Council

(i)         The Council is the sovereign body of the WPC and specifically reserves to itself responsibility for the following:

• Amendment of the Constitution
• Election of new member countries
• Selection of venues and approximate dates of Congresses and Regional Meetings
• Approval of Congress themes    
• Election of Officers and members of the Congress Programme Committee
• Appointment of the Director-General
• Approval of the Annual Budget, Annual Accounts and (once per cycle) a Medium Term   Financial Plan
• Appointment of auditors.

The Council shall also each year receive reports from the President, the Vice-President, Finance and the Director-General.

(ii)         Each member country shall be entitled to nominate up to three representatives to the Council. It is the responsibility of each National Committee to notify the Secretariat promptly of the identity and contact details of its representatives and of any changes to them. The Officers of the WPC shall be members of the Council but shall not vote unless exercising their country’s vote.

(iii)        The Council shall meet during or on the day immediately preceding each World Petroleum Congress at which meeting, in addition to other business, elections shall take place for Officers and the Congress Programme Committee for the next cycle (the Congress meeting). The Council shall also meet once in each year in which a Congress is not held (the annual meeting). The annual meeting may coincide with a WPC Regional Meeting (as outlined in Article 9) or a themed event. A special meeting of the Council shall be called by the President or if requisitioned by a simple majority of member countries represented on the Council.

At any meeting of the Council each member country shall have one vote. At any meeting of the Council the quorum shall consist of a simple majority of member countries. At meetings of the Council the following voting procedures shall apply;

(a)        Amendments to the Constitution shall require that two months notice in writing of the proposed amendments has been given by the Secretariat to all members of the Council and approval of three-quarters of the member countries represented and voting..

(b)        The election for Officers and for members of the Congress Programme Committee shall be conducted under the provisions set out in Articles 5 and 7 respectively of this Constitution.

(c)        All other decisions shall be made by an affirmative vote of a simple majority of member countries represented and voting.

(iv)        If a decision of the Council is required on any matter other than the amendment of the Constitution or the election of Officers and no meeting of the Council is scheduled within the next four months the President may authorise voting by mail or by electronic means.