Article 3 Membership and representing entity

The following entities may become Members of the ESS ERIC:

The ESS ERIC shall have at least three Member States as Members.

Member States (acting through National Representatives) shall hold at all times jointly the majority of voting rights at the General Assembly. If less than half of all the Members (acting through National Representatives) are Member States, the Member States shall hold together 51 % of the votes and each Member State (acting through National Representatives) shall hold an equal share of such 51 % of votes. The balance of the votes shall be divided equally between all other Members. For the purposes of the Statutes, ‘one vote’ shall refer, where appropriate, to one share of a Member’s vote adjusted as set out in this Article 3(3) whenever less than half of all Members are Member States.

Any Member or Observer may be represented by one public entity or one private entity with a public service mission, of its own choosing and appointed according to its own rules and procedures.

For the avoidance of doubt each Member shall be entitled to change its representative and/or to have up to two representatives but only one vote per Member.

Each Member shall appoint (through its relevant Ministry, Government Department or their respective delegated body or the representative under Article 3(4), and inform the General Assembly in writing of such appointment, one named natural person to represent such Member (the ‘National Representative’) at meetings of the General Assembly and in any other dealings of the General Assembly or otherwise between the Member and the ESS ERIC. Each Member shall also appoint, and inform the General Assembly in writing of such appointment, one named natural person to act as the alternate of the National Representative if the National Representative is unavailable or unable to carry out his or her duties.

Each Member shall normally appoint a National Representative for a minimum period of the 2-year cycle of each European Social Survey (with the first such period for the ESS ERIC being as determined by the Director with the approval of the General Assembly) (a ‘Biennial Period’). Each Member shall also appoint one named alternate National Representative for the same Biennial Period. Each Member may replace its National Representative or alternate National Representative at any time by written notice to the General Assembly.

The current Members, Observers and their representing entities are listed in Annex II. The Members at the time of submission of the ERIC application shall be referred to as founding members.