Statutes of the German Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES)

§ 1 Name and Domicile of the Society

1. The society carries the name "Deutsche Vereinigung für Schulter- und Ellenbogen-Chirurgie", abbr.: DVSE. The English name: "German Shoulder and Elbow Society", abbr.: GSES.

2. The society is a section of the German Society of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery (DGOOC) and the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU) according to § 16 of the statutes of the DGOOC and § 9.4 of the DGOU.

3. The society is registered in the register of associations.

4. The domicile of the society is Hamburg.

5. The funds of the society comprise all revenues and donations.

§ 2 Trading Year

1. Trading year is the calendar year.

2. The transfer of the functions according to § 10 of the statutes occurs on January 1st of the following year after the election.

§ 3 Purpose of the Society

1. The German Shoulder and Elbow Society with domicile in Hamburg solely and directly pursues non-profit purposes as specified in the paragraph ‘tax-privileged purposes’ of the tax code.

2. The purpose of the society is the promotion of science in the field of diseases and injuries of the shoulder and elbow joint in research, teaching and medical care, including the rehabilitation of these illnesses. The society operates selflessly to carry out the function of medical and non-medical training with the aim of improved care for patients with diseases and injuries of the shoulder and elbow joint.

3. The purpose of the statutes is achieved in particular through the organization of an annual scientific conference and the offer of a certified qualification in shoulder and elbow surgery. The society deems itself responsible for specialist and scientific questions relating to its field of expertise to both the medical society and public and is therefore a contact partner for other societies and unions as well as institutions and authorities.
For further education in the specialized field, symposia can be held under the patronage of the DVSE. The society realizes its responsibility of informing its members with an information sheet. The scientific publishing organ of the DVSE is the journal "Obere Extremität - Schulter ∙ Ellenbogen ". This journal is published regularly and contains the information sheet.

§ 4 Altruistic activity

The association is selflessly active; it does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.

§ 5 Use of Funds

The financial resources of the society may only be used for purposes stipulated in the statutes. Members shall receive no payments from the funds of the society.

§ 6 Prohibition of Benefits

No individual person shall be preferentially treated, neither by expenditures that are not related to the purpose or activities of the society nor by receiving disproportionately high remunerations.

Statues of the German Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES).
Change of Statutes according to the members vote on 17th May 2019.

§ 7 Acquisition of Membership

1. All accredited medical doctors who are interested in the purposes of the society can become ordinary members and shall have the right to vote as well as stand for election. An additional membership of the DGOU is recommended.

2. Individuals working in other careers, as well as students (also non-medical fields) who are interested in the purposes of the society, can become extraordinary members. They are authorized to vote. However, they are not authorized to be elected.

3. Individuals as well as judicial persons who wish to appropriately support and promote the society can become supporting members. They are neither authorized to vote nor be elected.

4. Corresponding members shall be nominated. Their nomination is decided at the general assembly after proposal by the executive board or the president. Corresponding members are neither authorized to vote nor be elected.

5. Honorary members are persons who have received special honor relating to research, education and teaching in fields of the purposes of the society. Honorary members are neither authorized to vote nor be elected. They will be nominated at the general assembly after recommendation by the president or the executive board. Honorary members are exempt from the annual membership fee.

§ 8 Acceptance, Nomination, Withdrawal and Exclusion

1. Applications for the acceptance as an ordinary member as well as an extraordinary member of the society can be made via the application form which is published on the webpage of the DVSE. It must be filled completely and submitted with a declaration of surety from a member of the executive board and two ordinary members.

2. The general assembly decides annually about the acceptance by a simple majority of the attending members.

3. The application for a supporting membership can be submitted informally to the president of the society. The executive committee decides about the acceptance by a simple majority.

4. The nomination to become an honorary member or corresponding member is carried out by the general assembly based on a proposal from a member or the executive committee by a simple majority of the attending members who are authorized to vote.

5. Withdrawal from the society must be carried out by way of a written statement via registered mail with no less than three months’ notice to the end of the year.

6. In case of a violation of a member against the interests of the society, the executive committee may exclude him or her after an official hearing of the member and after a preliminary suspension of the membership. The concerned person shall receive a written statement from the executive committee about the decision. The member shall be given opportunity at the next general assembly to justify himself/herself. For the exclusion of a member, a 2/3 majority of the attending members who are entitled to vote in the general assembly is required.

7. Loss of a professional practice license of a member by legal judgment justifies suspension of the membership by the executive committee without an official hearing. The general assembly shall decide about the exclusion of a member according to § 8.6 of these statutes.

8. Members who have not paid their membership fees two years in a row despite an admonition by the treasurer shall be excluded from the society by decision of the executive board.

9. Membership shall end with the death of the member, or in the case of judicial persons with the loss of legal capacity.

Statues of the German Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES).
Change of Statutes according to the members vote on 17th May 2019.

§ 9 Representative Bodies

The representative bodies of the society are:
1. The executive board, consisting of the executive committee and the advisory board.
The executive committee consists of:

(a) President
(b) 1st Vice President
(c) 2nd Vice President
(d) Treasurer
(e) Secretary

2. General Assembly

§ 10 Executive Board

1. The members of the executive committee are the executive board of the society according to § 26 BGB. The president and the 1st and 2nd vice president are authorized to represent, respectively. The treasurer and the secretary are authorized to represent together.

2. The executive board justifies resolutions by simple majority. In the case of an equal number of votes, the vote of the president is the deciding vote.

3. The president, as the chair of the executive board, represents all interests of the society and manages all transactions of the society. The president is elected by the general assembly for three years. A one-time re-election directly following the first term as president is possible. A later one-time re-election is not excluded. After his or her term, the president will be part of the permanent advisory board for six years.

4. Both vice presidents are authorized to represent the president and may fulfill special duties in accordance with the president’s agreement. The vice presidents are elected by the general assembly for three years. A one-time re-election directly following the first term as vice president is possible. A later one-time re-election is not excluded.

5. The secretary shall execute the necessary correspondence and organizational duties in consultation with the president as well as prepare protocols in all board meetings and general assemblies of the society. The secretary is elected by the general assembly for three years. A one-time re-election directly following the first term as secretary is possible. A later one-time re-election is not excluded.

6. The treasurer is responsible for all financial affairs of the society and shall prepare a reviewed cash report for the general assembly on an annual basis. The treasurer is elected by the general assembly for three years. A one-time re-election directly following the first term as treasurer is possible. A later one-time re-election is not excluded.

7. Continuous membership within the executive committee may not exceed nine years.

8. According to § 16.4 of the statutes of the DGOOC, the president shall report about the activities of the society on an annual basis.

9. The executive committee shall determine a representative, generally the president, who shall have a seat and vote in the executive committee of the DGOOC according to § 16.7 of the statutes of the DGOOC.

10. The executive committee shall delegate a representative, generally the president, in the specialist advisory board of the DGOU. The GSES, as an independent section, therefore has by way of the specialist advisory board a seat and vote on the whole executive board of the DGOU as well.

11. The executive committee may form working groups for their consultancy.

12. In order to nominate oneself for election to a position on the executive committee, a membership of the DGOOC, DGU or DGOU is obligatory.

Statues of the German Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES).
Change of Statutes according to the members vote on 17th May 2019.

§ 11 Advisory Board

1. The advisory board consists of the former president, the conference chair, the former conference chair, the chair of the commissions and the German "National Delegate" of the "Societé Européenne pour la Chirurgie de l'Epaule et du Coude", abbr: "SECEC", the Webmaster, the specialist editor of the journal "Obere Extremität" as well as the chief editor of the newsletter, as long as they are members of the society. The advisory board will advise the executive board on all important interests of the society.

2. The conference chair is responsible for the preparation and execution of scientific conferences during his or her elective period and is elected from the general assembly for one year. A subsequent re-election is not possible; a later re-election, however, is not excluded. At the end of his or her elective period, the conference chair will be part of the advisory board for another year, subject to personal acceptance.

§ 12 General Assembly

1. The general assembly is the highest body of the society.

2. The general assembly shall elect and approve the executive board, authorize the annual report and budget of the executive board, determine the annual fee according to the advice of the executive board as well as decide on the acceptance or exclusion of a member according to § 7.8 of these statutes, provided that the statutes do not dictate anything else.

3. The general assembly will hold a meeting at least once a year. The president must inform the members, in writing, at least six weeks prior to the meeting. A general assembly can further be convened by:

a. Decision of the executive board
b. Written request from 1/5 of the members

§ 13 Procedural Rules of the General Assembly

1. The general assembly shall be chaired by the president or one of his or her representatives.

2. The general assembly may quorate independent of the amount of attending members and shall decide by an open vote with simple majority of the delivered votes, provided that the statutes do not dictate anything else. An equal number of votes means rejection of the application. Voting is conducted by means of request.

3. The secretary shall prepare a transcript about the decisions of the general assembly, which must be signed by the secretary as well as the president or one of his or her representatives.

4. Proposals to be put forward for resolution must be communicated to the executive board six weeks prior to the general assembly in order to be included in the agenda. They are also acceptable if they are sent to the executive board two weeks prior to the general assembly at the latest. In this case, they are not required to be communicated in the agenda of the invitation.

§ 14 Commissions

The executive committee is authorized to appoint commissions and chairpersons to execute specific tasks and is obligated to present the composition of the commissions at the next general assembly following the appointment of the commission. The chairpersons of the commissions are, as members of the advisory board, responsible for the completion of these tasks and shall present a report about the work of the commission at least once a year. The executive board may withdraw the commissions.

Statues of the German Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES).
Change of Statutes according to the members vote on 17th May 2019.

§ 15 Fees

1. The amount of the annual fee shall be proposed by the executive board and in turn determined by the general assembly.

2. The fee for the scientific journal of the GSES is included in the annual fee.

3. Each ordinary and extraordinary member is obligated to pay the annual fee. Students with the appropriate evidentiary documentation are exempt from payment of the annual fee. The annual membership fee must be paid within the first three months of the calendar year. The year of contribution is the calendar year.

4. A reduction or exemption from payment of the annual fee may be made after written application via the treasurer to the executive committee. A decision regarding this shall be made by the executive committee. After a member’s retirement from his or her career, and with the appropriate evidentiary documentation, the annual fee may be reduced by half.

5. Supporting members may determine for themselves the amount of their annual fee after consultation with the president.

6. Corresponding members are exempt from the annual membership fee.

§ 16 Dissolution, Termination or Change of Interests of the Society

1. In case of dissolution or termination of the society, or removal of the previous interests of the society, the assets of the society shall become property of the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und orthopädische Chirurgie e.V.”, who shall use it directly and exclusively for charitable and non-profit purposes.

2. The dissolution of the society may only be executed at a specially convened general assembly. The application may only be submitted to the president if it has been signed by 3/4 of the executive board members or at least 50% of the members who are authorized to vote. A legal decision to dissolve the society can only be determined by a 3/4 majority of the attending members entitled to vote at the general assembly.

§ 17 Modifications of the Statutes

1. A request to modify the statutes can only be submitted for resolution at the general assembly if it was presented to the president in written form from 1/10 of the members entitled to vote at least six weeks prior to the general assembly, or if it was proposed by the executive committee. Society members must be informed of a request to modify the statutes by email or in written form at least four weeks prior to the general assembly.

2. Eine Satzungsänderung wird rechtswirksam, wenn sie mit einer Mehrheit von 2/3 der zur Mitgliederversammlung erschienenen Mitglieder angenommen worden ist.

3. Zur Änderung des Zwecks des Vereins ist eine Zustimmung von 3/4 aller anwesenden stimmberechtigten Mitglieder erforderlich.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Markus Scheibel | Berlin
President of the DVSE