STATUTES

  Article 1.

The European Council of Police Unions (C.E.S.P.) is made up of independent and representative state police trade-unions, who completely adhere to the present statutes.

 

Every police union and professional organisation, representative of police bodies of the Council of Europe’s member states, can belong to the C.E.S.P., in conformity with the present statutes and the inner regulation.

 

The quality of members of the CESP is incompatible with membership in another European police organization working on the same objectives.

 

The abbreviation of the European Council of Police Trade Unions is C.E.S.P.

 

Article 2.

In conformity with the democratic and equal principles running its organisation and its structure in every meeting and decision, the different national delegations will have the same rank.

 

The decisions taken by the collegial bodies of the CESP will be made by a majority, except in cases provided for by the present statutes which require an absolute majority.

 

 

Article 3.

The member unions-organizations benefit from the protection of the C.E.S.P. in the exercise of its functions of representation. They openly collaborate with the Council and its management members by providing them with information that will be asked to them in connection with the aims and objectives of the organisation.

The working languages of the C.E.S.P. are French or English.

 

 

Article 4.

The Council shall be able to create an European Police Union.

 

In the same way, it will be able to implement collaboration and co-ordination methods with other European organisations having the same aims.

This decision will require the approval of the Executive Committee of the C.E.S.P. to be obtained at the absolute majority vote of its members.

 

Article 5.

Its administrative headquarters is in Lyons (France), at 63 rue Bossuet, 69006 Lyon.

 

 

On decision taken by the Congress or the Executive Committee of the C.E.S.P., it may be transferred to any other site of a country belonging to the organisation by a vote at the absolute majority.

 

 

 

TITRE I. OBJECTIVES

 

 

Article 6.

The European Council of Police Unions emphasises its dedication to the principles of the Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights, to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to the European Convention on Human Rights and to the tools concerning the Police created within the Council of Europe, particularly the European Code of Police Ethics (Recommendation 10-2001 of 19 September 2001) and the European Social Charter.

 

It implies therefore itself with the process of implementation of the common space of freedom, justice and security of the European Union, process in which the European police officers have the right to participate through their representative organisations. It gives its full value to the European Union Charter of the Fundamental Rights, proclaimed by the Council in Nice in December 2000.

 

The quality of member of the C.E.S.P. implies the absolute acceptance and respect of these texts.

 

Article 7.

The C.E.S.P. is a representative, democratic, social and professional union organisation. It is independent of all European and national public administrations, political parties, religious or philosophical movements and other supranational organisations.

 

Article 8.

The goals of the C.E.S.P. are:

 

1. To group police officers of member states into its organisation.

 

2. To fight for the full exercise of trade-union rights and against any unjustified limitation of European police officer’s fundamental and statutory rights, by strongly opposing to any questioning of these.

 

3. To intervene to improve and harmonise the remuneration as well as the working and living conditions of European police officers.

 

4. To defend the moral and material interests of its members and member-organisations before the competent International and European courts and organisations.

5. To develop solidarity and mutual aid between European police organisations and between European police officers.

 

6. To sensitise citizens and their official representatives to the problems to which the Police is confronted.

 

7. To contribute to the implementation of a European Space of Freedom, Justice and Security, by taking part to whatever official event or meeting in order to bring the professional police’s viewpoint on all the subjects of security in the European space.

 

8. To present to international, European and national authorities these resolutions and these thoughts involving the Police and the citizen security, by elaborating concrete proposals intended to reassert and make more effective the police function.

 

 

9. To denounce to organisms and international and European jurisdiction any use of police force contrary to principles stated on the article 6 of the present statutes by committing any relevant judicial action.

10. To dispense and/or to coordinate activities of training and qualification for its members, in professional and union matters, in collaboration with public or private organisms.

 

11. To put into action all other lawful action that could be benefit to the C.E.S.P. or to its members.

 

 

Article 9.

To achieve these objectives, the European Council of Police Union will be able to use all legitimate trade-union pressure groups by respecting in all cases fundamental rights and the security of member state citizens.

 

 

TITLE II.  COMPOSITION AND RUNNING

 

CHAPTER I.  THE CONGRESS

 

 

Article 10.

The Congress is the supreme organ of the C.E.S.P., its sessions are deliberating and decisional.

 

More precisely, it works to:

 

a)  Draw the great lines of activity of the organisation

 

b)    Debate and bring answers to questions put on the agenda

c)    Debate resolutions that will be proposed by the Executive Committee.

 

d)    Modify statutes of the organisation according to the procedures.

 

e)    Control the activity of management members of the C.E.S.P. In view of this aim, the President, on behalf of the Executive Bureau, presents an activity report to be submitted for discussion and to be approved by a vote at the absolute majority.

f)     Elect the members of the Executive Bureau.

 

g)    Generally speaking, fulfil all the functions which derive from the present statutes and from its quality of supreme organ of the organisation.

 

 

Article 11.

The Congress will meet every three years in a place and at a date to be decided by the Executive Committee among proposals presented by the different member organisations within a minimum six months period before its holding.

 

Article 12.

The Congress is made up of members of the Executive Bureau without voting right and of equal delegations of each member state. The number of members by delegation will be determined for each Congress by the Executive Committee, on proposal of the Executive Bureau.

Members of the Congress can delegate their voting right to a representative of  another organization member within the limit of two mandates per delegate.