5. Council
5.1. The Council of FEPS shall be the governing body and the legal trustee of all property of FEPS.
5.2. The duty of the Council is to set the policy and to supervise the affairs of FEPS. The Council shall have all judicial and executive functions.
5.3. Each constituent society shall nominate one Delegate to the Council. The term of a Delegate shall be four years, she/he may be renominated for one more term. Each Delegate to the Council has one vote.
5.4. Each associate society shall nominate one Observer to the Council. The Observer has no vote at the Council.
5.5. The members of the Executive Board of FEPS shall be, ex officio, full members of the Council with the right to vote.
5.6. Among the specific duties of the Council shall be:
5.6.1. to elect member societies and corporate members of FEPS
5.6.2. to elect the members of the Executive Board of FEPS
5.6.3. to elect the Nominating Committee
5.6.4. to ratify the action of the Executive Board
5.6.5. to vote on changes in the statutes and regulations as recommended by the Executive Board.
5.7. The Council may appoint committees for specific purposes, e.g. meetings, publications, exchange and educational programmes.
5.8. There shall be one regular meeting of the Council annually. Additional meetings, called special meetings, may be convened at the recommendation of at least one half of the members of the Executive Board or of at least one third of the total number of constituent societies. The written invitation to attend the Council meeting is issued by the Secretary General six weeks before the date of the meeting at the latest; the respective agenda is enclosed in the invitation.
5.9. Except where explicitly stated otherwise in these statutes, any matter to be decided by the Council shall be decided by a simple majority vote of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council. An official ballot by mail shall circulated only upon approval by the majority of the Executive Board and shall only be binding if two-thirds of the Council members respond and two-thirds of the respondents register approval of the ballot in question.
5.10. Each Council meeting is minuted. The minutes are to be signed by the chairperson of the meeting and the Secretary General.