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                                               The statutes of the Estonian Society of Toxicology

                                                                                                                                                         in estonian


1. General Provisions
1.1. The Estonian Society of Toxicology (hereinafter referred to as “the Society”) shall be an independent voluntary autonomous non-profit organization of the persons working in the field of toxicology and those interested in this field
1.2. The Society was founded on 17th of October 1997 in Tallinn.
1.3. The Society shall be legal entity according to private law with its own bank account and seal.
1.4. The Society shall have attributes and symbols the use of which shall be determined by the statutes approved by the General Meeting.
1.5. In its activities the Society shall be governed by the legislation and current statutes.
1.6. The Society is registered in Tallinn.
1.7. The Society shall be founded perpetually.
1.8. The accounting year shall start on the 1st of January and end on the 31st of December

2. Purpose and Function of the Society:
2.1. to promote the toxicological research, education, training and obtaining of general knowledge in toxicology;
2.2. to organize meetings, symposia, discussions, seminars, exhibitions etc. in the field of toxicology and related disciplines;
2.3. to promote the participation of its active members, especially post-graduate and PhD students and young researches, to conduct their research and to take part in the scientific events abroad;
2.4. to provide toxicological expertise on sustainable management of Estonian natural resources and on environmental protection problems;

2.5. to create scientific contacts and cooperate with people working in the field of toxicology and related disciplines in Estonia and abroad;
2.6. to consult and provide professional advice to legal entities and private persons;
2.7. to follow the principles of ethics in toxicology and ancillary sciences

3. To reach its goals the Society:
3.1. can raise funds and accept financial support from institutions, companies and foundations; to buy, own and make transactions with real property and securities, to accept gifts, donations, wills, to organize money collections, to organize paid conferences;
3.2. can publish and print lectures and the proceedings of meetings, seminars etc. and the information bulletin of the Society;
3.3.can issue scholarships for the toxicological research; travel scholarships for the participation on the training courses and conferences taking place abroad and financial awards for the outstanding results in toxicological research (e.g., outstanding Master’s and Doctoral thesis), to nominate the candidates for the honorary titles and awards;
3.4. can become a member of the corresponding international societies or unions.

4. Membership
4.1. The members of the Society can be either private persons or corporate bodies. The members of the Society include ordinary, foreign, honorary and associate members.
4.2. ordinary members - persons who are involved or interested in toxicological research and related disciplines. A person shall become a member when his/her application is accepted by the Board, on the recommendation by two ordinary members of the Society, and after paying the entrance fee and the annual membership fee.
4.3. foreign members - persons permanently living abroad who are involved or interested in toxicological research and related disciplines. A person shall become a foreign member when his/her application is accepted by the Board, and after paying the entrance fee and the annual membership fee.
4.4. honorary members - distinguished persons who have contributed to the advance of toxicological science in Estonia or to the Society. The honorary members shall be elected by the General Meeting.
4.5. corporate members - institutions, organisations, firms and individual persons willing to support the activities of the Society, after presenting an application.
4.6. The entrance fee and annual fee for ordinary and foreign members shall be determined by the General Meeting. The amount of entrance fee and annual fee of non-working pensioners and students is 50% of the respective fees of ordinary members.
4.7. membership of a member of the Society shall be terminated by resolution of the Board. The ground for the termination can be voluntary and based on the written statement of the member. The members can be expelled on the ground of wilful breach of this statutes by the member or if the member has not paid the annual fee for 2 subsequent years. Board should notify in writing (by mail, fax or E-mail) at least 2-weeks before the date of a Board’s meeting where the question of the membership termination shall be discussed. The termination of the membership shall be decided by a majority of votes and in the case of an equality of votes the chairman of the Board shall cast a deciding vote. Member has right to participate on this meeting and to appeal to the next General Meeting for reconsideration of the membership termination.

5. Rights and obligations of a member of the Society
5.1. the individual members of the Society shall have the right to participate in all activities held, to publish the results of his/her research in the publications of the Society, to appeal to the resolutions of the Board at the General Meetings, to make proposals through the Society to the Estonian Government with regard to toxicological issues, and to resign the membership of the Society.
5.2. In addition to the rights described in 5.1., the ordinary members of the Society shall have rights to be elected to the executive and supervisory bodies of the Society, the right to vote at the General Meeting. Each ordinary member has one vote.
5.3. the individual members of the Society shall be obliged to contribute to the achievement of the Society’s aims, to follow the statutes, to pay the membership fees at the set time limits, to follow the decisions of the General Meeting and the Board of the Society.

6. General Meeting
6.1. The highest authority of the Society shall be the General Meeting which shall be convened by the Board annually. Members or their representatives may take part and vote on the General Meeting. The members may be represented only by other members of the Society. For the representation a simple letter signed by the member is needed.
6.2. An extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened with the resolution of Board or in the case this shall be demanded in writing by 1/10 of the ordinary members of the Society.
6.3. at the General Meeting all members or their representatives have one vote per person. The voting shall be open unless the General Meeting shall decide otherwise.
6.4. the time and place of the General Meeting shall be announced to the members of the Society in writing at least 2 weeks before the Meeting either by mail, fax or E-mail;
6.5. the General Meeting shall be competent to pass resolutions if more than ½ of the members are present or represented.
6.6. If the General Meeting according to the rules settled in 6.5 is not able to pass the resolutions, the Board shall convene a new General Meeting with the same agenda within three weeks. The new General Meeting can pass the resolutions if at least two members are present or represented.
6.7. At every General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by simple majority of the votes of the members or their representatives present (excl. cases described in 6.8.1. and 10.2.). In the case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the Board shall cast a deciding vote.
6.8. The General Meeting:
6.8.1. makes alterations of the statutes of the Society if needed. To pass the resolution, 2/3 of the positive votes of the members present or represented shall be needed, whereas members shall be announced in advance on the agenda of the Meeting as described in 6.4.
6.8.2. appoints the Board and, if necessary, Auditing Committee;
6.8.3. decides on the re-organization, association, separation or liquidation of the Society’s activities;
6.8.4. appoints the scholarships, awards and prizes, specifies the order by which these are awarded;
6.8.5. approves the attributes and symbols of the Society and the statutes regulating the order by which these are used; elects honorary members;
6.8.6. specifies the amount of the entrance and membership fees;
6.8.7. makes transactions with immovables and registered movables of the Society;
6.8.8. makes other transactions that according to the legislation or current status shall not belong to the competence of other authorities;
6.8.9. approves the report on activities and financial report.

7. The Board
7.1. During the period between the General Meetings the highest authority of the Society shall be the Board consisting of 3-6 members.
7.2. The Board shall be appointed by General Meeting for the period of four years. The board shall be accountable to the General Meeting.
7.3. The Board:
7.3.1. shall appoint the Chairman of the Board and secretary-treasurer out of the members of the Board.
7.3.2. shall draw up the plan of activities, budgets and reports of the Society;
7.3.3. shall form the groups and committees necessary for the Society’s activities and shall lead their activities;
7.3.4. shall accept and dismiss the members;
7.3.5. shall nominate the members for awards;
7.3. shall conclude the agreements necessary for the activities of the Society;
7.3.7. shall represent the Society in the state and public organizations in Estonia and abroad;
7.3.8. shall take care of the correspondence with organizations and individuals;
7.3.9. shall dispose the cash and other assets of the Society;
7.3.10. shall appoint and dismiss the employees of the Society to and from the salaried post;
7.3.11. shall prepare the General Meetings;
7.3.12. shall acquire the tangible assets necessary for the activities of the Society;
7.3.13. the meeting of the Board shall be convened when necessary but at least once per six months. The meeting of the Board shall be competent to pass resolutions if in addition to the Chairman and Secretary-treasurer at least one more member of the Board shall be present. The meeting of the Board could be hold also via E-mail. The resolutions of the Board shall be decided by a majority of vote and in the case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the Board shall cast a deciding vote.
7.3.14. the Board shall manage the financial affairs of the Society according to the accounting legislation;
7.3.15. the Board shall represent the Society in all juridical actions;
7.3.16. the member of the Board could be withdrawn from the Board if he/she has not fulfilled duties for this post or has not be capable or interested in leading of the Society.
7.3.17. the Society shall be represented either by the Chairman of the Board alone or by all other members of the Board together.

8. Subordinate units
The Society shall have subordinate units that shall not be legal entities. Subordinate units shall be created by the members of the Society in the institutions, enterprises and organizations in Estonia or abroad.
8.1. The Board of the subordinate units of the Society shall be elected by the members of the subordinate units;
8.2. the Board of the subordinate units:
8.2.1. shall lead the activities of the subordinate units;
8.2.2. shall collect the membership fees;
8.2.3. shall raise questions for discussions before the Board of the Society;
8.2.4. shall draw up and submits the reports of the subordinate units;
8.2.5. the Board of the subordinate units shall be accountable to the Board of the Society.

9. Assets of the Society, principles of its financial-economic activities
9.1. The economic basis of the Society shall be constituted by:
9.1.1. the entrance and membership fees;
9.1.2. the returns obtained through the activities held, through the sale of conference thesis and articles as well as other scientific publications;
9.1.3. bank interests and incomes from transactions with real property and securities;
9.1.4. donations and voluntary payments;
9.1.5. other payments and the assets acquired for the activities of the Society.
9.2. To ensure its activities in accordance with the current statutes the Society shall have the right to make contracts with other legal entities and to own foundations. In order to ensure its activities in accordance with the current statutes the Society does not seek economical profit.
9.3. The Society is liable for its obligations backed by all property belonging to it.
9.4. The Society is not liable for the obligations of its members and the members are not liable for the obligations of the Society;
9.5. The Board of the Society shall have the right to dispose the financial assets of the Society. The Board shall be responsible for their purposeful use.
9.6. The Society shall take care of regular accounting, shall make payments to the state and local budgets by the order specified in the legislation and shall keep statistical accounts.

10. Liquidation. Association. Separation.
10.1. The Society shall be reorganized (liquidated, associated, separated) by the decisions of the General Meeting.
10.2. The Society shall be liquidated, associated or separated by the decision of General Meeting, whereas to pass the resolution, ¾ of the positive votes of the members present having voting power shall be needed, whereas members shall be announced in advance on the agenda of the Meeting as described in 6.4.
10.3. The Society shall be liquidated by the persons appointed by the General Meeting;
10.4. In the case of the liquidation of the Society the remaining assets of the Society after fulfilment of the claims of the creditors shall go to the analogous entity that shall be carrying on the activities of the Society or to the state or to the local municipality.

The last revision of the statutes of the non-profit organization Estonian Society of Toxicology has been confirmed by the General Meeting of the Society on 27. september 2002.