants indicate their desire to speak. If the chair wishes to participate in a topical discussion he/she must put down his/her name on the speakers’ list.
4.2 Speakers are called in the order they indicated their desire to speak.
4.3 The chair may propose to close the speakers list. If there are objections, a vote must be taken.
4.4 If a proposal for the closing speakers’ list has been made, voted and carried, the chair shall note all persons indicating their desire to speak. Then he/she verifies that the list is complete by reading it to the Board. If no objections are raised, the list is closed and cannot be reopened before a vote on the matter discussed is taken.
4.5 If the proposal for closing the speakers’ list has been made and agreed on and if all persons on the list have spoken, but no proposal for voting has been made, the chair may propose a vote and may ask for suggestions for the wording of the proposal. The chair is free to move on to the next point of the agenda.
Speaking time begins when the chair calls a speaker. It shall not normally exceed 3 minutes. The chair can both reduce and extend speaking time. A simple majority of participants having the right to speak overrules such a chair decision.
5. Constitution of the Board
5.1 The Board is elected at the AGM in accordance with the relevant Standing Orders.
5.2 The Board consists of seven people, a President, a Vice-president, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and three regular Board Members.
5.3 The three regular members should have special tasks.
5.4 The Board must send a monthly report of its activities to the sections.
5.5 The Board is responsible for the action plans.
6. Action Plans
6.1 The Action plan is a list stating all the actions that will be taken by ESN International.
6.2 The Board is responsible for the accomplishment of the actions stated in the Action plan.
6.3 The Board can delegate the actual carrying out of the actions stated in the action plan to sections, National Platforms, and/or CNR members. The Board can also decide to carry out all or certain actions on its own.
6.4 The Board proposes the draft of the Action Plan to the AGM, which then has to approve it.
6.5 Any member of ESN can propose additional actions to the Action Plan at any time. These additional changes need to be approved by the CNR.
6.6 The actions on the Action Plan approved by the AGM have the highest priority in comparison to actions additionally added to the Action Plan at any time after the AGM.
6.7 No actions can be removed from the Action Plan, which has been approved by the AGM, but by the AGM itself.
6.8 The Board is responsible for providing the succeeding Board with an Action Plan Manual that will contain all the actions taken during their mandate as well as the necessary information, contacts, guidelines, etc.
7. Rights of participants at CNR Meetings
7.1 National Representatives have the right to vote, the right to propose decisions and the right to speak.
7.2 National Observers have the right to speak.
8. Rights of participants at Board Meetings
8.1 Board members have the right to vote, the right to propose decisions and the right to speak.
8.2 National Representatives have the right to attend meetings, and the right to speak, but not to vote.
9. Voting procedure (Board)
9.1 A vote must be taken if proposed by a Board. If required that Board member must explain the purpose and/or need for a vote. A discussion normally takes place between proposal and voting.
9.2 A vote will be taken without delay,
9.2.1 If the speakers’ list has not been closed and nobody indicates a desire to speak and a proposal has been made.
9.2.2 If the speakers’ list has been closed and all the speakers on that list have spoken, and a proposal has been made.
9.2.3 If a proposal for closing the speakers’ list has been made.
9.2.4 If the chair’s decision to reduce or extend speaking time is challenged.
9.3 Before the vote is taken, the chair will-in the following order.
9.2.5 announce that the vote is going to be taken;
9.2.6 summarise the point to be voted on, stating clearly the meaning of the votes in favour and votes opposing the proposal;
9.2.7 establish they way of voting;
9.3 All voting is, unless otherwise stated, done by simple majority.
9.4 The chair asks for votes in favour, opposing the proposal and abstentions, in that order. Board members indicate their opinion by raising their hand clearly. The votes are counted and the decision announced by the chair.
9.5 If one or more Board members request so, a secret ballot has to be taken.
9.5.1 Pieces of paper are handed out to all board members and are collected after all of them indicated their opinion in writing and folded their piece once.
9.5.2 The chair then opens the pieces one by one and announces the votes contained. This is double-checked by one of the persons sitting next to the chair.
9.5.3 A vote that cannot be interpreted clearly as being in favour, opposing or abstaining is considered invalid
9.6 After the counting is completed, the decision is announced by the chair.
9.7 A vote is invalid and must be repeated at once
9.7.1 If the number of all votes given is not equal to the number of Board members present.
9.7.2 If anybody participated in the voting without having the right to vote.
9.7.3 If anybody voted more than once.
9.7.4 If anybody can prove that the counting has been done wrong. If doubts about the correctness are raised but cannot be proven, the vote is considered invalid and must be repeated at once by secret ballot.
9.8 If the outcome of a vote is even, the President has the casting vote. If the President is not there, the Vice-president has the casting vote.
9.9 Any vote can be repeated on request if there is sufficient ground for supposing that wrong incomplete or unclear information has caused the outcome of the vote. Any person present with the right to speak can request such a repetition. The request has to be voted on and carried by a simple majority in order to repeat the vote. This procedure also applies to votes concerning applications for membership.
10. Voting procedure (CNR)
10.1 The CNR is mainly a consultative body, and will therefore only rarely vote.
10.2 Votes must take place in the following circumstances:
10.2.1 Approving a new country;
10.2.2 Overruling a Board decision;
10.2.3 Expressing no confidence in the Board or a single Board member.
10.2.4 Changes to the Statutes.
10.3 The same voting procedure applies as for the Board.
10.4 Approving a new country is done by a simple majority of those present.
10.5 Overruling a Board decision requires a two-thirds majority of those present.
10.6 A vote of no confidence requires a majority of 51% of all NRs. The same procedure as in 1.4 applies.
11. Changes to the Standing Orders for the CNR and the Board
11.1 A whole set or any single standing order is implemented as soon as it is carried by a two-thirds majority of the sections present at the AGM.
Any Board member having the right to propose decisions can propose changes to the standing orders of the CNR and the Board. A change is implemented as soon as it is carried.
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