STATUTES

EWC STATUTES

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++ The Statutes of the EUROPEAN WRITERS’ COUNCIL – FEDERATION DES ASSOCIATIONS EUROPEENNES D’ECRIVAINS” AISBL, acronym EWC-FAEE, were adapted on 14th June 2026 by the General Assembly to the Book 10 of the Code of Companies and Associations ++ The original French version shall prevail. ++

EWC Statutes French and English

Name, Registered office, Object and Duration

1) Name

The AISBL shall be named “EUROPEAN WRITERS COUNCIL – FEDERATION DES ASSOCIATIONS EUROPEENNES D’ECRIVAINS”, abbreviated to “EWC-FAEE”.
The AISBL shall be governed by the provisions of Book 10 of the Code of Companies and Associations.
All instruments, invoices, announcements, publications and other documents issued by the international non-profit association to which legal personality has been granted shall state its name immediately preceded or followed by the words “association internationale sans but lucratif”, or by the acronym “AISBL”, as well as the address of its registered office.

2) Registered office

The registered office of the AISBL is currently established in Ixelles, rue du Prince Royal, 85-87, in the judicial district of Brussels.
The registered office may be transferred to any other location in Belgium by decision of the Executive Board according to its usual procedure for passing resolutions to be published in the Annexes du Moniteur belge and filed with the registrar of the commercial court having jurisdiction within one month of the date of the decision.

3) Aims and objectives

The AISBL shall pursue the following non-profit objectives of international utility:

• supporting its member organisations, defending the financial and moral rights of authors, promoting the professional and cultural interests of authors, improving the legal and social status of writers and literary translators Europe;
• encouraging general debate in the fields of freedom of expression, intellectual property and artistic creativity, the social status, contractual and working conditions of writers and literary translators;
• improving public awareness regarding copyright and the condition of authors in Europe;
• disseminating information relevant to its member organisations, in particular relating to community action in cultural, legal and regulatory matters.

In order to achieve its objectives, the AISBL may:

• represent its Members and defend their interests in relation to European authorities;
• inform and assist literary professionals: improve the conditions necessary for literary creation;
• facilitate and encourage trans-European cooperation and cultural exchange as well as the mobility of literary works – while promoting and defending the diversity of languages and the variety of artistic expression in the literary field;
• organise and co-organise European events, such as international conferences, seminars, workshops and symposia.

Generally, the association may undertake any activity relating directly or indirectly to its aims and objectives, or which could facilitate their achievement.
The association shall have a non-profit aim, and shall not be permitted to distribute to its Members any profits which may be derived from any activities carried out in pursuit of its objectives.

4) Duration

The AISBL is established for an indefinite duration and may be dissolved at any time in accordance with Article 17 of the present Statutes.

Members of the Association

5) Composition

The AISBL shall be comprised of Full Members and Associate Members, legal persons established under the laws and customs of the state to whose jurisdiction they are subject.
The admission of new members shall be subject to the following conditions:

1. Belgian or European organisations, national and supra-national organisations and European organisations representing a language, writers of fiction or non-fiction, children’s literature, playwrights, scriptwriters, and literary translators, whose works are published and distributed, may be Full Members, provided they are legal persons.
2. Associations or other legal persons which do not meet all the above criteria may nevertheless become Associate Members if it is in the interests of the AISBL. Any Belgian or other association, including of authors, any authors’ foundations or institutions may become Associate Members.

All applications to become a Full or an Associate Member shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary General in such a form as may be required by the Executive Board. Any applications made shall imply acceptance of the present Statutes of the AISBL and shall be submitted to the Executive Board which shall decide, at any meeting following receipt of the application, on whether to approve or reject the application.
Applications shall be approved or rejected by a resolution passed by a simple majority of votes, subject to ratification by the General Assembly acting in accordance with article 15 of these Statutes.
Under instruction from the Executive Board, the Secretary General shall inform any applicants in writing as to whether their application has been approved or rejected.
The AISBL shall have no obligation to provide the reasons for rejecting an application.

6) Voting rights – membership fees –

Full Members shall have the right to take part in the discussion and to vote at the general assemblies; Associate Members shall have the right to take part in the discussion only.
Members shall pay an annual membership fee which shall set by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Board.
Any Member who, after receiving two reminders, has still not paid their fee or has not provided a valid explanation for paying the minimum fee, or who has not provided a satisfactory justification for the non-payment within a period of three months, shall lose their right to vote at the next Assembly. If a Member fails to pay their membership fee by the end of the relevant financial year, this shall constitute sufficient grounds for the Executive Board to recommend that the Member be excluded.

Neither Full Members nor Associate Members shall incur any individual liability as a result of commitments taken on behalf of the AISBL and each Member’s liability shall be limited to the amount of that Member’s fee and contribution to the management costs of the association. Beyond that, the rights and obligations of Full Members and Associate Members shall be those set out in these Statutes.

7) Resignation

Full Members and Associate Members shall be free to withdraw from the AISBL at any time by submitting a letter of resignation to the President of the Executive Board. However, the resignation, shall only take effect at the end of the current financial year. Resigning Members shall retain their rights and remain liable for all financial obligations towards the AISBL until the end of the relevant financial year.
If a Member is taken over by another entity, whether or not the latter is a Member of the association, that Member shall retain its status as a Member of the AISBL along which all its rights and obligations. If the new parent entity decides to withdraw from the association, the rules and time limits set out above shall apply (even if the previous Member can no longer be recognised as an independent entity).

8) Exclusion

The exclusion of a Full Member or an Associate Member of the AISBL, may be proposed by the Executive Board, after it has heard the defence of the person concerned, and, if necessary, shall be decided by the General Assembly by a two thirds majority of Full Members present or represented. The Executive Board may suspend the rights of the person concerned until the decision of the General Assembly.

9) Consequences of resignation or exclusion

A Full Member or an Associate Member of the AISBL who ceases to be part of the AISBL through resignation, exclusion or for any other reason, shall have no rights to the association’s funds. Such a member may not request or claim any account statements or certificates or inventories or the placing of seals on the association’s assets. A Member who has resigned or is excluded may, under no circumstances, claim reimbursement of previously paid membership fees.

10) Register

The Secretary General shall at all times keep a register containing the list of the Full Members and Associate Members.
This register shall include the following indications:
› the full name of each Member and the name of the natural person representing them and of the substitute of the representative, as set out in article 12 of these Statutes;
› the address of Members;
› the date of their admission;
› the date of withdrawal of every Member.

General assembly

11) Powers

The General Assembly holds the full powers necessary for achieving the aims and activities of the AISBL.

The following matters in particular are reserved to its authority:
› defining the priorities of the organisation, its activities and its areas of development;
› amending the Statutes of the AISBL, with the exception of changes to the registered office;
› appointing and removing Members of the Executive Board;
› appointing Presidents of Honour;
› approving of the annual budgets and accounts;
› giving discharge to Executive Board Members;
› voluntary dissolution of the AISBL;
› exclusion of a Full Member or an Associate Member;
› adopting internal rules.

12) Composition

The General Assembly is composed of all the Full Members.
Every Full Member shall nominate in writing a natural person to represent them at meetings of the General Assembly and who will be delegated to participate and vote on their behalf at such meetings. Every Full Member may likewise nominate a substitute for their representative who may attend meetings, whether or not the representative is present, and who may only vote on behalf of the Member if the representative is absent. Every Full Member shall ensure that the Secretary General is always informed in writing of the identity of their representative and the substitute of their representative.

13) Meetings of the general assembly

The General Assembly shall meet every year.
Extraordinary meetings of the General Assembly may be called whenever required in the interests of the AISBL. They must be convened whenever at least one fifth of the Full Members so request.

Every General Assembly meeting shall be is held on the day and in the place indicated in the notice of meeting. The day and the time of the meeting shall be determined at the previous General Assembly. The power to determine the day and the time of the annual General Assembly may be delegated to the Executive Board by the General Assembly.
A General Assembly or an extraordinary Assembly may be held using alternative methods, including by virtual or digital, in accordance with applicable legal provisions.

All Full Members shall be given written notice of General Assembly meetings by letter, fax, email or announcements on the organisation’s website.

Notice of meetings shall be sent by the Secretary General at least twelve weeks before the date of the Assembly meeting. Motions and items for discussion tabled by Full Members must reach the Executive Board at least one month before the meeting of the General Assembly. The agenda and other relevant documents shall be sent to Full Members at least fourteen days before the meeting of the General Assembly. A Meetings may can, however, be convened at shorter notice subject to the consent of all Members provided that such notice is no less than eight days.

14) Chair

The General Assembly shall be chaired by the President of the Executive Board or, in the case of their absence or incapacity, by one of the two Vice Presidents. If none of these is present, the General Assembly shall elect by simple majority a delegate to chair the meeting. The officers of the General Assembly shall be composed of the person who chairs the meeting.

15) Quorum and majority

Every Full Member shall have the right to attend and participate in the General Assembly through their representative’s substitute.

A Member may not hold more than two proxies and, when voting, shall have as many votes as the number of proxies they hold, in addition to their own vote.
The resolutions of the General Assembly shall only be valid if half of the Full Members are present or represented. If fewer than half of the Full Members are present or represented, a second Assembly shall be held within six months of the first General Assembly which shall resolve freely regardless of the number of Full Members present or represented.

No decision may be taken on any matter that is not on the agenda.
Without prejudice to Article 16 below, resolutions shall be taken by simple majority of the Full Members present or represented.
Associate Members may express their opinions on items on the agenda.
All resolutions shall be put to a vote by show of hands or through an electronic, digital, online or remote (electronic) voting system, in accordance with the procedure set out in the internal rules.

Every Full Member who is present or represented at the General Assembly shall have one vote, be it by show of hands or through an electronic, digital, online or remote (electronic) voting system provided that the Member has the right to vote in accordance with the conditions set out in Article 6.

16) Special Quorums – special rules

By way of exception to the preceding article, the General Assembly may deliberate in the following cases when two thirds of the Full Members are present or represented. The resolution may only be adopted if it passes with a majority in favour of two thirds of the votes cast by the Full Members, present or represented:
› › removal of a Member of the Executive Board;

› exclusion of a Member.

The General Assembly may only validly decide on a motion to amend the Statutes or a motion of dissolution, if two thirds of the Full Members are present or represented. A decision shall only be valid if it passes with by a majority of four fifths of the Full Members present or represented. However, if the General Assembly is attended by fewer than two thirds of the Full Members (present or represented) of the association, a new General Assembly shall be convened which shall resolve definitively and validly on the motion by the same majority of four fifths of the votes, of the number of Full Members present or represented, no earlier than fifteen days after the first meeting.

17) Dissolution

The General Assembly shall determine the method of dissolution of the association. The net assets remaining after liquidation shall be transferred to a non-profit legal entity governed by private law pursuing a similar object to that of the AISBL.

18) Associate members

Associate Members may be called to any General Assembly whenever the interests of the AISBL so require, with the right to take part in the discussion and without being taken into account for the determination of the required quorum.

19) Minutes and Internal Transparency

Decisions, resolutions and the minutes of the General Assembly shall be notified in writing to Members.
A copy of the minutes of General Assemblies, signed by the President and the Secretary General, shall be filed at the registered office of the AISBL.

Executive Board

20) Composition – Nomination – Powers

The AISBL shall be administered by an Executive Board (administrative body) composed of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7 members nominated from among the representatives of the Full Members. Members of the Executive Board shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years, renewable for a maximum of four terms, whether consecutive or not.

However, the Members of the first Executive Board shall be appointed for a term of one year which may be extended for an indefinite period.

The office of Executive Board Member shall be performed for no remuneration.

Members of the Executive Board shall act as private individuals and not as representatives of organisations, countries, languages or other interests.

Representatives of Full Members, who are candidates for the office of Executive Board Member shall submit their candidacy and a curriculum vitae in writing at least two months before the date of the meeting of the General Assembly, specifying the office for which they are standing. Applications shall be accompanied by the written approval of a Full Member to which they belong.
With the exception of the elections of the first Executive Board subsequent to the founding document, elections to the Executive Board shall be prepared by an Election Committee, composed of at least two members, elected at the General Assembly preceding the election.
Late receipt of a candidacy shall result in the exclusion of the candidate from the office of Executive Board Member, unless otherwise decided by the General Assembly by a simple majority vote.

The President, Vice Presidents and other Members of the Executive Board shall be elected in three separate ballots. The first ballot shall concern the office of Executive Board Member, the second ballot shall concern the office of President, and the third ballot shall concern the office of Vice President. The election shall be decided by a simple majority of votes of Full Members present or represented, by written and secret ballot, unless the General Assembly decides otherwise.
The Executive Board shall have full powers of management and administration, subject to the powers reserved to the General Assembly. The Executive Board shall exercise its powers in accordance with the decisions taken by the General Assembly. It may delegate the day-to-day management to one or several Executive Board Members, to the Secretary General, or to one or more employees whose powers it shall determine.

The Members of the Executive Board shall be elected by the General Assembly from a list of candidates nominated by Full Members. Any Full Members may put forward candidates from their own organisation or from another Full Member organisation of the AISBL for nomination to the Executive Board.

Their office shall end upon their death, resignation, legal incapacity or placement under deputyship, removal from, or expiry of the term. A Member of the Executive Board may be removed by a majority vote of the General Assembly with two thirds of the Full Members present or represented.

In the event of a vacancy during a term of an office, the Executive Board may provisionally appoint a replacement to stand in until the next General Assembly.

All instruments relating to the appointment or the removal of Members of the Executive Board shall be drawn up in accordance with the law, filed in the dossier opened in the name of the AISBL with the registrar of the commercial court having jurisdiction and published in the Annexes du Moniteur belge.

21) Officers

The General Assembly shall appoint from among the Members of the Executive Board, a President and two Vice Presidents, elected for a term of two years. In the event of the President’s absence or unavailability, meetings of the Executive Board shall be chaired by one of the Vice Presidents or, if they are unavailable, by a Chairperson elected from among the Members of the Executive Board who are present.

22) Meetings

The Executive Board shall meet in Belgium or abroad, or by electronic means, at least twice a year, following notice sent by the Secretary General, at the request of the President or a Member of the Executive Board. A written notice of meeting shall be sent to the Executive Board Members two weeks before each meeting by any possible means of communication (email, letter etc.), stating the place, the day and the time of the meeting, as well as its purpose.

The Executive Board may only validly discuss and take decisions, if four of its Members are present or represented. If this quorum is not reached, the Executive Board may discuss or decide no matters other than that of filling a vacancy or calling a General Assembly.

A Member of the Executive Board who is unable to attend a meeting of the Executive Board may be represented by another Member of the Board, provided that the President or the Secretary General has been given prior notice. A Member of the Board may not, however, hold more than three proxies.

Resolutions of the Executive Board shall be taken by a show of hands passed by a majority of the Board Members present or represented. In the event of a tie, the President shall have the casting vote.

A meeting may be adjourned by majority vote of two thirds of the Members of the Board present or represented and entitled to vote. No item that could not be dealt with at the initial meeting shall be addressed at the adjourned meeting.

23) Roles and Powers

The Executive Board shall have the power to carry out all activities necessary or useful for achieving the association’s objects, with the exception of those which by law or under these are reserved for the General Assembly.
In particular, the Executive Board shall:

› consider the applications of new Members;

› advise the Secretary General, as at their request, on all matters referred by them;

› call on Members to pay their membership fees to cover operating expenses related to the running of the AISBL and other costs incurred by the AISBL in the pursuit of its objects; this includes the payment of membership fees to other associations that the Executive Board deems necessary in the interests of the AISBL;
› establish and nominate subcommittees and delegate to them such tasks and assignments that may be achieved in accordance with Article 25 of the present Statutes;
› recommend to the Assembly the appointment of Presidents of Honour;
› recruit and appoint managers and staff for the AISBL and set the terms and conditions of their employment;
› prepare the annual accounts for the previous financial year as well as the budget for the following year.

24) Publication

The resolutions of the Executive Board shall be recorded in a register, signed by the President and the Secretary General and kept available for consultation by the association’s Members. Copies or extracts to be provided for legal or other purposes shall be signed by the Secretary General or by a Member of the Board authorised to certify that they are true copies.

The Executive Board shall inform Full Members of its resolutions by email or on the web site of the AISBL.

Delegation of Powers

25) Sub-committees – General Secretariat

The Executive Board may delegate certain powers of the AISBL to sub-committees made up of persons considered qualified to deal with the activities of the AISBL in line with conditions set out by the Executive Board. However, the Executive Board reserves the right to take any decisions concerning activities that constitute a legal undertaking for the association.

The Executive Board shall appoint a Secretary General and a Treasurer for a period and according to conditions to be defined by the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall have the power to remove the Secretary General and the Treasurer in accordance with its usual decision-making procedures.

The Secretary General shall be responsible for sending notices of the meetings to Members of the General Assembly and of the Executive Board and for overseeing the day-to-day running of the AISBL. The Secretary General shall report their activities to the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the accuracy and compliance of the accounts, keeping the annual accounts, preparing budgets including those for projects proposed, financed or overseen by special programmes of the European Union, preparing the annual balance sheet and the profit and loss statement.

The Secretary General shall attend meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Board but shall have no voting rights.

The Executive Board may delegate other powers to the Secretary General or to other responsible persons when necessary for achieving the association’s objectives.

26) Representation of the Association

Instruments that are binding for the association, other than those relating to the day-to-day management, shall be signed, except the case of a special delegation from the Executive Board, by the President or two Board Members or by the Secretary General within the limits of their powers, who shall not be required to produce proof of their power to third parties.

27) Liabilities

The AISBL shall alone be liable for its debts, which shall be guaranteed by its assets. The general body of Members, the Members of the Executive Board, the Secretary General and other employees of the AISBL shall have no personal liability for the AISBL’s debts, nor any other personal liability, whether contractual or non-contractual, except as expressly provided under applicable law.

28) Representation in Legal Matters

Any legal proceedings, whether as claimant or as defendant shall be brought or defended on behalf of the AISBL by the Executive Board represented by a Member of the Board or by the Secretary General.

29) Publication of Decisions to Appoint, Remove or Terminate an Office

Instruments relating to the appointment, removal and the termination from office of persons authorised to represent the AISBL, drawn up in accordance with the law, shall be published in the Annexes du Moniteur belge and filed in the dossier opened in the name of the association with the registrar of the commercial court having jurisdiction.

Budgets, Accounts, Internal Rules and General Provisions

30) Membership fees – management costs of the AISBL

The membership fee for Full Members and Associate Members shall be determined annually by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Board.ectives shall be borne by the members in accordance with the rules set out in the internal rules of the association.

31) Accounting year – annual accounts

The financial year shall commence on the first of January and shall close on the thirty-first of December every year.
The annual accounts for the financial year that has ended and the budget for the following financial year shall be drawn up every year by the Executive Board and submitted to the General Assembly for approval.

32) Internal rules

The General Assembly may, on the recommendation of the Executive Board, adopt internal rules compatible with these Statutes in order to ensure the running of the AISBL.

33) Legal Provisions

Any matters not provided for in these Statutes, in particular any publication to be made in the Annexes du Moniteur belge, shall be governed by the provisions of Book 10 of the Code of Companies and Associations.

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TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS
The founding Members shall take the following decisions, which shall only take effect on the date of the Royal Decree recognising the association.
First financial year: As an exception to Article 19, the financial year for the first year of existence of the AISBL shall commence on the date of publication of the Royal Decree recognising the association and shall end, exceptionally, on the thirty-first day of December of the year two thousand and seven.
Thereafter, every financial year shall commence on the first of January and end on the thirty-first of December of the same year.

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The original French version shall prevail.

Place and date of the General Assembly:
Brussels, 14 June 2026

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FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY:

The full members present at the first general assembly, take the following decisions:
Executive Board members: by way of derogation from what is stated above in article 20, the following are appointed as executive board members for a term of one year:
1. Tiziana COLUSSO,Italy
2. Adi BLUM, Switzerland
3. Graham LESTER GEORGE, U.K.
4. Ingrid PROTZE, Germany
President: is appointed as President of the executive board:
Trond ANDREASSEN, Norway
Vice-Presidents: are appointed as Vice-Presidents :
1. Anna MENYHÉRT, Hungary
2. Anastassis VISTONITIS, Greece
Election Committee: are appointed as members of the election committee:
1. Merete JENSEN, Finland
2. Ragnheidur TRYGGVADOTTIR, Iceland
1. Election Committee Substitutes : are appointed as substitute members of the election committee:
No election committee substitutes were nominated in the First Assembly (2006). To be appointed in 2007 elections.
Executive board : the executive board members meeting together, appoint:
› Secretary-General :
Myriam DIOCARETZ, The Netherlands
› Treasurer :
Jean-Pierre EXSTEEN, Belgium.
Adoption of the undertakings made in the name of the AISBL in formation:
All undertakings as well as the resulting obligations and all initiative taken since September 2006 by one or other of the parties present in the name of and for the account of the AISBL hereby constituted are adopted.
This adoption, however, shall only take effect at such moment as the AISBL shall have acquired juridical personality. The commitments entered into in the intervening period should be adopted as and when the AISBL acquires juridical personality.

NOTARIAL ATTESTATION
The notary attests to the compliance with the provisions of Title III of the law of twenty seventh June nineteen hundred and twenty one on not-for-profit associations, international not-for-profit associations and foundations.

CERTIFICATE OF CIVIL STATUS AND IDENTITY
The notaries certify the civil status of the parties in accordance with the law and more particularly with the national register with their express consent.
In accordance with article 11 of the law of Ventôse, the notaries certify the names, first names and domicile of the parties as given in the national register.
The parties declare to us that they have been made aware of the draft of this deed, on * August two thousand and six and that this period of time has been sufficient for a proper examination thereof.

WHEREOF DEED EXECUTED
at, place and date given above.
And after reading with commentary and in full as regards the parties to the deed referred to in this respect by the law, and partially as regards the other provisions, the parties have signed before us, notaries.
EUROPEAN WRITERS’ COUNCIL – FEDERATION DES ASSOCIATIONS EUROPEENNES D’ECRIVAINS ” en abrégé « EWC-FAEE » Association internationale sans but lucratif – International not-for-profit Association

Since 2015 : Siège social à Bruxelles, Rue d’Arlon 75-77
Registered office in Brussels, Rue d’Arlon 75-77

Since 2022: Rue du Prince Royal 85-87, BE-1050 Bruxelles.

Registration nr. 886.193.681
Translation of the first original EWC-FAEE AISBL Statutes published in the Belgian Monitor on 18/01/2007 on the constitution of EWC-FAEE AISBL in Brussels.

Registration nr. 886.193.681
Translation of the first original EWC-FAEE AISBL Statutes published in the Belgian Monitor on 18/01/2007 on the constitution of EWC-FAEE AISBL in Brussels.
Date : 21-09-2006, Expédition(s) Constitution de AISBL
Annexe(s) Annexes Moniteur belge