Non-profit organisation (vzw) with enterprise number: 0725.918.504

The internal policy intends to supplement the articles of association of the Belgische Beroepsvereniging voor Mondhygiënisten vzw. It sets out how to apply the principles of good governance and intends to ensure a balanced, clear and transparent division of powers and responsibilities within the organisation as well as a balanced set of related accountability and responsibility processes.

It is developed and approved by the Board of Directors of the Belgische Beroepsvereniging voor Mondhygiënisten vzw on 21/06/2019.

 

1. Membership of the association

Subscription

Article 1

• A subscription request should be submitted in writing, through the website, email or by way of a letter. The applicant will receive a subscription form to be completed truthfully and to which the requested documents should be added. The subscription form will mention the membership fees. This signed form is to be submitted by the applicant.
• It is the responsibility of the member to share any changes in his/her personal data with the association.
• After receipt of the fully completed and signed subscription form and receipt of the membership fee, supplemented with the requested documents, the board will consider the membership request. In case of approval of the membership, the member will receive a written confirmation mentioning the membership number, login and password for the membership portal of the website.
• The Board of Directors will maintain the register of members. All decisions related to the accession, the withdrawal or exclusion of members will be registered by the Board of Directors within 8 days after the decision.  

 

Right and obligations ordinary member

Article 2

There are different types of ordinary members

• Practising = members treating individual patients and
  • Being self-employed
  • having an employee status

• In case of both registrations, the ‘self-employed’ membership will apply

• Non-practising = for instance lecturers, researchers, collective prevention associates, …

• If an applicant qualifies as a practising and non-practising member, the membership for practising members will apply.

Ordinary members have the following rights:

• Are invited to the general assembly of members
• Have a voting right on the general assembly of members and may execute a written proxy of maximum one other member entitled to vote
• Receive all documents of the general assembly of members
• Receive the digital news letter
• Have access to member meetings
• Are entitled to certain benefits when concluding certain insurances
• Qualify for discounts for continuous learning events organised by the association
• Have access to the membership portal of the website

The membership fee for ordinary members is 200 euro and is valid for 1yr from date of connection.

For more information on the termination of the membership see article 9 below.

Rights and obligations inactive member

Article 3

Inactive members may be dental hygienists who used to be an ordinary member of the association but who have fully terminated their profession or related positions and are as such admitted by the board. 

 

Inactive members have the following rights:

• Are invited to the general assembly of members
• Have a voting right on the general assembly of members and may execute a written proxy of maximum one other member entitled to vote
• Receive all documents of the general assembly of members
• Receive the digital news letter
• Have access to member meetings
• Qualify for discounts for continuous learning events organised by the association
• Have access to the closed portal of the website

 

The membership fee for inactive members is 160 euro per calendar year (40 euro per quarter, depending on the date of accession).

For more information on the termination of the membership see article 9 below.

 

Rights and obligations student-member

Article 4

Student-members are individuals pursuing a dental hygienist degree in a recognised institution and are as such admitted by the board for the duration of their education.

Minors should be able to present the consent of their lawful representatives when submitting the membership subscription request. 

 

The membership fee may defer between national student-members and foreign student-members in case of mail delivery costs related to the delivery of certain materials abroad (e.g. a member magazine).

 

Student-members have the following rights:

• Are invited to the general assembly of members
• Receive all documents of the general assembly of members
• Receive the digital news letter
• Have access to member meetings
• Qualify for discounts for continuous learning events organised by the association
• Have access to the closed portal of the website

 

The membership fee for national student-members is 25 euro per academic year, regardless of the moment of accession during that academic year.

The student membership automatically ends on the 30th of June of the calendar year of graduation or when starting as a dental hygienist (for instance in case of graduation in January)), whichever is the earliest.

It is the responsibility of the student-member to subscribe as ordinary member as indicated in article 1. Only upon admission as an ordinary member they are entitled to the insurance benefits.

 

Rights and obligations extraordinary member

Article 5

Extraordinary members are individuals oral care sector professionals and interested to become a member for non-commercial purposes. The request to become an extraordinary member is to be supplemented with a motivation letter in order to allow a board decision.  

Special members have the following rights:

• Are invited to the general assembly of members
• Receive all documents of the general assembly of members
• Receive the digital news letter
• Have access to member meetings
• Qualify for discounts for continuous learning events organised by the association
• Have access to the closed portal of the website

 

The membership fee for extraordinary members is 160 euro per calendar year (40 euro per quarter, depending on the date of accession).

For more information on the termination of the membership see article 9 below.

 

Rights and obligations merit-based member

Article 6

Merit-based members are ordinary or inactive members having received the merit-based membership status of the general assembly of members after recommendation of the board due to their contributions to the association or oral care in general.

 

Merit-based members have the same rights and obligations as described in article 2 and 3.

For more information on the termination of the membership see article 9 below.

 

Rights and obligations honorary member

Article 7

Honorary members are those individuals having received the honorary membership status of the of the general assembly of members after general recommendation of the board due to their long term special contributions to the association or oral care in general.

 

Honorary members have the following rights:

• Are invited to the general assembly of members
• Receive all documents of the general assembly of members
• Receive the digital news letter
• Have access to member meetings
• May be invited to participate to continuous learning events for free
• Have access to the closed portal of the website

 

For honorary members membership fees are waived.

 

Payment conditions membership fees

Article 8

1. For new members membership fees become due on the moment of subscription (relates to the insurance benefits).
2. The yearly membership fee is invoiced on the first day of the association year (1st of January = date of invoice) and become due before the 1st of March of the relevant association year on the bank account of the association, being BE73 1431 0835 4660.
3. Members failing to pay their membership fee, will be reminded of the outstanding amount by the board by way of an email and this maximum two times. As long as no payments have been made, the member is not entitled to the services and may not participate to the activities of the association. If despite the foregoing the member did use the services and participate to the activities of the association, this will be deemed a request for continued membership of the relevant member and so the membership fee and the costs for the services or activities will become due.

As long as the membership fee is not paid, the member is not entitled to execute his/her rights but should respect his/her obligations vis-à-vis the association.

1. If a member has not fully complied with its financial obligations by the due date, he/she is no longer entitled to use the services and activities of the association. If a deferred payment arrangement is agreed with the board of the association and the member complies with this deferred payment scheme, this will be deemed compliance with the membership obligations.

If a member did not fully comply with its financial obligations by the due date but requested to remain a member, a legal interest for late payment is to be paid by the member on the outstanding amount. If the member has not paid the relevant amounts, partially or fully, on the new due date, the association will become entitled to ten percent administration costs based on the outstanding amount. In case of continued non-performance of the member, next to the applicable legal interest and administration costs, also all lawyer’s or judicial officer’s fees paid by the association for recovering the outstanding amounts will become due, unless decided otherwise by the court.  

1. If for whatever reason the membership of a member is terminated, the member is not entitled to a refund of the membership fees of that calendar year or of any other amount paid. On the termination date also all other rights and benefits related to the membership forfeit.
2. Under certain circumstances, after written request addressed to the board, a deferred payment arrangement may be granted by the board.

 

Termination membership – notice of termination

Article 9

In addition to article 8 of the Articles of Association.

Termination by the member:

• A written notice is to be submitted to the Board of Directors. This may be done by way of a letter or by way of an email and should not be registered, but in case of a potential dispute the member shall deliver the proof of the notice of termination.
• The notice is to be sent at least one month before the end of the ongoing association year so should as such reach the board before the 1^st of December.
• The member should have paid all membership fees

The association will confirm the receipt of the notice of termination and the date of the termination of the membership to the withdrawing member.

Termination by the association:

• Termination of the membership by the board will be done by way of a written notice with justification and a notice period of one month as mentioned in the articles of association.
• The notice should be sent by way of a registered letter.

 

1. Board and representation of the association

 

Election of the members of the Board of Directors

Article 10

They are elected by the general assembly out of the ordinary members, inactive members and honorary members of the association in accordance with the internal policy rules.

• The applicant-member should submit its written candidacy with the Board of Director at the latest two months before the next general assembly.
• The election will be mentioned as agenda point of the next general assembly.
• The members entitled to vote on the general assembly will decide on the admission of the new member of the board of directors with a majority of votes.

 

Remuneration of the board

Article 11

The members of the board, as well as all other members and volunteers may be granted a remuneration as compensation for the costs mentioned below.

 

Travel cost: As from 1/07/2019 members of the Board of Directors are entitled to travel costs (mileage allowance or public transport costs) made in the context of their capacity as member of the board or representative of the association. 

 

Payment of the remuneration will be made every 3 months by the treasurer after submission of the costs subject to remuneration with the secretary. These costs are listed in a spreadsheet maintained by the secretary. Submission of the costs will be done via email to the secretary and will contain the following details:

For mileage allowance:

• Mention as subject of the email: ‘Mileage allowance request’
• Purpose of the trip
• Number of kilometres round trip (taking the shortest route)
• Date of the trip

 

For public transport:

• Mention as subject of the email: ‘Refund public transport costs request’
• Purpose of the trip
• Amount and means of transportation (train, tram, bus, …)
• Date of the trip
• Ticket of the public transport is to be added to the completed compensation note

 

Secrecy obligation and conflicts of interest

Article 12

The board members have a secrecy obligation and should avoid conflicts of interest

1. De board members are bound by a secrecy obligation with regards to the information received in the context of the execution of their function.
2. If a board member has, directly or indirectly, a financial interest conflicting with a decision or action to be taken by the Board of Directors, this should be flagged to the other board members before the board takes a decision. The same applies in case of personal conflicts of interests of the blood relatives or relatives up to the third degree of a board member;
3. The board member with the (direct or indirect) conflict of interest will not participate to the assembly and will abstain from the deliberation and voting on the matter related to the conflict of interest.

 

Representation of the board

Article 13

Every board member may represent the association in and out of court in accordance with the conditions of the internal policy. With regards to financial matters the association will be represented by the treasurer and/or secretary.  

 

The Board of Directors may install local and/or thematic committees, counsels or commissions. The membership, powers and operations will be detailed below as soon as applicable.

 

Communication

Article 14

• Only the president and the board’s spokesman are entitled to share the opinions of the association as its primary representatives and this for communication within and outside of the association. Other board members will refrain from this unless otherwise decided by the board or in case of another internal division of tasks.
• If needed due to certain circumstances, the board of the association may appoint third parties to represent the association for such communication.

 

Implementation of board positions – day-to-day management

Article 15

• The members of the day-to-day management (president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer) will be appointed by the Board of Directors.
• Members of the Board of Directors pursuing such a position should submit their written candidacy to the secretary and will justify their request orally during a Board of Directors meeting. Thereafter the appointment will be decided upon by way of anonymous voting within the Board of Directors.
• The day-to-day management will have the powers and duties assigned to them by the Board of Directors. Reference is made to the specific task description drafted internally for the function of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.

 

Decision-making in case of urgencies

Article 16

In case of an urgency the Board of Directors may take decisions by way of a written consultation. The initiative for the said procedure is to be taken by the day-to-day management. Urgencies are situations or facts requiring an immediate decision of the Board of Directors and which go beyond the decision-making powers of the day-to-day management such as disciplinary cases and evaluation files, citations and judicial procedures, events with an important financial impact. 

 

Termination board membership

Article 17

See article 9 of the articles of association.

At the end of each operational year, the Board of Directors will evaluate its general operations and the performance of its individual board members during a board meeting.

After a mandate of 3 years an extensive written review meeting will be scheduled.

 

1. Budget and accounts

 

Article 18

• The treasurer and secretary will present the budget and accounts of the association to the Board of Directors. The budget for the following financial year will be presented before the 24st of December; the accounts of the past financial year will be presented before the 30th of April.
• For financial transactions exceeding 150 euro two signatures are required, namely the signature of the treasurer and the secretary. Below 150 euro one of the aforementioned signatures will suffice.
• Non-budgeted investments in infrastructure or materials exceeding 200 euro are subject to approval of the Board of Directors.

 

Article 19

• Within the context of the approved budget and taking into account the boundaries of his/her proxy, the proxy holder may execute all financial transactions.
• The association does not accept nor acknowledge any debts incurred by proxy holders or employees not holding any proxy of the Board of Directors.

 

1. Archive of the association

 

Article 20

The archive of the association is kept at the registered office of the association and contains all important records concerning the association, inter alia:

• the minutes of meeting of the general assembly (signed by the president of the meeting, the secretary and the members willing to sign).
• the balance sheet and the profit and loss account with an explanatory statement on paper or electronical
• updated member list
• a copy of the articles of association
• all invoices (incoming and outgoing)
• the register of remuneration of the board members
• partner files

 

1. Entry into force

 

Article 20

This internal policy will enter into force on 29/06/2019; in accordance with the articles of association of the association this is eight days after the adoption or change of the policy by the Board of Directors. This policy will be valid for an undetermined duration. It may be withdrawn at any time by the Board of Directors.

 

As such adopted in the meeting of 21/06/2019.

 

 

Joyce Van Loock                                                                      Mertens Isabelle

 

Secretary                                                                                  President