CHAPTER I: CREATION, NAME AND REGISTERED OFFICE OF THE ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE 1: CREATION AND NAME

1.1 An Association called Gambling Regulators European Forum, in abbreviated form (GREF), is hereby created.
1.2 The Association Gambling Regulators European Forum (hereinafter “the Association”) is formed without any time limit.
1.3. The Association shall be governed by these Statutes of Association.

ARTICLE 2: REGISTERED OFFICE

The registered office of the Association is located in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. It may be transferred to any other location as determined by the Board, which shall decide in accordance with the conditions set out in Article 10.

CHAPTER II: OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE 3: OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION

The objectives of the Association are:
3.1 To serve as a meeting place and exchanges of views between its Members on issues relating to gambling, in particular on regulation, supervision, control of operators, or on the gambling industry;
3.2 To represent the different views of European Gaming Regulators and also provide a central point of contact for enquiries directed at them from authorities or related organizations in Europe and elsewhere.
3.3 To encourage the study and research on issues and practices relating to the regulation of gambling and to share the results of such research among its Members;
3.4 To share information and work relating to the regulation of gambling.

CHAPTER III: MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE 4: DEFINITION OF MEMBERS

4.1 Members of the Association are limited to governmental authorities, institutions, or agencies, and more generally any governmental entity whose legally established task is to regulate gambling in the jurisdiction which has instituted them.

ARTICLE 5: ADMISSION OF MEMBERS AND LOSS OF MEMBERSHIP

5.1 The Board of the Association shall decide on the admission of a Member for the current financial year. Such admission shall be subject to approval by the next General Meeting.
5.2 The Board shall decide on the modalities of presentation and admission.
5.3 Membership shall be lost : – by withdrawal ; – by removal in the event of non-payment of membership fees for two consecutive years, as determined by the Board, or serious breach of the principles and values upheld by the Association ; – when a local organisation that the Member represents stops to exist.
5.4 A Member remains a Member when its organisation is being transformed as long as the new organisation has a legally established task to regulate gambling.
5.5 After hearing the Member, the Board may decide to expel the Member. This decision shall be submitted to the next General Meeting for approval.

CHAPTER IV: ORGANISATION AND FUNCTIONING

ARTICLE 6: DECISION-MAKING BODIES

The decision-making bodies of the Association are : – the General Meeting ; – the Board.

ARTICLE 7: THE GENERAL MEETING

7.1 The General Meeting is the supreme body of the Association. All Members of the Association, represented by their legal representatives, are part of the General Meeting. The legal representatives of Members can also mandate a delegate from their organisation.
7.2 It shall meet in ordinary and extraordinary sessions as required.
7.3 Only Members who are up to date with their membership fees at the time of the General Meeting shall vote. In case there are several Members for one country, there shall only be one vote per country.
7.4 A Member who cannot be present at a General Meeting may give a proxy to another Member present at the time of the vote. He/she shall inform the Chair of the General Meeting before the vote.
7.5 Meetings of the General Meeting may be held remotely, including by electronic means.

ARTICLE 8: CHAIRING OF THE GENERAL MEETING

The Chair of the Association (the Chair) shall preside over the General Meeting and direct its discussions. In his or her absence, the Vice-Chair of the Board shall replace the Chair. In absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair, the dean Board Member can chair the General Meeting.

ARTICLE 9: MEETINGS OF THE ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

9.1 The ordinary General Meeting shall be convened by the Chair at least once a year, by any means.
9.2 The General Meeting shall be a forum for debate, proposals and exchange of information on all subjects of common interest to its Members.
9.3 The quorum of the Ordinary General Meeting shall be reached if one half of the Members are present or represented.
9.4 Decisions and resolutions of the Ordinary General Meeting shall be adopted by an absolute majority of the votes cast.
9.5 All votes shall be by show of hands or, at the request of a Member, by secret ballot.
9.6 In order to be validly submitted to the deliberation of the General Meeting, a resolution must be presented by at least two Members. It shall be communicated to the Board at least thirty days before the General Meeting.
9.7 The Secretary of the Association shall send the documents submitted to the General Meeting to the Members at least fifteen days before the General Meeting.

ARTICLE 10: POWERS OF THE ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

The powers of the Ordinary General Meeting are :
10.1 To approve the agenda of the meeting and the minutes of the previous meeting;
10.2 To elect the Board Members;
10.3 To confirm the admission of new Members;
10.4 To confirm the removal of a Member;
10.5 To determine the scale of fees;
10.6 To decide on the location of the registered office acting on a proposal from the Board;
10.7 Where appropriate, to approve rules of procedure;
10.8 To establish committees and working groups as required;
10.9 To approve the activity report, the financial statements and accounts of the Association;
10.10 To issue appropriate public statements and announcements to further its objectives;
10.11 To take decisions generally on any subject not statutorily assigned to the competence of the Board or its Board Members.

ARTICLE 11: MEETINGS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

11.1 The Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at the request of the Chair of the Association, or when at least two third of the Members request it.
11.2 The quorum of the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be two third of the Members present or represented.
11.3 Decisions and resolutions of the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.

ARTICLE 12: POWERS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

The powers of the Extraordinary General Meeting are:
12.1 To amend the Statutes of the Association;
12.2 To decide on the dissolution of the Association, it being specified that in the event of dissolution, the assets of the Association shall be allocated to a charity or any other organisation pursuing the same aims and designated by the Extraordinary General Meeting.

ARTICLE 13: THE BOARD

13.1 The Board Members of the Association shall be elected by the General Meeting from among representatives from Members.
13.2 The Board shall comprise at least : – The Chair, – The Vice-Chair, – The Treasurer, – The Secretary.
13.3 The General Meeting may also decide to elect other Members of the Board, called “Ordinary Board Members”, whose number is not limited.
13.4 The Chair, the Vice-Chair and the “Ordinary Board Members” are elected for two years by the General Meeting. The Treasurer and the Secretary are elected for four years by the General Meeting. All Members, with the exception of the Chair and Vice-Chair are eligible for re-election. The Chair must wait for a term of two years before being eligible for re-election to a position on the Board. Board Membership ends when the person is no longer a representative of its local organisation.

ARTICLE 14: MEETINGS OF THE BOARD

14.1 The Board shall be convened by the Secretary at least once a year, by any means and as required, at the initiative of the Chair.
14.2 The Board shall validly deliberate by a simple majority when half of its Board Members are present. In the event of a tie, the Chair shall have the casting vote.
14.3 The Board shall freely determine the modalities and procedures for the adoption of its deliberations, including by electronic means or telephone if the Members of the Board cannot be physically present at the place of the meeting.
14.4 Minutes shall be kept of the proceedings under the responsibility of the Secretary.
14.5 Members of the Board carry out their duties without reimbursement from GREF for the work.

ARTICLE 15: POWERS OF THE BOARD

The Board shall:
15.1 Administer the property and affairs of the Association;
15.2 Ensure the implementation of the decisions and resolutions of the General Meeting;
15.3 Examine the applications for membership of new Members for the current year and submit them to the General Meeting for decision;
15.4 Prepare the activity and financial reports and submit them to the General Meeting for approval;
15.5 Schedule and organise the holding of General Meetings in cooperation with the host Member;
15.6 Appoint an interim replacement Member in case of withdrawal of one of its Board Members, until the next Ordinary General Meeting is convened;
15.7 Propose the location of the registered office.

ARTICLE 16: THE CHAIR

16.1 The Chair shall ensure the implementation of the decisions of the Board and the smooth running of the Association. The Chair of the Board also convenes the General Meeting and is therefore Chair of the Association.
16.2 He shall represent the Association in all civil acts.
16.3 He shall chair the General Meeting and the Board, subject to the exemptions established in articles 8 and 17.
16.4 He shall authorise expenditure and revenue.
16.5 He may, however, delegate his signature to the Secretary and the Treasurer for acts of day-to-day administration, in particular for expenditure and revenue not exceeding an amount defined in the delegation.

ARTICLE 17: THE VICE-CHAIR

In absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall perform the functions of the Chair.

ARTICLE 18: THE SECRETARY

18.1 The Secretary shall carry out the decisions entrusted to him/her by the Board and the Chair.
18.2 The Secretary shall prepare the meetings of the Board and the General Meeting and ensure the administrative management of the Association.
18.3 The Secretary shall be responsible for the storage of the Association’s documents and archives.
18.4 The Secretary shall assist the Chair in the preparation of the Association’s activity report.
18.5 This Article is not a limited summary. The Secretary may also assist in other tasks of the Board.

ARTICLE 19: THE TREASURER

19.1 The Treasurer shall keep the accounts of the Association in accordance with the directives of the Board. He shall propose the annual budget of the Association to the Board.
19.2 At the end of each financial year, the Treasurer shall assist the Chair in the preparation of the financial report of the Association.

CHAPTER V: RESOURCES OF THE ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE 20: RESOURCES

The resources of the Association are:
20.1 The basic fee payable by all Members, fixed by the General Meeting;
20.2 Additional subscriptions, manual donations and various resources, either in monetary values or in goods and services. Members of the Association carry out their duties without reimbursement from GREF for the work.

CHAPTER VI: MISCELLANEOUS AND FINAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 21: COMMUNICATIONS

Exchanges between the Members of the Association and voting may be carried out by any means, including electronic mail.

ARTICLE 22: ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE STATUTES

The Statutes shall come into force at the close of the Constitutive General Meeting of the Association on 7th December 2022.