1. Preface

This document has been prepared on the 13th of June 2024 by the competent Managing Board of European Careers Association Maastricht, consisting of Attila Zsombor Varga as President, Marcin Starzynski as Secretary and Vice President, and Anastasios Kostekoglou as Treasurer and Vice President.

This document has been passed on the 14th of June 2024 by the General Meeting of the Members, adhering to all the rules regarding the implementation of such a document.

In order to bestow power to this document, the Internal Regulations of the Association has also been amended, the new, relevant provision reads as follows:

Article 9

Code of Conduct

1. The Managing Board is responsible for maintaining and enforcing the Member’s adherence to the Code of Conduct of ECA Maastricht. The Code of Conduct must be displayed at the website at all times publicly.

2. The Managing Board shall also provide a possibility to submit anonymous complaints through the website.

3. The Managing Board shall ensure that all Active Members of the Association have been made sufficiently aware of the effects and possible consequences under the Code of Conduct. This shall be carried out in writing prior to the commencement of the position of the Active Members.

4. Enforcement shall be carried out pursuant to Chapter 7 of the Code of Conduct, which shall be interpreted as having the same effect as the Internal Regulations.

5. Amendments to the Code of Conduct may only be made via the decision of the General Meeting of the Members, pursuant to Arts. 1 and 9 of the Internal Regulation.

2. Definitions

General Member: Any person who, pursuant to the Articles of Association of ECA, has paid their membership fee and are thus members of European Careers Association Maastricht.

Active Member: Any person who is part of one of the teams of ECA, led by the respective Head of the Department.

Association Council Member: Any person who has been appointed by the Managing Board to be a member of the Association Council, the secondary executive body of European Careers Association Maastricht. The Association Council Members are also Heads of a Department.

Managing Board Member: The members of the managing board, which consists of at minimum a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The Managing Board Members are legally responsible for the organisation.

Managing Board and Association Council Meeting: The weekly meetings where the members of the Managing Board and the Association Council discuss, among other things, the agenda, the direction and the activities of the organisation.

3. Mission Statement

The mission of European Careers Association Maastricht is to provide a platform for motivated students of different fields who want to contribute to the European project and who aspire for a career within the European Union, or in the private sector and NGOs dealing with European Affairs. We want to present an opportunity for such students to have a place where they can develop and meet like-minded people.

We provide our members with knowledge and skills through various workshops. We also invite special guests for a series of lectures, interviews, and debates that offer an insight into their career paths, introduce internships and educational opportunities, or talk about current European issues. Furthermore, we organise study trips for our members to gain insights into various sectors and network with professionals. Lastly, our media outlet - the blue&yellow blog - aims to bring the student perspective to EU news.

Through our activities, we wish to encourage European Affairs as a career path, raise awareness about the structure and workings of the European Union, and promote EU values. We are committed to fostering the introduction of a new generation of value-based European leaders.

The three pillars of ECA are as follows:

Leadership

ECA helps its members become reliable, competent, and confident leaders. Our members receive leadership training and participate in specialised lectures and workshops. Members who wish to get involved in shaping the association and gaining leadership experience also have the opportunity to apply for the Association Council and the Managing Board.

Career Support

During our events and workshops, our members learn and debate about pressing issues concerning the European Union as well as get insights into the career opportunities in the EU bodies, private-sector companies, and NGOs. Our members receive training in skills useful in a European career, such as public speaking, drafting, or interview skills. They also receive support in planning out their career paths.

Networking

ECA Maastricht aims to build a network of connections with public-, private-, and third -sector organisations in order to foster the introduction of a new generation of European leaders, as well as a network of current students. We believe in the success of our members, which is why we also focus on building a notable alumni network. We want to create a supportive community of current and former ECA members and connect them with the network of students in Maastricht.

4. Conduct of General Members

All members of the association shall adhere to the following rules on conduct, with a special highlight on the conduct during the activities of the Association:

1. Respect across all members

(a)  The General Members of the association should treat each other with courtesy, dignity, and respect regardless of their position, background, or beliefs.

(b)  The General Members of the association shall never engage in conduct that would be of financial or moral detriment to the association.

2. Inclusivity

(a)  The members of the association should speak inclusively and be considerate avoiding discriminatory comments.

(b)  The members of the association should refrain from any discriminatory comments, including beliefs, race, gender, ethnicity, and religion.

3.  Truthfulness

(a)  The members of the association shall be honest and transparent with each other in all professional matters, avoiding deceit and deception.

5. Integrity

(a)  The members of the association shall refrain from conduct that is in any way shape or form detrimental to their own integrity, as well as that of the association.

6. Accountability

(a)  The association members should take responsibility for their actions and consequences.

(b)  The members of the association should admit their mistakes and work to remedy them.

7. Professionalism

(a)  The members of the association should strive for excellence in their work, continually improving their skills and knowledge

8. University conduct

All General Members of the Association shall adhere to the code of conduct of Maastricht University, as well as the codes of conduct of their respective faculties

5. Conduct of Active Members

On top of the rules stipulated in Chapter 4 regarding conduct of general members, active members are also bound by the following rules:

9. Professionalism

(a)  The Active Members of the association should respect their obligations and deadlines assigned by their supervisors.

(b)  The Active Members of the association should collaborate with others in a respectful manner, valuing diverse perspectives and contributions.

(c)   The Active Members of the association should strive to offer assistance and support to colleagues when needed, fostering a collaborative atmosphere within the team.

(d)  The Active Members shall respect that in cases of disagreement, the decision of the Head of the Department or the supervising Managing Board Member will prevail.

(e)  The Active Members shall refrain from conduct that is contrary to good values during the activities of the association.

10. Confidentiality and Privacy

(a)  The active members of the association shall refrain from disclosing information that could hinder the privacy and confidentiality of sensitive information related to ECA activities, unless expressly permitted by the Managing Board.

                    (i)        Sensitive information constitutes, but is not limited to the following:

(1)  Plans about upcoming events,

(2)  Plans about upcoming projects,

(3)  Plans about upcoming collaborations,

(4)  Personal information discussed during meetings,

(5)  Personal opinions expressed by individuals during the meetings,

(6)  Any disputes among any Members of ECA, be it professional or personal,

(7)  Any further information that, when disclosed, has a potentially negative impact on the organisation, the Managing Board, the Association Council or fellow Active Members.

(b)  The active members of the association should adhere to general digital safety practices, ensuring that the systems used by ECA remain safe.

11. Working Language

(a)  Active Members of the organisation shall respect the fact that the official language of ECA Maastricht is English. Therefore, communication during meetings and other ECA activities shall be conducted solely in English.

(b)  The official language shall be considered during informal activities of the organisation as well, Active Members are to refrain from excessive use of languages other than English.

12. Dispute resolution

(a) In cases where the Active Members have personal or professional disputes with fellow Active Members, Association Council Members or Managing Board Members, they shall always raise that issue with their respective Head of Department and resolve the issues privately in a calm manner.

(b)  Active Members must always refrain from discussing these disputes, pursuant to Art. 10(i)(6), with any individual that is not authorised to be aware of them.

13. Conflict of Interest

(a)  Active Members of ECA shall not take any positions of other organisations where the work to be done has a considerable overlap with their responsibilities in ECA, in order to avoid situations where conflict of interest may arise.

6. Conduct of Association Council Members

On top of the rules outlined for General Members and Active Members, the Association Council Members are further bound by the following:

14. Respectful Leadership

(a)  Association Council Members, having the responsibility to lead a team of Active Members shall always do so in a respectful manner.

(b)  Association Council Members shall demonstrate an adequate degree of accountability for their actions and their decisions, especially towards their supervising Managing Board Member.

15. Confidentiality

(a)  On top of the rules stipulated in Art 10, the Association Council Members shall demonstrate a high level of confidentiality regarding all matters of the Association, with a special emphasis on the contents of the Managing Board and Association Council Meetings.

(b)  Association Council Members shall refrain from disclosing any information that could, in any scenario, regardless of likelihood, have a negative impact on the organisation or any of its Members.

16. Privacy and Safety

(a)  Association Council Members, having to work excessively with the various systems ECA has in place, shall always demonstrate a high degree of care when it comes to handling these systems, and shall never engage in conduct that may jeopardise the digital safety or the protection of sensitive data of the organisation.

(b)  Association Council Members shall always adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

17. Professional Conduct

(a)  Association Council Members shall acknowledge that they are part of the secondary executive body of the organisation and shall engage in conduct that is reflective of that. This includes the following, but not limited to:

                    (i)        Wearing appropriate attire for the given activity of the association,
                    (ii)        Refrain from any political statements during ECA activities or in scenarios where such statements could potentially be attributed to ECA,

                   (iii)        Respecting the working language of the organisation at all times,

                  (iv)        Refraining from inappropriate or antisocial conduct during ECA activities,

                  (v)        Respecting and adhering to the guidelines on professional communication made by the Managing Board in all emails sent out from ECA-affiliated email addresses,

                   (vi)        Respecting their duties to foster the inclusive community of ECA,

                  (vii)        Any further conduct that, when associated with the organisation, reflects badly on ECA Maastricht.

18. Reputation of ECA Maastricht

(a)  Association Council Members shall in all scenarios, even outside the activities of ECA, refrain from making statements that could potentially have a negative impact on the reputation of ECA Maastricht, or its Managing Board.

19. Dispute resolution

(a)  In cases where the Association Council Members have personal or professional disputes with Active Members, Association Council Members or Managing Board Members, they shall always raise that issue with their respective supervising Managing Board Member and resolve the issues privately in a calm manner.

(b)  Association Council Members must always refrain from discussing these disputes, pursuant to Art 10, with any individual that is not authorised to be aware of them. In all cases, the rules stipulated by Arts. 12 and 18 shall always be respected in regard to dispute settlement.

7. Conduct of Managing Board Members

On top of the all the rules previously stipulated, the Managing Board Members shall further adhere to the following:

20. Legal responsibility

(a)  Managing Board Members must always demonstrate the highest possible level of respect towards their duties and responsibilities as the legal representatives of the organisation.

(b)  They shall respect all the internal, as well as statutory rules regarding their positions.

21. Confidentiality

(a)  The Managing Board Members shall, under all circumstances refrain from disclosing any confidential information regarding the association. Other than the previous stipulations of the Code of Conduct, it is always upon the Managing Board themselves to determine what information is to be deemed as confidential.

22. Digital Safety

(a)  The Managing Board Members, being responsible for taking care of the digital systems, as well as handling the sensitive data of the organisation shall at all times adhere to the rules on data protection, as well as an exceptionally high degree of cautiousness regarding the safety of the systems used by the organisation.

23. Responsibility

(a)  The Managing Board Members shall accept that, despite not all activities being carried out by them, they must take responsibility for all activities of the organisation.

24. Professional Conduct

(a)  The Managing Board Members shall always, throughout their tenure act in a way that is appropriate to represent the organisation and shall refrain from anything that might negatively impact the reputation of the organisation.

25. Dispute resolution

(a)  The Managing Board Members shall in all cases adhere to the previously stipulated rules regarding dispute resolution, as well as take responsibility for facilitating it in a respectful and peaceful manner among all members of the association.

7. Enforcement and Disciplinary Actions

26. Enforcement

(a)  The enforcement of the rules stipulated in this document is in all cases the responsibility of the competent Managing Board.

(b)  In case there is an allegation of violation against a Managing Board Member, the other Managing Board Members are competent to decide regarding the complaint.

27. Complaints

(a)  The Managing Board of the association shall, at all times, provide an easily accessible possibility on the website of the organisation where members can submit complaints that may arise during their membership. The possibility of doing so anonymously must be granted and respected.

(b)  Complaints may also be submitted by any member of the association orally to one of the Managing Board Members. Informal complaints submitted to an Association Council Member must be reported to the Managing Board as promptly as possible.

28. Handling of Complaints

(a)  The competent Managing Board at all times is obliged to handle complaints in a prompt manner. For written complaints, the Managing Board has a duty to provide a confirmation of receipt within 5 working days, outlining the procedure that is to follow.

(b)  A final decision shall be sent to the complainant within 30 working days, which may be extended by an additional 30 working days in cases where the investigation could not reasonably be expected to be finished within 30 working days.

(c)   The same timeline shall be followed in cases of oral complaints.

29. Initiation by the Managing Board

(a)  In case the Managing Board of the association themselves notice violations of the Code of Conduct by any of its members, they have the right to initiate proceedings against that given person.

(b)  Initiation by the Managing Board shall be carried out with respect to Art. 30 of the Code of Conduct and shall in all cases respect the right of response of the person against whom the allegations are raised.

30. Procedure

(a)  In any case of an allegation of violation of the Code of Conduct, the Managing Board at all times must inform the person concerned in the promptest manner possible, never more than 5 working days after the complaint has been received.

(b)  The concerned person must then be invited within 10 working days to an informal meeting to discuss the specific points of complaint as well as to allow the person concerned to respond to the allegations.

(c)   The final decision must be made in accordance with Art. 28(b), that is 30 working days, with the possibility of extending by a period of 30 working days in exceptional circumstances.

31. Breaches of the Code of Conduct

(a)  In cases where there is a violation of the Code of Conduct established, the Managing Board, in case of a first-time offence, must issue an official reprimand to the concerned person.

(b)  Recipients of an official reprimand may not be eligible for receiving a certificate of their work at the end of the year, at the discretion of the Managing Board.

(c)   In the case of a violation by a Member of the Managing Board, the rest of the Managing Board, after consulting the Advisory Board, may also issue an official reprimand to the concerned Managing Board Member.

32. Serious misconduct

(a)  In case of a serious misconduct, a grave violation or continuation of the violation after receiving an official reprimand, the Managing Board is competent to initiate further proceedings.

                    (i)        In the case of Active Members, serious misconduct must be interpreted as a violation of the following:

(1)  Art. 10 on Confidentiality and Privacy,

(2)  Art. 12 on Dispute resolution,

(3)  Art. 13 on Conflicts of interest.

                   (ii)        In the case of Association Council Members, serious misconduct must be interpreted as a violation of the paragraphs outlined in Art. 32(a)(i), as well as a violation of the following:

(1)  Art. 15 on Confidentiality,

(2)  Art. 18 on Reputation of ECA,

(3)  Art. 19 on Dispute Resolution.

                  (iii)        In the case of the Managing Board, violation of any of the previously outlined articles by Art. 32(a)(i-ii), as well as all the articles specific to the Managing Board Members stipulated in Chapter 7 must be considered as serious misconduct.

                  (iv)        Grave violation must be interpreted as an excessive violation of one of the articles not considered as serious misconduct to a degree that it produces a similar negative impact on the organisation as a serious misconduct

(b)  The further proceedings, after the investigation adhering to the timeframe outlined in Art. 30, may produce the following results:

                    (i)        In case of General Members, the Managing Board may decide, in exceptional circumstances, to terminate the membership by disqualification according to art. 7(d) of the Articles of Association,

                   (ii)        In case of Active Members, the Managing Board may decide to:

(1)  Restrict the competences of the Active Member,

(2)  Terminate their position as Active Member,

(3)  In exceptional circumstances, terminate their membership by disqualification according to Art. 7(d) of the Articles of Association.

                  (iii)        In case of Association Council Members, the Managing Board may decide to:

(1)  Restrict their competences as Association Council Member,

(2)  Terminate their position as Association Council Member,

(3)  In exceptional circumstances, terminate their membership by disqualification according to Art. 7(d) of the Articles of Association.

                  (iv)        In case of a Managing Board Member, the rest of the Managing Board may decide, after consultation with the Advisory Board to:

(1)  Restrict their competences as Managing Board Member,

(2)  Stripping their legal responsibilities,

(3)  Initiate a General Meeting of the Members to terminate their position as Managing Board Member.

(c)   The results of the further proceedings shall always be sent to the person concerned in writing, signed by all members of the Managing Board.