EUROPEAN MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION General Information

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EMA Structure

EMA Documents

This page provides information about the European Mycological Association (EMA). If you live in Europe and you're interested in fungi, or if you live outside Europe and are interested in European fungi, then this Association is for you. The Association was set up in September 2003 at the XIV Congress of European Mycologists, Katsiveli, Crimea, Ukraine - and its scope is broad, embracing all aspects of European mycology. Amateur and professional mycologists are equally welcome. It's also possible for organizations to join, and these can be, for example, national or local mycological societies, or companies working with fungi.

The EMA evolved from Congresses of European Mycologists and has inherited their functions. Under its Constitution, future Congresses of European Mycologists will be orgainzed under its auspices. The EMA is recognized by the International Mycological Association (International Union of Biological Sciences, Section for General Mycology), and the Governing Committee of the EMA serves as the Committee for Fungi in Europe within the International Mycological Association.

For the purposes of the EMA, Europe means countries of continental Europe and the Atlantic, Arctic and Mediterranean islands traditionally associated with continental Europe (including all of the Russian Federation as far east as the Urals, the Caucasus, Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, the Canary Islands, Madeira, the Azores, the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Spitzbergen and Novaya Zemlya), and mycology is defined as the study of fungi, with fungi encompassing all organisms of the kingdom Fungi, plus those other fungus-like organisms (downy mildews, slime moulds etc.) traditionally studied by mycologists.

The language used by the EMA is English. In case of difficulties, communications may be made in any other European language, provided that an English abstract or translation is made available. E-mail and fax are recognised as valid media for communication with Members who have access to those technologies.

As defined by its Constitution, the EMA is composed of a General Assembly, A Council, a Governing Committee and its Officers. The EMA's Conservation Body is the European Council for Conservation of Fungi (ECCF). Current Officers, Members of Council and Members of the Governing Committee are listed on the Contact us page of this website, together with the e-mail addresses of the Officers.


Officers

The Officers of the EMA are: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Meetings Secretary, Executive Editor and Conservation OFficer. The Conservation Officers is the Chairman of the ECCF, which is the EMA's Conservation Body.


Governing Committee

The EMA’s Governing Committee is composed of its Officers and two non-office-holding Council Delegates selected by the Council. The Committee may co-opt up to two additional members at its discretion. The Committee’s meetings are called by the President or Secretary or at the request of three Committee members. The Committee meets at least once every year to manage the EMA according to the Constitution, and according to the Rules, policy and developmental strategies established by the EMA Council. To be quorate, a minimum of five members of the Governing Committee, including at least three Officers must be present, and one of those Officers must be the President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer.


Council

The EMA Council consists of the Governing Committee and no more than one Delegate from each European country, elected by Members from that country present at a meeting of the General Assembly. If a country is not represented by a Delegate, the Council may co-opt a Member from that country. The Council’s meetings are called by the President or at the request of five Council members. The Council meets at every EMA Congress (i.e. the Congress of European Mycologists) and International Mycological Congress, and must meet at least once between adjacent EMA Congresses, to establish, apply and, where necessary, change the EMA’s Rules policy and development strategies, according to the Constitution. During its meeting at an EMA Congress, the Council decides the location of the next Congress. To be quorate, a minimum of ten members of the Council, including at least three Officers must be present, and one of those Officers must be the President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer. Meetings are chaired by the President or, if absent, the Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer. The Council may decide only by a simple majority of votes. The person chairing the meeting may only vote when there is otherwise no majority.


General Assembly

The General Assembly of the EMA consists of all Members. The General Assembly meets at every EMA Congress. It may also meet on other occasions at the request of the President, the Council, or at least forty Members. Notice of a meeting of the General Assembly must be circulated to all Members by the Secretary at least sixty days in advance. At its meetings, the General Assembly may: elect EMA Officers, Council Delegates and Honorary Members, approve other new Members and Associates, advise the Council regarding Rules, policy and developmental strategies, make and change Rules, ratify changes of Rules made by the Council, and amend the Constitution, subject to the provisions of Article 12 of the Association's Constitution. The Members attending the General Assembly constitute a quorum, providing a minimum of ten European countries are represented by those present. The General Assembly is chaired by the President or, if absent, the Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer. If none of these Officers if present, the meeting will be chaired by a person selected by the General Assembly at the time. The person chairing the meeting may only vote when there is otherwise no majority.


European Council for Conservation of Fungi

The ECCF is the Conservation Body of the EMA. Full information about the ECCF can be found on its website.