Statutes of the European Society of Tattoo and Pigment Research (ESTP)

 

Version 2: 2024

Our statutes as of 2024 can be downloaded here

1. Name and place of business

(A) The name of the association is the EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF TATTOO AND PIGMENT RESEARCH (hereinafter for convenience referred to as ESTP or the ”Society”).

(B) The principal place of business of the Society shall be Copenhagen, Denmark.

(C) ESTP was inaugurated 13th November 2013 in Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen by the plenum of the announced inaugural meeting. The original Statutes decided by the plenum are the paper version printed as appendix 1 to the congress book of the 1st European Congress on Tattoo and Pigment Research.

(D) The official language of the Society shall be English, and the Society is governed by the present version in English of the Statutes, prevailing over any translations into other languages, which are for information only.

 

2. Objectives of the Society

(A) The scope of the Society includes decorative, cosmetic, and medical tattooing (hereinafter for convenience referred to as tattoo).

(B) To advance new and original medical, chemical, physical, toxicological, psychological, anthropological, social and other fields of academic research on tattoos in man including any aspect of pigment research, the production and use of inks, machines for application and auxiliaries. In addition, any aspect of tattooing practices relative to Authorities’ regulation of the tattoo business and tattooing related utilities in Europe and worldwide. Tattoo removal is also addressed by the Society.

The foremost aim is to contribute to safe tattooing and safeguard tattoo customers and the tattoo practitioners by supporting good tattooing practices through research and guidance involving the relevant stakeholders.

The fulfilment of the objective shall be shared in cooperation with researchers and practitioners in any country or region of the world irrespective the historical territory of operations of the Society is Europe and the national states of this region.

(C) To deliver independent expert advice to public institutions and other parties who may request so. Moreover, Board-nominated academic experts, who in the name of the Society and under reference to the Society, may serve in European, national, international, and other expert groups or panels.

(D) To educate the medical community and any group of tattoo industry professionals in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of adverse events, known risks and unforeseen hazards associated with tattoos and tattooing; furthermore, to advance early medical diagnosis and efficient treatment of complications of tattooing and tattoos. Education also includes public education on modern media and education of tattooists and their customers in potential risks of tattoo inks and the procedure of tattooing as a whole.

(E) To advance, nationally and across national borders, the manufacturing, distribution and sales of safer or safe tattoo ink products as well as other colouring products made for the permanent decoration of skin. These objectives also include the advancement of safer or safe ingredients, auxiliaries and other constituents of products such as preservatives as well as ensuring that tattoo ink products are without microbial contaminants ex-factory and bare least possible risk of infection of the person being tattooed.

(F) To act as advocate of persons or patients who developed or potentially may develop complications or adverse reactions through tattooing. This advocacy accounts the general population as well as individual persons or groups under risk.

(G) To develop and support research projects, guidelines and publications of any kind and at any medium in advance of the objectives of the Society. The Society may affiliate with media including modern media and established peer-review research journals.

(H) To employ such persons and retain the services of such persons, companies, or corporations as are necessary to give effect to the object of the Society.

(I) To carry out such other lawful activities as may be incidental to or conductive to the attainments of the objectives of the Society.

 

3. Non-profit making

The Society shall be a non-profit making organization. The society shall be independent of commercial and political interests.

 

Membership

(A) Application for Membership must be in writing and sent to the General Secretary, the President or Administrator in accordance with Article 18(G) who in case of doubt shall consult the Board.

(B) All applicants must agree to comply with the rules relating to Membership according to the Statutes or any other decided policy.

(C) The first 6 calendar months’ Membership is a qualifying period. During such qualifying period, Members are not entitled to vote and to stand for any elections.

(D) The number of Members shall be unlimited. However, it cannot be less than three at any time.

Categories of Membership

The Members of the Society shall be

(A) Ordinary Members

Any person on any continent being in good standing can be an Ordinary Member of the Society.

This category of Members is open to such eligible persons who accept the principles and the purpose of the ESTP and who are accepted by according to Article 4.

Ordinary Members shall be entitled to vote but are not eligible to the Board.

(B) Specialist Members

This category of Membership is independent of the country of origin of the applicant and open to:

  1. Physicians who in their country are specialists in dermatology, in plastic- and reconstructive surgery or authorized in laser surgery.
  2. Scientists holding a PhD degree or the equivalent in the mentioned clinical specialtiesand/or subjects related to the biology of the skin such as basic and advanced biology, chemistry, and physiology; furthermore, physics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, epidemiology etc.; persons with documented merits in research within the scope of the Society (Article 2).
  3. Persons with a university degree and outstanding or remarkable personal merits, backgrounds or contributions within the field of tattoo pigments, techniques and technologies who are qualified on their own grounds. This includes specialists from technical sciences and operations and persons employed in product development in the industry or employed in public institutions. Persons of high competence not being formal academics can be specialist Members on individual decision by the Board after assessment of the applicant’s curriculum and merits, integrity, and independence of economic interests.

Specialist Members shall be entitled to vote and are eligible to be elected to the Board.

(C) Junior Members

This category of Membership is open to clinicians or scientists in fields within the scope of the Society activities (Article 2). Junior Members shall pay a reduced fee. Age limit is 35 years or younger.

Junior Members shall be entitled to vote but cannot be elected to the Board.

(D) Supporting Members

Supporting Members includes:

  1. Regulatory bodies and public institutions independent of country and region.
  2. Corporate companies, tattooist’s organizations, organizations representing manufacturers and distributors of tattoo inks and colorants.
  3. Consumer and patient interest groups.
  4. Research societies in the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry, technical sciences and other fields relevant to the ESTP objectives (Article 2).
  5. Foundations and any other party of good will supporting the Society.

Supporting Members shall not be entitled to vote and are not eligible to be elected Members of the Board or as Officers of the Society.

 

Supporting Members may according to Board decision be granted a reduced Supporting Membership fee, if the member is a non-profit organization, society or similar.

 

(E) Honorary Members

Honorary Membership may be granted to distinguished persons who have performed meritorious research or services to the Society in fulfilment of the objectives of the Society.

Honorary Members shall pay no subscription to the Society. Honorary Members shall be entitled to vote but cannot be elected to the Board.

(F) Advisors to the Board

All Members are eligible to be elected to the Board as Advisors (see Article 15).

 

Suspension of Membership

Annual Membership fees must be credited to the Society for each calendar year by 31st of May. Members whose fee payment is not credited to the Society are excluded from all rights of Membership and from benefits. Members whose fee payment is credited to the Society after 31st of May are again entitled to benefits from voting and standing for election from 1st of January of the following year.

 

Termination of Membership

A person shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Society with immediate effect upon the happening of any of the following events:

Upon death.

Upon resignation in writing to the Society.

Upon expulsion pursuant to Statute 8 hereof.

Upon ceasing to qualify for one of the categories of Membership of the Society pursuant to Article 5.

Expulsion from Membership

(A) The Board, having received a complaint in writing against a Member, may expel such Member from the Society during an ordinary or extraordinary Meeting. Therefore, two thirds of the Members by voting in secret ballot shall deem such Member to be an unfit or unsuitable Member of the Society by reason or on account of his/her failure to observe any of the Statutes of the Society or failure of being in good standing.

(B) Such Members shall be given not less than fourteen days’ clear notice of such a meeting and shall be entitled to be present at the noticed Board meeting in person and/or represented by their legal advisors and to a hearing at any such meeting.

(C) Subject to the approval of not less than two thirds of the Members of the Board voting at the meeting, a sanction less severe than expulsion (includes suspension from Membership for a period as may be thought fit) may be imposed.

 

Membership fees

(A) The Membership fee for all categories of Membership shall be determined by the Board from time to time and shall be paid at the beginning of each calendar year in a single payment credited to the Society by 31st of May. The Board may grant a reduction in the Membership fee in exceptional cases. If the Membership fee is not timely, credited suspension of Membership is affected according to Article 6.

(B) It is at any time the obligation of Members irrespective of category of Membership to keep the Society informed about their present electronic and postal address. Members carry the responsibility for loss of opportunity to fulfil any rights they have as Members of the Society if Members cannot be approached via the electronic mail address they have reported to the Society.

Donations

Donations from any party can be received by the Society combined with or independent of Membership, without or with adherence to a specific project. All donations must be reviewed by the Board and will be communicated transparently to the Members at the General Meeting. The Board can refuse donations for any given reasons, e.g. if the independent acting, legal or public standing of the Society could be endangered by such action.

 

General Meeting

(A) The Society shall in each one, two or three years hold an ordinary General Meeting open for all Members in addition to any other meeting in that year and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices convening it. Not more than thirty-six months shall elapse between the date of one General Meeting of the Society and the date of the next.

(B) The General Meeting of the Society shall be held at such a time and at such a place as the Board shall appoint.

(C) All General Meetings other than the formal ordinary General Meeting shall be called Extraordinary General Meetings.

(D) An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened under circumstances outlined in Article 13 or on receipt of a requisition in writing clearly outlining the purpose of the Extraordinary General Meeting from half (fifty per cent) of the Board or one fifth (1/5) of the Members of the Society.

Notice of General Meetings

Not less than six weeks’ notice shall be given all Members of all General Meetings except in the case of emergency when the Board may convene an Extraordinary General Meeting on giving not less than fourteen days’ notice. The notice shall specify the place, day, hour and agenda of the meeting. In the case of special business details and the general nature of that business shall be provided along with the agenda. If new Board Members are to be selected information on these shall be send to Members according to Article 15.

 

Proceeding at General Meetings

The President of the Society shall preside at every General Meeting of the Society with all appropriate powers and privileges. If the President is unable to attend, the General Secretary shall preside. If neither of them is able to attend, the President shall nominate a Board Member of the Society to preside in their absence.

The ordinary General Meeting shall be in person but allow streaming for digital participation, if decided by the President or the person presiding the Meeting.

(A) The ordinary business of the General Meeting is as follows:

The introduction of new candidates for Board Membership and election, if applicable.

The presentation of any proposed changes to these Statutes and approval, if applicable.

The consideration of the reports of each of the leading Officers of the Society (see Article 18) for the previous period. Reports include Society budget and economy.

The consideration of the Society's plans for the following year(s); coming events and activities of the Society with economic forecast.

The consideration of any issue raised by Members from the floor outside the announced agenda of the General Meeting.

The General Meeting can modify a proposal under influence of the discussion.

Voting on affairs outside the formal agenda as decided by the presiding person is the plenum’s informal advice and non-binding to the Board or the Society.

(B) Voting on simple affairs: Proposals on the agenda requiring voting shall be executed at the General meeting by ESTP members having the right to vote at the time. The members present at the General meeting fulfil the quorum in such matters. Decision is by simple majority.

(C) Voting on core affairs of the Society: Election of new Board Members, Expulsion from Membership and changes of these Statutes shall seek votes of the majority of the ESTP members having the right to vote at the time. If the members present at the General Meeting (both in person and electronically) decide the number of voting Members insufficient for voting on one or multiple core affairs, voting shall be carried out digital and/or by letter with a minimum of two weeks’ time for response. In case of extraordinary conditions or force majeure an Extraordinary General Meeting can be held on President’s decision for final voting. A simple majority of the votes casted shall finally approve or reject the proposal with either option. In case of voting on core affairs, announcements for potential online and/or letter may already be included in the agenda of the General Meeting as a matter of precaution.

 

(D) Voting for proposals modified at the General Meeting can only take place according to (B) or (C) in this article. If the voting will be postponed to after the General Meeting, the original and the modified proposal will be circulated with the minutes of the meeting.

 

(E) No motion, objection or resolution of the Members shall be passed at any General Meeting unless the subject of such motion or resolution is noted presented to the Board or Administrator (see Article 18) at least 4 weeks before a General Meeting to give enough time for circulation as an addendum to the agenda of the General Meeting to Members. Other deadlines may apply additionally (see Article 13(F)).

(F) Any Officer of the Society may be removed from office and/or Board by means of a resolution passed by the Members at any General Meeting. It is a prerequisite that the President has given the relevant Officer of the Society not less than fourteen days’ clear notice of the fact that such a resolution shall be voted upon at the relevant General Meeting. In addition, the relevant Officer of the Society is given the opportunity to address the Members present at the relevant General Meeting before such Members take any vote in accordance to Article 13(B,C). In case the resolution is addressing the President, the obligations should fall to the General Secretary instead. A Member shall not at any time vote on any matter relating to a contract, proposed contract or legal proceedings between the Society and himself/herself or his/her spouse, civil partner or any of his/her ancestors or descendants in a direct line.

(G) The President or the nominated replacement will have a casting vote as presiding officer of the General Meeting.

Votes of Members

(A) Eligibility to vote:

Every Ordinary, Specialist, Junior and Honorary Member in good standing has one vote.

(B) Exclusion from voting:

No Member shall be entitled to vote at any General Meeting unless his / her current annual Membership fees and other sums payable by him/her to the Society shall have been paid in full by 31st of May as specified in Article 6.

(C) Validity of votes:

No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meetings at which the vote objected to is given or tendered. Every vote not disallowed at such General Meeting shall be valid for all purposes exercised at such General Meeting. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the President of the General Meeting whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

(D) Procedure of voting:

See Article 13(B) and (C) and related of these Statutes.

(E) Administration of elections:

A Board nominated Board Member having no personal interest in the outcome of the election shall administer elections with the advice, assistance or supervision of another Board Member, an ad hoc Election Committee or a Society-independent election monitor as decided by the Board from time to time. Elections performed by electronic medium or letter are administered likewise.

(F) The President or a nominated replacement will have a casting vote as presiding officer of the General Meeting, Extraordinary Meeting or other types of voting.

 

Board Members

The Society shall be administered by the Board, which shall be composed of Specialist Members of the Society elected as follows:

The Board comprises up to 25 voting Members and is voted on by the General Meeting.

Board Members shall whenever applicably represent the geography of Europe namely the Central, Nordic, Southern, Eastern and Western regions; likewise, the different geographical continents shall be represented if possible.

On the proposal of the Board, the General Meeting can nominate Honorary or other Members as Advisors to the Board for two to six years according to Article 13(B) with a simple majority. Advisors shall contribute with their personal expertise or represent organizations or bodies the Society cooperates with, Article 5; they shall contribute to the fulfilment of the ideal objectives of the Society. Advisors have no vote and need not to be Members of the Society. The Board decides the term of function of Advisors.

Elections to the Board

(A) Candidates for Board election

Only Specialist Members and Honorary Members are, according to Article 5, entitled to stand for election to the Board. All candidates going forward for election must be approved by the Board. All candidates must be in good standing and agree to adhere to good code of conduct in the fulfilment of the ideal aims of the Society and complete the Conflict-of-Interest statement of the Society. Failure to do so invalidates the candidature. Candidates for election to the Board shall expose:

- their curriculum vitae

- present their past and future merits relative to the Society

- past collaborations with Members of the Board or Society or other potential conflicts of interest (such as financial relations to tattoo/PMU companies or similar in a related field of ESTP operation)

- picture (voluntary)

to the Board before approval in due time.

If approved, the same information shall be presented to the Members of the Society with the Agenda for the General or Extraordinary Meeting at least six weeks in advance.

(B) The Board Members are elected for a period of six years and may be re-elected.

(C) The Members of the Society can exceptionally and in the interest of the Society decide to re-elect a Board Member beyond two terms, the subsequent terms being 3 or 6 years.

(D) Advisors proposed by the Board and their term of function shall be accepted by the General Meeting by a simple majority of votes among the Members being present at the meeting according to Article 13(B).

(E) Advisors and Members of the Board may resign from office at their own request before the end of their term of office.

European countries

The European Countries determining the core geography and activity of the Society shall be the countries recognized as being within the geographic boundaries of Europe defined by the European Union Member states together with any other European Country situated at least partly within the geographic boundaries of Europe as accepted as an eligible European Country by the Board of the Society.

Election of leading Officers and the powers, duties, and procedures of the Board

(C) The President or his/her nominee is the presiding officer at all meetings of the Board.

(A) The day-to-day management of the Society is undertaken by the leading Officers elected by the Board.

The Board shall elect the following as the leading Officers of the Society (hereinafter for convenience referred to as "Officers"), being:

The President

The General Secretary or Vice-President if so preferred

The Treasurer

These elections shall be conducted by secret ballot of the Members of the Board if one Board Member request it so to be done. At least two out of three of the leading officers elected as President, General Secretary and Treasurer of the Society shall be of European nationality (see Article No. 18).

(B) The business and management of the Society shall be subject to the approval of the Board, which shall exercise all such powers of the Society, which are not by these Statutes required to be exercised by the General Meeting. No direction given by the Society in the General Meeting shall retroactively invalidate any prior valid act of the Board.

The Board may from time to time and accordant with the Statutes make bylaws or describe procedures for proper running and management of the Society. These should be communicated to the Members when decided.

(C) The Board shall meet as often as the interests of the Society so require but at least once per annum. Board meetings can be arranged as in person meetings, which may be connected to a congress or another major event or by electronic medium. The Board meetings shall be convened in the following manners:

At the direction of the President

At the direction of at least 50% of Members of the Board

(D) No business shall be transacted by the Board unless at least half the Members of the Board are heard.

(E) Unless expressly stated differently in these Statutes, all decisions or resolutions of the Board shall be passed by the majority of votes cast. If an equal number of votes are cast for and against any resolution, the President or his nominated replacement shall have the casting vote.

(F) The minutes of the Board meetings shall be entered into a minute book or electronic library along with minutes of General Meetings. The Board Members who attended the meeting shall agree minutes are a valid record of the meeting. The book of minutes is a legal file that shall be kept under safe conditions at any time; it shall be accessible to the leading Officers and the Board Members at any time upon request. The book of minutes shall include a chronological list of elections by the General Meeting and by the Board. The Board shall nominate a Board Member or Administrator (Article 18(G)) responsible for minutes, their approval and filing, and the maintenance of the mentioned library.

(G) The Board may appoint an Administrator to assist in the day-by-day management of the activities of the Society. The Administrator attends the meetings of the Board in an advisory role unless specifically requested not to attend by the President, or a majority of the Board Members.

(H) Electronic consultation and voting are acceptable procedures for all Board meetings and activities under the direction of the President.

(I) A Board Member will be suspended or dismissed from office if suspended or dismissed from Membership.

 

Accounts, economy, and Membership fee

At the end of each financial year the Treasurer, supported by the President and with the advice and guidance of the Societies’ Administrator/Accountant, shall draw up the annual accounts for the expiring year and the budget for the following year. This is considered by the Board and ensure that the accounts of the Society are submitted timely to authorities as law may request. The annual report to the Board shall include budgets of upcoming congresses, events and projects with significant positive or negative influence on the economy of the Society. Membership fees shall be revisited from time to time and subject to change as the Board may decide. Annual reports of the Board and budgets shall be similarly stored to other Society papers described in Article 18(F) and accessible to all Board Members at any time upon request.

Duration of office

(A) The duration of office for the President, the General Secretary and the Treasurer of the Society is 6 years.

(B) The General Meeting may dismiss Officers of the Society from their Board position at any time if this is on the agenda of the meeting; the Officer of the Society in question has been given notice and has an opportunity to present their case, and the majority of Members voting support the dismissal.

(C) In the event of death, severe illness or incapacity of the President, the General Secretary shall take over the function of the President. If this is required for longer than a 6-month period, then the office officially transfers to the new President. The Board shall confirm the new President and/or General Secretary at the next Ordinary or Extraordinary Board Meeting.

Amendments to Statutes

The Board may propose changes to the Statutes. Such proposals shall be presented to the General Meeting for decision. Voting takes place in accordance with Article 13.

A copy of every proposed amendment to the Statutes which is to be laid before the General Meeting of the Society shall not less than six weeks before the date of the General Meeting be sent (together with all necessary accompanying documentation) to each Member of the Society electronically and/or published via the ESTP website. Voting of the Society on changes or amendments to the Statutes shall proceed if Members with voting rights cannot be contacted. Changes of and amendments to the Statutes may either be accepted or rejected at the General Meeting but may not be altered or amended from the floor of the General Meeting. In case of rejection, a second round of voting by voting Members on an amended version of the proposal can be carried out. The amended version shall be sent not less than six weeks before the date of voting (together with all necessary accompanying documentation) to each Member of the Society electronically and/or published via the ESTP website.

Members of the Society can at any time propose changes and amendments of the Statutes for the consideration of the Board and the General Meeting.

Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of the Society, the Members of the Society will be notified of the General Meeting convened for that purpose and be sent voting papers with this agenda item and shall, if necessary, appoint liquidators, determine their powers and decide on the destination of the assets of the dissolved Society, following discharge of its liabilities

 

Statutes, approval, and legal status

These 2nd Statutes of the Society were approved by electronical voting in 2024 followed by an Extraordinary General Assembly in September 2024. The Statutes are effective from the date of confirmative approval. The decided Statutes supersede the statutes of 2013 that had not been amended.

The Statutes shall be published on the website of the Society and announced to the Members of the Society through personal mailing according to the Society address file.