THE ESL CONGRESS – A CODE OF PRACTICE

There should be equal opportunity for each European country to hold the ESL Congress. The congress sites and venues proposed by candidates for office as designate Congress President must be approved by the Executive Committee prior to the election at the Members’ Assembly. The candidates must sign the Congress President guidelines. The ESL Congress will be held on an annual or regular basis to meet the objectives of the ESL. The meetings of all Committees and Assemblies of the ESL will take place at or around the time of the Annual Congress. The duties and responsibilities of the Congress President are set out in the following:

  • 8.1. Congress Finances The Congress President has the responsibility for the budget. The congress fees have to be approved by the Executive Committee of the ESL. Fees for the members of the ESL must be less than those for non-members. The financial status in relation with the budget must be regularly approved by the Executive Committee. The Congress remains a non-profit organisation. There should be an agreement between the ESL Executive Committee, the Congress President and the local national society so that a loan is made available to the Congress President, if needed. This sum should be held in a special Congress account. Prior to establishing the balance of the congress, the ESL and the National Society should be compensated for their efforts in organizing and supporting the congress.
  • 8.2. Opening and Closing of the ESL Congress The Congress President will formally open and close the Congress and open the Exhibition. The President of the ESL should give an address to the participants at the opening and/or closing ceremonies. The President of the local national society should participate in these ceremonies, which should be relatively short.
  • 8.3. The ESL Congress Programme Attempts should be made to introduce continuity in the programme organisation in terms of pre-Congress teaching courses, sessions, seminars or round tables task group organized sessions, and in other ways.
  • 8.4. The Congress President He or she is responsible for the general organisation and themes of the Scientific Programme, taking into account the recommendations of the Congress Scientific Committee.
  • 8.5. The Congress Scientific Committee The Chair of the Congress Scientific Committee is proposed by the Congress President to the Executive Committee. He/she must come from another country than the President and cannot be a member of the Executive Committee. The Congress Scientific Committee is composed of ordinary members of the ESL from different countries and members of the local supporting national society, so that all of the disciplines in Lymphology are covered. The Chairman will always be one of these individuals.The Congress Scientific Committee has the following functions and responsibilities: • To ensure proper scientific and anonymous scoring of all works submitted for presentation to the Scientific Programme. • To select abstracts for either oral or poster presentation • To propose the scientific programme to the Congress President