Article 6 The Council

Each Contracting Party shall be represented in the Council by up to two delegates. Delegates to the Council shall be appointed and have their appointments terminated by the Contracting Party. Each Contracting Party shall inform the Chairperson of the Council in writing of any appointment or termination of appointments of its delegates to the Council without undue delay.

Each Contracting Party has one single vote in the Council. Decisions shall be taken by simple majority voting unless otherwise determined in these Statutes. In case of a tie, the vote of the Host Country shall break that tie.

The Council shall elect a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson from the delegations of the Contracting Parties for a period of two years. With their election the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson become supra partes and leave their delegations. The Contracting Parties affected by these departures appoint another delegate to represent them in the Council.

The Council meets at least once a year. Meetings of the Council shall be convened by the Chairperson of the Council. Meetings of the Council shall also be convened at the request of at least two Contracting Parties. Extraordinary meetings of the Council may also be convened at the request of the Coordinator (Article 7) if it is required in the interest of the Organisation.

The Council receives and approves the annual report, the financial statement and the annual spending plan submitted by the Management Board. The Council shall review at least annually the actual and forecasted survey and operating costs. The Council acting unanimously may approve a modification of the contribution to those other common costs in the annual spending plan that are not covered by any other funding source (Article 9(5)).

The Council receives and acknowledges the annual activity plan which contains the broad scientific aims of SHARE, the survey emphasis of the next wave, the certification process and the survey and dissemination schedule. Every two years, it receives a report by the Scientific Monitoring Board.

The Council elects with a qualified vote (at least two-thirds of the Contracting Parties) the Coordinator, the Area Coordinators and other members of the Management Board according to Article 7 upon nomination by the Scientific Partner Institutions.

Countries that have committed to SHARE-ERIC through signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Preparing the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (15 July 2009) may become non-voting members of the Council as observers until they have acceded to SHARE-ERIC according to Article 16.