Adopted at Annual General Meeting in Killarney, Ireland on 9 June 2005 and amended at Annual General Meeting in Warsaw, Poland on 6 October 2011 and Annual General Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark on 31 October 2016, with changes adopted by Annual General Meeting in Bucharest on 17 October 2022, and by the Annual General Meeting in Luxembourg on 18 June 2024.

Article 1 – Scope of Rules and Regulations

These Rules and Regulations are established in accordance with Article 4 of the Statutes of Alzheimer Europe (AE) which states that “for matters not included in these Statutes, the association establishes its own Rules and Regulations.”

I. Membership

Article 2 – Application for membership

As described in Article 10 of the Statutes of AE, each candidate for admission shall submit to the Board of Directors an application for membership.

The applicant organisation will receive the official application form from the Executive Director and will return it duly completed and signed.

With the application form, the applicant association shall send a copy of its statutes and its latest annual and financial reports, as well as proof of its non-profit status.

The official application form constitutes an Appendix to these Rules and Regulations.

Article 3 – Exceptional circumstances for representation of a country by more than one full member

As described in Article 8 of the Statutes of AE, a country will be represented by only one full member organisation. Under exceptional circumstances, a country may be represented by more than one full member organisation.

These exceptional circumstances are as follows:

The organisations were full members of Alzheimer Europe prior to the change of Statutes.
The organisations are covering separate areas of a country, which can be clearly defined and are recognised as such in national law.

If neither of these circumstances is met, applicant organisations from a country already represented by a full member can only be accepted, if the additional exceptional circumstances are met:

The organisation is a national association which complies with ALL requirements for full membership and, after evaluation of its membership and activities, is of comparable size or bigger than the existing full member organisation.

Article 4 – Provisional Membership

As described in Article 9 of the Statutes of AE, organisations which have applied for full membership and who do not fulfil all the criteria for full membership may be granted provisional membership.
Provisional membership may be granted in particular, if an organisation does not yet cover the full territory of the country in which it is established. Nevertheless, provisional members are also required to abide by the principles of inclusion and transparency, as set out in Article 8 of the AE Statutes.
Any organisation complying with the criteria above may be admitted by a simple majority of members present or represented at an Annual General Meeting.
On a yearly basis, the Annual General Meeting will examine the evolution of provisional members and may grant full membership to these organisations following the procedure set out in Article 10 of the AE Statutes.
Provisional membership may be revoked by a simple majority of members present or represented at an Annual General Meeting.
The membership fees of provisional members shall be determined annually by an Annual General Meeting.

Article 5 – Associate Status

The Board of Alzheimer Europe may grant associate status to:

European or national organisations of professionals working in the field of care and treatment for people with dementia
European or national organisations or institutes which work in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders

Commercial organisations or companies may not be awarded associate status, as this is exclusively reserved for not-for-profit organisations.

The Board shall consult the full member organisation which represents the country of the organisation for which an associate status decision has to be made. If the full member organisation objects to the proposed decision, a final decision can only be made by the Annual General Meeting on a proposal by the Board.

The Annual General Meeting shall determine annually the fees for associates.

An appendix to the Rules and Regulations shall specify the rights and obligations of associates.

II. Representation of full member organisations

Article 6 - Countries represented by one full member

As set out in Article 14 of the Statutes of AE, each full member, which has paid its membership fee shall have one vote.
Each organisation will inform the Executive Director of AE in writing of the name of its representative at least two weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

III. Conflict of Interest Policy

Article 8 - Principles

In all their activities, members of the Alzheimer Europe Board and staff members will adhere to the principle of transparency and declare any potential conflicts of interests.

Article 9 - Declarations of interests

Board members and staff members are required to declare all interests. Similarly, candidates to the Board shall fill in a declaration of interests together with their nomination form.

Members of the Expert Advisory Panel will be required to declare any relevant interests when responding to requests by Alzheimer Europe.

In a declaration of interests, they shall list:

All other organisations they are members of, which could give rise to a conflict of interest,
All projects and activities they are involved in, which could give rise to a conflict of interest,
All personal circumstances, which could give rise to a conflict of interest,
All financial, commercial or business interests they or a close member of their family (spouse, children, parents) have, which could give rise to a conflict of interest,
All contacts with pharmaceutical companies, which could give rise to a conflict of interest.
All governmental positions (paid or unpaid) they have, which could give rise to a conflict of interest.

Such declarations of interests should be updated every time new circumstances warrant it.

Article 10 - Procedure for disclosed conflicts of interest

When agenda items arise, where Board or staff members have a potential conflict of interest, Board or staff members need to declare such a conflict in advance. Also, a Board or staff member may raise the issue of a potential conflict of interest of another Board or staff member for any agenda item.

The Board shall assess any potential conflict of interest and will ask those Board or staff members to leave the room for the duration of the discussions. The Board will take its decisions with a simple majority and its decisions are final. All such decisions will be minuted.

The Board may decide that:

There is no conflict of interest warranting any remedy and the meeting will continue in the presence of the Board member who disclosed the potential conflict of interest.
There is a conflict of interest and the meeting will continue in the absence of the Board or staff members in question for the duration of the agenda item. Furthermore, Board members may not take part in any votes relating to the agenda item in question.

Article 11 - Procedure for non-disclosed conflicts of interest

If Board or staff members fail to declare their interests who become apparent later, the Board shall meet in order to discuss the consequences to be given to such non-disclosure. The Board or staff member in question may be asked to participate in part of the meeting in order to answer any questions the Board may have. The deliberations on possible consequences will be done in the absence of the Board member in question.

In such cases, the Board may decide on a course of action and, depending on the gravity of the non-disclosure, may:

Void any decisions taken which may have been affected by the non-disclosure,
Suspend the Board member according to the procedure outlined in article 26 of the Alzheimer Europe Statutes or
Take any other legal or disciplinary actions necessary.

Decisions to void decisions affected by a non-disclosed conflict of interest are taken by simple majority, but decisions to suspend a Board member require a two thirds majority of Board members present or represented. All such decisions are minuted and may be forwarded to all member organisations for information on a decision by the Board.

IV. Termination of a director’s appointment

Article 12 – Procedure for automatic termination

As stated in Article 26 of the Statutes of AE, the appointment of a director may be suspended, if the director is no longer a member of a national member organisation of AE or if a director fails to attend three consecutive meetings.

For such cases, the following procedure applies:

If a full member organisation informs the Board of Directors in writing that an AE Director is no longer a member of their organisation, the Director in question is informed in writing about the suspension of his/her appointment.
At the third consecutive meeting which a Director has failed to attend, this fact is minuted and the Director is informed in writing about the suspension of his/her appointment.

Article 13 – Procedure for the suspension of a director’s appointment by the Board of Directors

As stated in Article 26 of the Statutes of AE, the appointment of a director may be suspended by the Board of Directors, if he/she has contravened the conflict of interest policy of the organisation.

The Board of Directors may suspend a director’s appointment by a two-thirds majority in case the Board feels that the continued presence of the director in question may jeopardise the good functioning of the organisation.

Any such decision shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the Board.

Article 14 – Procedure for termination of a director’s appointment by the General Meeting after suspension by the Board of Directors

After the suspension of Board members according to articles 12 and 13 of these Rules and Regulations, the following procedure applies:

The Board of Directors shall inform full members in writing about the suspension and the reasons for such suspension.
The suspended Director may no longer participate in meetings of the Board.
The decision of the Board will be circulated to all full member organisations at least one month before the General Meeting and the item will be included in the agenda of the meeting.
The Annual General Meeting following the decision may fully revoke the Director’s appointment in those cases by a two thirds majority of the full members present or represented.

Article 15 – Procedure for termination of a director’s appointment by the General Meeting

As stated in Article 26 of the Statutes of AE, the appointment of a director may be terminated by the General Meeting by the decision of not less than two thirds of the full members present or represented.

For such decisions, the following procedure applies:

1. Any full member organisation wanting to propose the termination of a director’s appointment will need to inform the Executive Director in writing at least two months before the Annual General Meeting. The accompanying letter needs to state the reasons for terminating the director’s appointment.

2. The Executive Director will forward the letter to the concerned Director who has two weeks to answer in writing.

3. Both letters will be circulated to all full member organisations at least one month before the Annual General Meeting and the item will be included in the agenda of the meeting.

Article 16 – Procedure for the replacement of the Chairperson

If the Chairperson has resigned or has been suspended, the Vice-Chairperson will become acting Chairperson and the Board may elect a new Vice-Chairperson from amongst its members. Both positions will need to be filled at the next General Meeting according to the normal rules.

If the election to replace a chairperson does not coincide with the normal elections for the whole Board, the mandate of the new chairperson ends at the same time as that of the rest of the Board.

Article 17 – Procedure for the replacement of another office bearer

If another office bearer has resigned or has been suspended, the Board may elect a replacement from amongst its members. This position will need to be filled at the next General Meeting according to the normal rules.

If the election to replace an office bearer does not coincide with the normal elections for the whole Board, the mandate of the new member ends at the same time as that of the rest of the Board.

Article 18 – Procedure for the replacement of a Director

If a director has resigned, has been suspended or if his/her appointment has been terminated, the Board may co-opt a new member to the Board until the next General Meeting.

V. Distribution of Tasks between Board and Executive

Article 19 – General principles

In light of the great number of issues in which Alzheimer Europe is involved, the Board may not be in a position to take all necessary decisions, especially in situations where a prompt decision is required.

The Board may therefore delegate some tasks to an Executive Committee, specific working groups or individual coordinators.

The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer.

Any group or individual can only make decisions within the framework of general policies already adopted by the Annual General Meeting or Board.

Article 20 – Financial decisions

The Board will prepare budgets and submit them for approval to the Annual General Meeting.

The follow-up scrutiny of expenses and income will be done by the Board within the framework set by the adopted budget. Minor differences can be approved by the Executive Committee, as long as they do not threaten the overall balance of the budget. Any decision that would result in a budget deficit needs to have the approval of the Board. The Executive Committee has the right to approve new sources of income, as long as they are in line with the guidelines on collaboration with pharmaceutical companies set out in the AE Rules and regulations.

Article 21 - Personnel decisions

The appointment of the Executive Director is a Board decision.

Also, the Board will make the decisions as regards new staff positions. The appointment of these staff members or the replacement of staff members will be delegated to the Executive Director. The financial regulations provide that issues such as staff pay will be dealt with by the Executive Committee and include guidelines on how this should be done.

Article 22 - Statutes and Rules and Regulations

The preparatory work for Statutes and Rules and Regulations will be done directly by a special committee created by the Board.

The Board will nevertheless make the decision on whether to submit proposals for Statutes and Rules and Regulations to the AGM who can solely adopt them within clearly set conditions. Changes to the appendices to the Rules and Regulations can however be adopted by the Board on a simple majority vote.

Article 23 - Strategic plan activities

The strategic plan and annual work plans of the organisation will be approved by the Annual General Meeting by a simple majority vote, which may also agree any steering groups required by its various programmes.

The Board will supervise the various programmes. Any decision with budgetary implications or significant changes to the approved working programmes requires the approval of the Board.

Article 24 - Policy decisions and public affairs

Significant policy decisions will be taken by the membership and AE has the possibility of taking emergency decisions without having to convene an AGM as set out in Article 34 of the Statutes. The Board nevertheless has a role in defining such policies and may appoint a Public Affairs Committee to support the development of policy positions of the organisation.

Article 25 – AE Conferences

The Board may appoint a Conference Committee for the Conference programme, speakers, social programme etc. Alzheimer Europe shall develop conference guidelines as an appendix to these Rules and Regulations to provide a clear framework within which to plan and organise Annual Conferences.

Article 26 - Responsibilities within Board and appointment of representatives

The Board should share responsibilities between its members with regard to representation of the organisation. Article 36 of the rules and regulations provides guidelines on the centralisation of information with the AE secretariat.

For urgent cases, the AE Executive can nominate someone to represent the organisation.

Article 27 - Activities not covered by strategic plan / New projects

For all new projects or activities not covered by the strategic plan and annual work plans, a decision by the Board will be necessary. The preparatory work for new projects, as well as the implementation or management of such projects once approved can be delegated to the Executive Committee or Executive Director, a special working group or coordinator.

VI. Membership fees

Article 28 – Collection of membership fees

As stated in Article 11 of the Statutes, the membership fee shall be determined annually at the Annual General Meeting.

Full member organisations are requested to pay their membership fees in the first quarter of the year and no later than the date of the Annual General Meeting. They will be informed in the first quarter of the year by the AE Secretariat of the amount of the membership fee due.

If member organisation have not complied with this before the date of the Annual General Meeting, they have no voting rights at the Annual General Meeting.

Article 29 – Membership fees of newly accepted members

New member organisations that are accepted as full or provisional member organisations by the Annual General Meeting are requested to pay their membership fee in proportion to the outstanding months of the year.

VII. Alzheimer Europe Conferences

Article 30 – Determination dates and venues for AE Conferences

The dates and venues of future AE Conferences will be fixed by the Board three years in advance.
The Annual Conference will be organised in different regions of Europe on a rotation basis as determined in an appendix to these Rules and Regulations.
At the beginning of each year, the AE Secretariat will circulate an application form to all member organisations in the region where the Conference shall be organised.
Interested members are requested to fill in the application form and submit a detailed budget, at least two months before the Board Meeting when a decision on the conference is due. In parallel, the AE secretariat will gather comparative quotes from conference venues and organisers.
The application forms and all other relevant documents will be circulated to the Board and the Board may invite the interested member to present its application.
The Board decides by a simple majority.
If there is an application from a country which is represented by two member organisations in AE, the application form has to be signed by the representatives of both organisations specifying the kind of co-operation envisaged for the meeting.

The application form to host Alzheimer Europe conferences constitutes an Appendix to these Rules and Regulations.

Article 31 – Profit sharing agreement for AE Conferences

AE shall sign a profit sharing agreement with the member organisation co-hosting the AE conference

This profit sharing agreement shall stipulate that:

The co-hosting organisation will receive 10% of all registration fees from participants from their country.
The co-hosting organisation will receive 10% of all corporate funding from sponsors identified by the co-hosting organisation.
If the host organisation of the AE conference can clearly demonstrate that the conference generated a loss, the AE Board can reduce or waive the due amount.

A model profit sharing agreement constitutes an Appendix of these Rules and Regulations.

All other requirements to be met by the host of an AE conference will be set out in Conference Guidelines which form an Appendix of these Rules and Regulations.

VIII. Sponsorship by Alzheimer Europe

Article 32 – Sponsorship of meetings by Alzheimer Europe

AE organises the Annual Conference and may convene other seminars or symposia.

If approached to assume the patronage or sponsorship of a conference or event, the following guidelines apply:

The event must be in the express interest of people with dementia and their carers.
There must be no conflict of interest between the event and any other event organised by AE or one of its member organisations.
The event should offer an opportunity for AE to present its aims and activities.
Sponsorship or patronage by AE must not involve any financial commitment on the part of AE.
The organisation applying for sponsorship must declare its willingness to abide by the guidelines on corporate sponsorship set out in Article 15 of these Rules and Regulations.
The member organisations of AE in the country where the event will take place will be consulted by AE before any decision on sponsorship or patronage is taken.

The same guidelines apply, if an organisation applies to AE for support or patronage of material developed by that organisation.

IX. Co-operation with the pharmaceutical industry and other sponsors

Article 33 – Sponsorship guidelines

In all dealings with the pharmaceutical industry, AE shall remain impartial and shall not endorse a particular manufacturer or a particular product.
AE shall not enter into any agreement, which could threaten its independence and non-profit status.
Information about members, donors or other confidential information about AE shall not be made available to any third party.
Information on drugs or clinical trials shall not be presented by AE unless it has been written by persons appointed by the organisations to do so.
AE is free to accept donations from pharmaceutical companies and other third parties. It will acknowledge such donations in the same way it acknowledges other donations by private persons.
When accepting sponsorship by pharmaceutical companies or other third parties, AE shall acknowledge this sponsorship by appropriate means and disclose it on its website and financial reports. Under no circumstances will this acknowledgement include an advertisement for a product.
Sponsorship does not entitle pharmaceutical companies and other third parties to determine the content of any publication or other information material produced by AE, nor does it entitle them to determine the programme or speakers at a conference or symposium organised by AE and its national members. At all times, AE should have complete editorial and managerial control.
AE can lend its support for the development of information material or awareness campaigns by the pharmaceutical companies. Under no circumstances shall AE give its support or logo for a campaign designed to advertise a product.
At all times, AE will make sure that corporate support for its programmes and materials cannot be interpreted as their endorsement of a business, company or product and it will take all necessary steps to avoid such appearance.
AE is bound by those guidelines and will not lend its support to events or publications of its member organisations or other interested parties that do not comply with them. The patronage or sponsorship of AE is therefore conditional on the acceptance of these guidelines by the applicant for sponsorship or patronage. AE will withdraw its support if in the course of a project or event, these guidelines are no longer respected.

X. Representation of Alzheimer Europe

Article 34 - Financial obligations

As stated in Article 28 of the Statutes, "a proxy signed by half or more of the members of the Board of Directors may entitle one of it members or an appointed executive director to sign on behalf of the association".

Financial regulations, which will form an Appendix to these Rules and Regulations, will clearly set out the responsibilities and duties of officers entitled to sign financial transactions on behalf of the association.

These regulations will also set out the policy for reimbursement of travel expenses, as well as the rules for the payment of the salaries of AE staff.

Article 35 - Responsibilities of Board members

The Board may delegate specific responsibilities to one or more of its members. In that case, Board members are required to regularly report on their activities to the AE secretariat, which will circulate this information to all other Board members.

A framework document, which constitutes an Appendix to these Rules and Regulations, sets out which responsibilities Board members should undertake for the management and representation of the organisation. These tasks will be agreed upon by the Board and communicated to all member organisations.

Article 36 - Representation by Board members

The Board may designate one or more of its members, a member of staff or a representative of a member organisation of AE to represent the organisation at other associations or third party meetings.

In order to guarantee a uniformity in the representation of AE to third parties, the following rules apply:

All written contacts between a Board member or designated AE member and a third party should include the logo of AE and the address of the Head Office. The Secretariat will supply Board members with the necessary administrative help.
All incoming mail between a third party and AE should be sent to the Head Office. All such mail will be duly registered and forwarded to the responsible Board member or designated AE member.
All Board members or designated AE members will send a copy of any correspondence with third parties to the Head Office where all such mail will be duly registered.
For all meetings attended, a brief summary will be written which will be forwarded to the AE secretariat and circulated to all other Board members and, if relevant, to all member organisations.

Article 37 - Working groups

The Board or the Annual General Meeting may nominate some of its members to set up an internal working group of the organisation. Any working group shall be headed by a member of the Board or AE staff and shall be supported by the AE secretariat.

The framework terms of reference of these working groups constitute an Appendix to these Rules and Regulations.

Article 38 – Conditions for urgent procedure

Alzheimer Europe may be called upon to comment on European developments and policies within fixed deadlines. Where decisions need to be taken in between meetings, the following procedure will apply:

When receiving a consultation document or when becoming aware of a development, which may necessitate a response by Alzheimer Europe, the AE secretariat will forward this information together with a proposed procedure and timetable for adoption of a position to the members of the Executive Committee.
Within one week, the Executive Committee will decide on the procedure to follow and decide whether a position shall be adopted by the member organisations, the Board or a designated Committee of the organisation.
The AE secretariat will forward this information and timetable to the group mandated by the Executive to take a decision.
The AE secretariat will gather existing opinions and positions from the members of the Board, or if relevant of member organisations within the timeframe agreed upon by the Executive Committee.
Based on these comments, the AE secretariat will draw up an AE position within the timeframe agreed upon by the Executive Committee and circulate it to the group mandated by the Executive to take a decision.
The group mandated by the Executive to take a decision will be informed of the deadline by which it has to respond and which will correspond to the timeframe adopted by the Executive Committee.

Article 39 – Adoption of decisions under urgent procedure

If a committee has been charged to adopt a position, the circulated position is deemed to be adopted unless more than a third of the committee members objects within the agreed timeframe.
If the Board or member organisations have been charged to adopt a position, the following procedure applies:
If the quorum requirements indicated in Article 13 and Article 29 of the Statutes (more than half of member organisations or of Board members) are met, a simple majority of respondents is required to have a position adopted. The adopted position will be deemed to represent the view of Alzheimer Europe.
If the quorum requirements indicated in Article 13 and Article 29 of the Statutes are not met, a two thirds majority of respondents is required to have a position adopted. The adopted position will be deemed to represent the view of Alzheimer Europe.
If only a simple majority has been achieved, the position is deemed not to represent the view of Alzheimer Europe, but can be forwarded nonetheless as representing the opinions of those member organisations which have agreed.
In all other cases, the position has been rejected.

XII. Alzheimer Europe Awards

Article 40 – AE Awards

Alzheimer Europe may create awards for outstanding services to people with dementia or for innovative projects and initiatives. The procedure for designating the recipient(s) of such awards will be annexed to these Rules and Regulations.

XIII. Circulation of documents

Article 41 - Annual and financial reports of members

All member organisations are required annually to send a copy of their official documents to AE. These include their annual and financial reports. At every Annual General Meeting, the Executive Director will present a list of organisations which have complied with this requirement.

XIV. Amendment of the Rules and Regulations

Article 42 - Amendment of the Rules and Regulations

As stated in Article 15 of the Statutes, "the full members in general meeting shall have power to (...) adopt the Rules and Regulations of the association, on the recommendation by the Board". This decision "shall be made by a simple majority of votes".

The Board of Directors shall have power to adopt changes to the Appendices to these Rules and Regulations by a simple majority.

XV. European Working Group of People with Dementia

Article 43 – Aims

In recognition of the unique contributions people with dementia can provide with regard to their experience of dementia, Alzheimer Europe set up a European Working Group of People with Dementia.

The Working Group will advise the organisation on the development of positions and policies, ensure the organisation adequately represents the interests of people with dementia and take an active part in consultations in the context of research projects in which Alzheimer Europe collaborates.

Article 44 – Working methods and meetings

The working group shall meet in person at least once a year.

In between face-to-face meetings, Alzheimer Europe will organise regular teleconferences and virtual meetings for participants.

All communication will be in English and member associations of Alzheimer Europe are responsible for ensuring that the person with dementia whom they nominate has a sufficient working knowledge of English at the time of nomination. In addition, member organisations of Alzheimer Europe are strongly encouraged to provide support to people with dementia nominated by their organisation to actively engage in the activities of the Working Group.

Alzheimer Europe staff will coordinate the activities of the group and provide administrative and secretarial support when needed.

Article 45 – Composition and mandate

The European Working Group of People with Dementia shall be composed of 15 members nominated by national member organisations of AE.

The Group shall be partly renewed every year with 5 members being nominated for a mandate of three years. The mandate of members can only be renewed once (i.e. for a second mandate of three years).

Women and men should each make up at least 40% of the membership. In addition, AE is keen to receive candidates with different forms of dementia and from a range of gender identities, ethnic groups, religions or beliefs, disabilities, ages or sexual orientations.

The Alzheimer Europe Secretariat will ask for nominations at least two months in advance of the organisation’s Annual Meeting and nominations will have to be returned no later than one month prior to the Meeting.

Only member organisations of Alzheimer Europe may nominate a person with dementia as a candidate to the European Working Group of People with Dementia. Organisations already represented in the group by a continuing member may only put forward a candidate of a different gender. Organisations not currently represented in the group may put forward more than one candidate, but will need to ensure that different genders are represented.

Candidates from organisations already represented in the group will only be considered if it is not possible to select 5 new members of the group from non-represented organisations.

However, no member organisation may have more than two representatives in the European Working Group of People with Dementia.

If there are more than 5 candidates for the available places, priority will be given to candidates from underrepresented genders within the group. If this does not bring the number of members of the group to 15, a draw will be organised by the staff of Alzheimer Europe to select the final members of the group.

Article 46 – Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

The members of the Working Group will elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson(s) from amongst their members.

The election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson(s) will take place at the first meeting of the newly convened Working Group.

The mandate of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson(s) is for one year and can be renewed up to two times. The group will ensure that different genders are represented amongst the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson(s).

Meetings of the Working group will be chaired by the Chairperson and in his/her absence by the Vice-Chairperson.

As set out in the Statutes of Alzheimer Europe, the Chairperson of the European Working Group of People with Dementia will be an ex-officio member of the Alzheimer Europe Board. He/she can be represented by a Vice-Chairperson or another member of the Working Group who must be the bearer of a written proxy.

XV. European Dementia Carers Working Group

Article 47 – Aims

In recognition of the unique contributions carers, relatives and supporters of people with dementia can provide with regard to their experience of care and dementia, Alzheimer Europe will set up a European Dementia Carers Working Group of.

Article 48 – Working methods and meetings

The working group shall meet in person at least once a year. In between face-to-face meetings, Alzheimer Europe will organise regular teleconferences and virtual meetings for participants.

All communication will be in English and member associations of Alzheimer Europe are responsible for ensuring that the carer, relative or supporter of a person with dementia whom they nominate has a sufficient working knowledge of English at the time of nomination. In addition, member organisations of Alzheimer Europe are strongly encouraged to provide support to the representatives nominated by their organisation to actively engage in the activities of the Working Group.

Alzheimer Europe staff will coordinate the activities of the group and provide administrative and secretarial support when needed.

Article 49 – Composition and mandate

The European Dementia Carers Working Group shall be composed of 15 members nominated by national member organisations of AE.

The Group shall be partly renewed every year with 5 members being nominated for a mandate of three years. The mandate of members can only be renewed once (i.e. for a second mandate of three years).

Women and men should each make up at least 40% of the membership.. In addition, AE is keen to receive candidates who care for people with different forms of dementia and from a range of gender identities, ethnic groups, religions or beliefs, disabilities, ages or sexual orientations.

Candidates from organisations already represented in the group will only be considered if it is not possible to select 5 new members of the group from non-represented organisations.

However, no member organisation may have more than two representatives on the European Dementia Carers Working Group.

Article 50 – Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

The members of the Working Group will elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson(s) from amongst their members.

The election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson(s) will take place at the first meeting of the newly convened Working Group.

Meetings of the Working group will be chaired by the Chairperson and in his/her absence by the Vice-Chairperson.

As set out in the Statutes of Alzheimer Europe, the Chairperson of the European Dementia Carers Working Group will be an ex-officio member of the Alzheimer Europe Board. He/she can be represented by a Vice-Chairperson or another member of the Working Group who must be the bearer of a written proxy.