Minutes of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

Number : 7                             Date : September 4, 2006                            Place : Geneva, Switzerland

Prologue :

The seventh and the last Executive Committee Meeting of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering for the 2002-2006 term was held in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday September 4, 2006 between 18:30 and 20:00 hours during the First Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology. The Executive Committee meeting was chaired by the President.

Agenda :

1. Approval of the Agenda
2. Endorsement of the Minutes of the Executive Committee Meetings
3. Activities of Task Groups during 2002-2006
4. President’s Report for 2002-2006
5. Vice President’s Report about 1ECEES
6. Report on Central Office Activities for 2002-2006
7. Budget for 2003-2006
8. Application of Serbia to EAEE National Membership
9. Applications to organize the ECEE in 2010
10. Meeting of the Association Council of National Delegates
11. EAEE General Assembly
12. Miscellaneous

Item 1:   The draft agenda was rearranged and approved by all members present with general consensus to give the Task Group Coordinators precedence. 

Item 2:   The Minutes of the Executive Committee Meetings held during 2002-2006 period were endorsed and signed by all the Executive Committee Members.

Item 3:   Task Groups 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10 were presented by either their Coordinators or Co-coordinators in the meeting.  All present TG Coordinators summarized their activities during the last four year and plans for the new term.  All of them expressed their interest to continue with their activities, stressing the need to obtain EU funds for research and training courses.

       Task Group Coordinators were previously asked to prepare a short "TG Report" summarising their activities during 2002-2006 and their activity plan for the next four years.  These reports are included in the Central Office Report.  The newly elected Executive Committee will review the achievements of each Task Group and will decide to end or extend the TG activities for one more term during their Second Meeting.

Item 4:   The President summarised his ongoing activities and the meetings that took place recently.  He mentioned briefly about the European Construction Technology Platform meeting where groups from different sectors of civil engineering would participate.  It was considered that first priority would be to develop a strategic research agenda and second priority could be to organise a steakholders meeting sometimes in the next six months where as EAEE the proposals for action in earthquake risk reduction at the European level will be presented based on the conclusions of the Workshop held in Lisbon.  The president informed Ex.Com that EAEE was invited to the Working Group on Natural and Man-made Hazards of the European Construction Technology Platform to represent earthquake hazards perspective.

       The workshop to present the EAEE proposals on Earthquake Risk Reduction in Europe to European Parliamentarians was decided to take place in Brussels at the beginning of the next year.  Information was given on this subject by Rainer Flesch, who with Robin Spence, and Carlos Oliveria was previously appointed by the Ex.Com as the contact committee.

Item 5:   The Vice President Martin Koller informed the Executive Committee concerning the organization of the First European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology and summarised the present status with respect to registration and other details.

       He explained briefly difficulties encountered to harmonise the traditions of both organisers in conference details and also concerning the differences between administrative approaches of two associations.  Despite all the difficulties, the organizers were able to find the moderate ways of solving all the problems and they are supporting the continuity of the joint events.  That was the reason why a balloting was initiated among the conference participants to find out the preference of the participants.  

       It was suggested that Vice President should prepare a short report concerning the significant points regarding the organisation and the solutions adopted to give guidance and clues to the next joint conference organizers.

Item 6:   The Report of the Central Office Activities for September 2002 – September 2006 was presented briefly by the Secretary General.  The main points during the presentation and the decisions of the Ex.Com can be summarised as:

• During the past term, Statutes were revised to be registered as an international NGO, in Istanbul and were approved by Postal Balloting by the majority (28/32) of all the National Members.  The approved Statutes were included in the last issue of the Newsletter that would be available in print during the Conference in the EAEE booth. 

• Based on the Guidelines for ECEE, an exhibition booth was allocated to EAEE for the first time.  Central Office prepared posters explaining the historical development, publications and structure of EAEE to inform the conference participants and to increase the Individual Memberships registration.

• Most of National Members paid their membership dues and their Delegates would be participating to the Association Council and General Assembly.  Ex.Com approved the list of National Members that would participate to the First Association Council Meeting.

• The issue that required Ex.Com decision concerning voting rights of the Executive Committee Members (in the Association Council) and of the Individual Members (in the General Assembly) who are at the same time Delegates of National Associations or Delegates of Corporate Members were discussed.

• The Ex.Com decided unanimously on multiple voting rights for the Executive Committee Members in the Association Council if they are also National Delegates based on the fact that Executive Committee Members are elected not as representatives of their National Association but as individuals since the General Assembly held in London in 2002.

• The Ex.Com decided unanimously on multiple voting rights for the Individual members in the General Assembly who are at the same time Delegates of National Associations or Delegates of Corporate Members since it would lead to inequity with respect to other Individual Members who are only Individual Members.

• The Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering Summary Report for 2002-2006 was briefly presented.  The number of issues was increased to four starting from 2006.  The first three issues of Volume 4 are published; the last issue is in the printing process.  The rate of manuscript submission has been increasing significantly, it is estimated that it could be as high as 80% in 2006 with respect to 2005.  It was jointly decided with Springer to increase the number of pages starting from 2007 allowing six or seven articles per issue. 

• The Committee was informed about the number of individual members that will be participating to the General Assembly.  According to the approved Statutes, individual members should have paid membership dues one month in advance to participate to the General Assembly.  Thus Ex.Com decision became necessary for the 7 new Individual Members that were submitted by bank transfer after the lists were approved by Ex.Com. Ex.Com approved the participation of the new 7 Individual Members to GA unanimously.

• Due to the division of Montenegro and Serbia as independent separate states, and upon the application of the Yugoslav Association for Earthquake Engineering, the name of the Yugoslav Association for Earthquake Engineering was changed as Montenegrin Association for Earthquake Engineering (MAEE).  

• EAEE made two efforts both in 2005 and 2006 and submitted Marie Currie Training Course Proposals. The first proposal was rejected because one of the scores was below the threshold.  Although, the second proposal passed all the thresholds, the given overall score was not high.  It is very likely that EAEE would not receive any support from EU also for the second proposal.  However, similar proposals will be prepared in the future by the Central Office to find some funds for the activities of the Task Groups.

• The Newsletter is being regularly published and electronically distributed twice a year, and web pages have been continuously updated.  It was agreed with Springer that Central Office will be in charge of all electronic subscriptions for Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering starting 2007 by establishing a secure site from where only the Members could download BEE manuscripts and EAEE will pay to the Springer a mutually agreed annual fee (750 euros) for all electronically subscribed members.  The Ex.Com approved this initiative.

Item 7:   Secretary General presented the budget report for the past four year period prepared by Central Office composed of annual income and expenditure tables.  Income is only composed of membership dues and main expenditures are payment to Springer and salary payment to Central Office part time secretary starting from 2004.  For this transition period, since Audit Committee will be elected in the forthcoming GA, Philippe Bisch (EAEE President for 1998-2002) and Emilia Juhasova (Executive Committee Member for 1994-2002) were asked to audit the budget for the General Assembly.

       Secretary General explained the details concerning the income and expenditures:  Executive Committee approved the budget and the expenses for the preparation of the posters for the EAEE booth and for the printing of the last Newsletter that will be distributed during the conference. 

Item 8: The complete membership application of the newly established Serbian Association (SAEE) was received by the Central Office. Executive Committee voted unanimously in favour and Serbian Association was accepted as 33rd National Member of EAEE. The Committee decided to ask Serbian Association membership dues for 2006 and to invite them to the Association Council Meeting and to the General Assembly.

Item 9:   Two applications were received to organise the next ECEE: (1) Macedonia proposed Skopje and (2) Italy proposed ROME to organise the conference in 2010.  The Executive Committee approved the candidacy of Macedonia and Italy and decided to submit both candidates to the Association Council where both candidates are expected to make their presentations after which there will be voting.

Item 10: Ex.Com approved the Agenda of the Association Council meeting and the suggestion of the Secretary General to take some nominations in the Association Council and approach the General Assembly with a list of candidates for both Executive Committee and Audit Committee that could be modified in the General Assembly.  It was also agreed not to elect more than one member in the Executive Committee and Audit Committee from the same country. 

Item 11: Ex.Com approved the suggestion to propose Robin Spence as the chairman, Atilla Ansal as the vice-chairman and Gökçe Tönük as the Secretary to the General Assembly in accordance with the new EAEE Statutes.  The Agenda of GA is approved, giving Martin Koller the first presentation since he has to attend ESC General Assembly, followed by the presentations from President, Secretary General and the Auditors.  

Epilogue: The seventh meeting of the Executive Committee held in Geneva was finalized.  The meeting ended with the thanks of the President to all members for all their efforts and contributions during the past four years. 

Atilla Ansal

Secretary General