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Final Agenda andMinutes for the EFAS General Assembly,
Tenerife, Hotel Semiramis, Room Islas Canarias
Tuesday, 23rd June 2009 at 6.00p.m.

AGENDA

1. Welcome from Chair (Holgers)

2. Attendance
Voting representatives (14 present): Atas (Turkey), Attias (Israel), Barajas (Spain),
Dauman (France), Dillier (Switzerland), Kentala (Finland), Luxon (U.K.), Marn (Croatia),
Mikic (Serbia), Pace Balzan (Malta), Stephan (Austria), Sulkowski (Poland), Verschuure
(Netherlands), Tavartkiladze (Russia).
Non-voting representatives and observers (18 present): Angulo (Spain), Davies
(U.K.), Geczy (Slovenia), Grandori (Italy), Hoppe (Germany), Kiss (Hungary), Kollmeier
(Germany), Kompis (Switzerland), Laukli (Norway), Raglan (U.K.), Salesa (Spain),
Serbetcioglu (Turkey), Skarzynski (Poland), Sliwinska-Kowalska (Poland), Uhlen (Sweden),
Vainutiene (Lithuania), Wouters (Belgium), Zenker (Spain).
Apologies: Farkas (Hungary), Kiessling (Germany), Martini (Italy), Pitt (Ireland),
Uloziene (Lithuania), Vik (Norway).

3. Minutes of GA in Goteborg, (June 2008)
Correction of Item 6, para. 4. The word ‘Association’ should read ‘Federation’.

4. Chairman’s Report on: Activities/Education in Audiology (Holgers)
In these past 2 years EFAS had launched scholarships for students/young scientists attending
and presenting at its Congresses and worked on co-ordinating education in Audiology in
Europe. EFAS was also hoping to have a ‘Code of ethics’ implemented, if the document
circulated was approved by the Committee of Representatives. The federation also expected
to become more involved with the ‘Hearcom Project’. The Council had also proposed to
produce a ‘roadmap’ for arranging EFAS Congresses which would be circulated among the
membership so that they could give their input to this document before it was finalized.
There had been increasing collaboration with ISA and Holgers had also been involved with
the ISA executive committee.

5. Treasurer’s report/ HearCom-supporting the initiative (Dillier)
Dillier presented the Treasurer’s Report. The balance had increased since he had taken over
from Spillman in 2007 (from approx. 27,000 Euros to almost 36, 000 Euros) and the sources
of income and expenditure were outlined for the delegates. He also outlined possible ways in
which EFAS could use the money in its account in the coming years. Dillier asked for
comments from the Auditors and Sulkowski remarked that he was satisfied with the report.
Holgers explained how the idea of sponsoring exchange programmes mentioned by Dillier as
a way of making use the money in the EFAS account had been suggested at the recent
Council meeting (Tenerife, June 21st). Raglan welcomed this initiative and asked whether it
was formulated as a proposal that could be presented to the national societies. Attias replied
that the idea of the council was to suggest this initiative at the ongoing GA and (should it be
found acceptable) eventually set up a designated Committee. Holgers added that members
who were interested in forming part of this Committee should inform the Secretary.
Dillier spoke about the Hearing in the Communication Society (HearCom) Project, and the
HearCom Internet Portal. The Executive Project Manager (Marcel Vlaming) also talked
about the cost of maintaining the Hearcom Project and invited EFAS to become one of the
partners committed to maintain this European Project going. To become a full partner of the
HearCom Internet Portal Association (HIPA) EFAS would need to contribute 1,000 Euros a
year. Kollmeier said that the Board responsible for maintaining the Hearcom Portal is
composed of persons coming from the different Partner Institutions and that
input/comments/contributions to the contents of the Portal from Member Societies of EFAS
was to be encouraged.
The delegates present voted in favour of sponsoring and becoming a full partner of HIPA for
one year. It was decided that the GA would vote with regards to contributing to the
maintenance of the HearCom Project year by year.

6. Secretary’s report/ Vote regarding code of ethics (Pace Balzan)
EFAS is represented in 34 European Countries and there have not been any new countries
joining EFAS in the past 2 years. The secretariat was failing to contact the country
representatives from Iceland, Latvia and Ukraine.
EFAS is a member of the European Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
and the representative of the Federation at their next General Assembly will be the incoming
Chairman of EFAS (Luxon). Both Luxon and Holgers had been nominated by the Council to
sit on the advisory board for the new European Board Exam in Otolaryngology.
The EFAS website (www.efas.ws ) now features a link to the website of the 10th EFAS
Congress which will be held in Warsaw in 2011 (www.efas2011.org).
The delegates present were asked to make any comments/suggestions about the ‘Code of Ethics’ document that had been circulated prior to the meeting in Tenerife, and then invited
to take a vote regarding the publication this document.
Grandori proposed a change in the wording; the term ‘members’ could be more appropriately
replaced by the words ‘members of Member Societies’.
Kollmeier remarked that EFAS could not impose a change in the code of ethics of its
member societies, but that member societies could themselves decide to adopt the EFAS
code of ethics. Holgers added that EFAS might say that the code was a ‘recommendation’ for
member societies. Dillier suggested posting the document on the website anyway, so that the
National Societies could make use of it if they wanted to.
The majority of the delegates voted in favour of posting the ‘Code of Ethics’ document on
the EFAS website.

7. EFAS scholarship 2009 (Attias)
Attias explained the process that had been undertaken to award the 2 EFAS scholarships,
since the idea originated at the EFAS GA in Heidelberg 2 years previously. The recipients of
the scholarships were then called. Both Limor Lavie (Israel) and Tatiana Golubok-Abyzova
(Ukraine) spoke briefly and thereafter received certificates in acknowledgment for their
contribution to the Scientific Programme of the Congress.

8. Report on Tenerife Congress (Barajas )
The Congress had been attended by 376 delegates, including the 2 scholarship winners and 9 students. Barajas also spoke of the structure of the scientific programme, the sponsors of the meeting and the exhibitors.

9. Report on Warsaw 2011 Congress progress (Skarzynski)
Skarzynski gave a video presentation about the venue and the topics for the scientific
programme of the 10th EFAS Congress in Warsaw. The congress fees for students will be
very much reduced (50 Euros).

10. Nominations and voting for next EFAS Congress in 2013.
3 countries presented bids for the organization of the 11th EFAS in 2013:
- Turkey (Istanbul), presented by Atas
- Hungary (Budapest), presented by Kiss
- U.K. (London), presented by Luxon
The result of the ballot was 8 votes for Budapest, 7 votes for London and 5 votes for
Istanbul, therefore Budapest was chosen as the venue for EFAS Congress in 2013.

11. Nomination Committee Report and Council Elections
The Secretary and Treasurer had accepted to retain their office for a further 2 years.
Thus there was one vacant position in the Council; that of Vice-Chairman. No written report
was available from the nomination committee. However, the nomination committee had
identified one candidate, who had agreed to be proposed for the position of Vice-Chairman:
Erna Kentala from Finland.
Kentala was invited to introduce herself to the Assembly.
After Kentala had given a brief resumé of her career and interests, the Chairman asked if
there were any other suggestions and if the GA could proceed in voting. Hands were raised
to vote for the candidate for vice-president, but Kollmeier halted proceedings and called for
a secret ballot. Dauman then intervened and explained that, as a founder member of EFAS,
he was not satisfied with the nomination process and felt that the Nominations Committee was not functioning effectively. He was concerned that one candidate for the position of
Vice-Chairman did not give the GA sufficient choice. The incoming President, Luxon then
spoke warmly of Professor Kentala’s outstanding academic career and attributes and also
emphasised the need to adhere to EFAS bylaws even if mistakes had been made by the
Nomination Committee. Dauman maintained his position and offered himself as a second
candidate for the position of Vice-chairman, but the GA did not accept this offer.
The President suggested that the Board should remain unchanged for a further term but this
too was not accepted by the GA.
As an immediate remedy, Attias suggested that a new Nomination Committee should be
formed before the Committee of Representatives voted anyone to the position of Vice
Chairman. He suggested a Committee made up of previous Chairmen of EFAS. Stephan (on
behalf of the Nomination Committee) accepted to resign.
After considerable discussion, the GA decided not to vote for a Vice President at the present
General Assembly. The GA decided that the Vice Chairman position should remain vacant.
Attias, Verschuure, Dauman and Holgers were elected by the GA to form the Nomination
Committee.
The new established Nomination Committee will circulate the names of candidates for the
office of Vice Chairman by September 2009 and that a postal ballot would be held by
October 2009.

12. Discussion of Proposed changes in EFAS bylaws on §4 in order to open up for nonvoting members to become elected to EFAS council (Holgers).
At present: §4. COMMITTEE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Committee of Representatives shall consist of the Voting Representatives from all member nations of EFAS.
§5. COUNCIL
The council shall consist of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Past Chairman, the Secretary and the Treasurer, elected from the members of the Committee of Representatives.
Suggested change to §4. COMMITTEE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Committee of Representatives shall consist of the Voting and Non-Voting Representatives from all member nations of EFAS. Each country has one vote in the Committee of Representatives. No country can have more than one member elected to the council.

Holgers asked the country representatives to look at these suggested amendments in the
EFAS by-laws so that they could vote regarding these changes in the next GA in 2010.

13. Any other business
There was no time for discussion of other issues. The meeting was called to an abrupt end
because it had taken much longer than expected, and transport was waiting for the delegates.

14. Handover of Duties of Presidency
At the gala dinner that same evening Holgers thanked the members of the Council and the
Committee of Representatives for all the support they had given her during her two year term
as Chairman of EFAS. She also thanked the Past Chairman, Joseph Attias for his
contribution in the Council. She then invited the new Chairman of EFAS to take the stage.

14. Vote of thanks to retiring Council members and Close of meeting
Luxon thanked Holgers for her work and commitment to EFAS. She also thanked all the
delegates for their support to the organization and expressed her desire to continue the good work done so far, particularly in the field of Education in Audiology.