Overeenkomst tot oprichting van het Europees Laboratorium voor Moleculaire Biologie

1. A European Molecular Biology Laboratory (hereinafter referred to as “the Laboratory”) is hereby established as an intergovernmental institution.
2. The Headquarters of the Laboratory shall be situated at Heidelberg in the Federal Republic of Germany.

1. The Laboratory shall promote co-operation among European States in fundamental research, in the development of advanced instrumentation and in advanced teaching in molecular biology as well as in other areas of research essentially related thereto, and to this end shall concentrate its activities on work not normally or easily carried out in national institutions. The results of the experimental and theoretical work of the Laboratory shall be published or otherwise made generally available.
2. In order to fulfil its purposes the Laboratory shall carry out a programme which provides for:
a. the application of molecular concepts and methods for the investigation of basic biological processes;
b. the development and use of necessary instrumentation and technology;
c. working accommodation and research facilities for visiting scientists;
d. advanced training and teaching.
3. The Laboratory may establish and operate the facilities necessary for its programme.
The Laboratory shall include:
a. the necessary equipment for use in the programme carried out by the Laboratory;
b. the necessary buildings to contain the equipment referred to in a above and for the administration of the Laboratory and the fulfilment of its other functions.
4. The Laboratory shall organise and sponsor international cooperation, to the fullest possible extent, in the fields and programme of activities defined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, and in harmony with the General Programme of EMBC. This co-operation shall include in particular the promotion of contacts between, and the interchange of, scientists and the dissemination of information. So far as is consistent with its aims the Laboratory shall also seek to co-operate, to the fullest possible extent, with research institutions by collaborating with and advising them. The Laboratory should avoid duplication of work carried out in the said institutions.

The States Parties to this Agreement shall be Member States of the Laboratory.

1. The Laboratory shall maintain close co-operation with EMBC.
2. The Laboratory may establish formal co-operation with non-Member States, national bodies in those States, international governmental or non-governmental organisations. The establishment, conditions and terms of such co-operation shall be defined by the Council, by unanimous vote of the Member States present and voting, in each case according to the circumstances.

1. The financial year of the Laboratory shall run from 1 January to 31 December.
2. The Director-General shall, not later than 1 October of each year, submit to the Council for consideration and approval a budget showing detailed estimates of the income and expenditure of the Laboratory for the following financial year.
3. The Laboratory shall be financed by:
a. the financial contributions of Member States;
b. any gifts contributed by Member States in addition to their financial contributions, unless the Council, by a two-thirds majority of Member States present and voting, decides that any such gift is inconsistent with the purposes of the Laboratory, and
c. any other resources, in particular gifts offered by private organisations or individuals, subject to their acceptance by approval of the Council given by a two-thirds majority of Member States present and voting.
4. The budget of the Laboratory shall be expressed in accounting units representing a weight of 0.88867088 grammes of fine gold.

The organs of the Laboratory are the Council and the Director-General.

1. De Raad bestaat uit alle Lid-Staten van het Laboratorium. Elke Lid-Staat wordt vertegenwoordigd door ten hoogste twee afgevaardigden, die door raadgevers kunnen worden vergezeld.
De Raad kiest een Voorzitter en twee Vice-Voorzitters die deze functie een jaar bekleden en niet meer dan twee achtereenvolgende malen mogen worden herkozen.
2. a. Staten die geen Partij zijn bij deze Overeenkomst mogen de zittingen van de Raad als waarnemer bijwonen op de volgende voorwaarden: i. de leden van de ECMB van rechtswege;
ii. de Staten die geen lid zijn van de ECBM, op grond van een besluit van de Raad genomen met eenparigheid van stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen,
i. de leden van de ECMB van rechtswege;
ii. de Staten die geen lid zijn van de ECBM, op grond van een besluit van de Raad genomen met eenparigheid van stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen,
b. De EMBO en andere waarnemers kunnen de zittingen van de Raad bijwonen overeenkomstig het Huishoudelijk Reglement dat de Raad krachtens het derde lid, letter j, van dit artikel vaststelt.
3. De Raad:
a. bepaalt het beleid van het Laboratorium op wetenschappelijk en technisch gebied en in beheersaangelegenheden, met name door het verstrekken van richtlijnen aan de Directeur-Generaal;
b. hecht zijn goedkeuring aan een globaal plan voor de uitvoering van het programma bedoeld in het tweede lid van artikel II van deze Overeenkomst en stelt de duur daarvan vast. Bij het goedkeuren van dit plan bepaalt de Raad, met eenparigheid van stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen, een minimum periode voor deelneming aan het genoemd programma, alsmede tot welk maximum bedrag gedurende dat tijdsbestek betalingsverplichtingen kunnen worden aangegaan of uitgaven kunnen worden gedaan. Deze periode en dit bedrag mogen nadien niet meer worden gewijzigd, tenzij de Raad met eenparigheid van stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen, daartoe besluit. Na het verstrijken van genoemde periode stelt de Raad op dezelfde wijze het maximum bedrag der kredieten vast voor een door de Raad te bepalen nieuwe periode;
c. hecht met een twee-derde meerderheid van stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen zijn goedkeuring aan de jaarlijkse begroting met dien verstande dat hetzij de bijdragen van die Lid-Staten niet minder dan twee-derde belopen van de totale bijdragen aan de begroting van het Laboratorium, hetzij de goedkeurende stemmen worden uitgebracht door alle aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen op één na;
d. hecht met een twee-derde meerderheid der stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen zijn goedkeuring aan de voorlopige raming der kosten voor de volgende twee jaar;
e. aanvaardt met een twee-derde meerderheid der stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen het Financiële Reglement voor het Laboratorium;
f. hecht zijn goedkeuring aan de door een accountant gecontroleerde jaarrekeningen en publiceert deze;
g. hecht zijn goedkeuring aan het door de Directeur-Generaal overgelegde jaarverslag;
h. beslist over de vereiste personeelssterkte;
i. stelt met een twee-derde meerderheid der stemmen van alle Lid-Staten het Personeelsstatuut vast;
j. beslist met een twee-derde meerderheid der stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen inzake de instelling van onderzoekgroepen en de totstandkoming van faciliteiten van het Laboratorium buiten zijn zetel;
k. stelt zijn Huishoudelijk Reglement vast;
l. heeft alle overige bevoegdheden en vericht alle overige taken die noodzakelijk zijn voor de verwezenlijking van de doeleinden van het Laboratorium als vervat in deze Overeenkomst.
4. De Raad kan het programma bedoeld in het tweede lid van artikel II van deze Overeenkomst wijzigen bij een met eenparigheid van stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen genomen besluit.
5. De Raad komt ten minste eenmaal per jaar in gewone zitting bijeen. Hij kan tevens in buitengewone zitting bijeenkomen. De zittingen worden gehouden in het Hoofdkwartier van het Laboratorium, tenzij de Raad anders beslist.
6. a. i. Elke Lid-Staat heeft in de Raad één stem.
ii. Staten die deze Overeenkomst hebben ondertekend, doch haar nog niet hebben bekrachtigd, aanvaard of goedgekeurd, kunnen zich voor een tijdvak van twee jaar te rekenen van het tijdstip van inwerkingtreding van deze Overeenkomst overeenkomstig het vierde lid, letter a, van artikel XV, op de zittingen van de Raad doen vertegenwoordigen en aan zijn werkzaamheden deelnemen zonder dat zij stemrecht hebben.
iii. Een Lid-Staat die achterstallig is met de betaling van zijn bijdragen heeft geen stemrecht in een zitting van de Raad waarin de Directeur-Generaal verklaart dat het bedrag van zijn achterstalligheid gelijk is aan of meer beloopt dan de bedragen van de door hem verschuldigde bijdragen voor de voorafgaande twee boekjaren.
i. Elke Lid-Staat heeft in de Raad één stem.
ii. Staten die deze Overeenkomst hebben ondertekend, doch haar nog niet hebben bekrachtigd, aanvaard of goedgekeurd, kunnen zich voor een tijdvak van twee jaar te rekenen van het tijdstip van inwerkingtreding van deze Overeenkomst overeenkomstig het vierde lid, letter a, van artikel XV, op de zittingen van de Raad doen vertegenwoordigen en aan zijn werkzaamheden deelnemen zonder dat zij stemrecht hebben.
iii. Een Lid-Staat die achterstallig is met de betaling van zijn bijdragen heeft geen stemrecht in een zitting van de Raad waarin de Directeur-Generaal verklaart dat het bedrag van zijn achterstalligheid gelijk is aan of meer beloopt dan de bedragen van de door hem verschuldigde bijdragen voor de voorafgaande twee boekjaren.
b. Tenzij in deze Overeenkomst anders wordt bepaald, worden de besluiten van de Raad genomen met een meerderheid der stemmen van de aanwezige Lid-Staten die hun stem uitbrengen.
c. Om op een zitting van de Raad een quorum te vormen is de aanwezigheid van afgevaardigden van de meerderheid van alle Lid-Staten noodzakelijk.
7. a. De Raad stelt, bij besluit genomen met een twee-derde meerderheid van stemmen van alle Lid-Staten, een Wetenschappelijke Adviescommissie, een Financiële Commissie en enig ander noodzakelijk gebleken ondergeschikt orgaan in,
b. Het besluit tot instelling van de Wetenschappelijke Adviescommissie omvat bepalingen betreffende het lidmaatschap, het rouleren van de leden en het mandaat van die Commissie overeenkomstig artikel VIII van deze Overeenkomst en bepaalt de voorwaarden waaronder haar leden hun functie vervullen.
c. Het besluit tot instelling van de Financiële Commissie of van andere ondergeschikte organen omvat bepalingen betreffende het lidmaatschap en het mandaat van deze organen.
d. Ondergeschikte organen stellen hun eigen huishoudelijk reglement vast.

1. a. The Council shall appoint, by a two-thirds majority of all the Member States, a Director-General for a defined period of time and may by the same majority dismiss him.
b. The Council may postpone the appointment of the Director-General for such a period as it considers necessary, on the occurrence of a subsequent vacancy. In this event it shall appoint a person to act in his stead, the person so appointed to have such powers and responsibilities as the Council may direct.
2. The Director-General shall be the chief executive officer and the legal representative of the Laboratory.
3. a. The Director-General shall present to the Council: i the draft indicative scheme referred to in paragraph 3, b.of Article VI of this Agreement;
ii. the budget and provisional estimate provided for in subparagraphs c. and d. of paragraph 3 of Article VI of this Agreement;
iii. the audited annual accounts and the annual report called for in sub-paragraphs f. and g. of paragraph 3 of Article VI of this Agreement.
i the draft indicative scheme referred to in paragraph 3, b.of Article VI of this Agreement;
ii. the budget and provisional estimate provided for in subparagraphs c. and d. of paragraph 3 of Article VI of this Agreement;
iii. the audited annual accounts and the annual report called for in sub-paragraphs f. and g. of paragraph 3 of Article VI of this Agreement.
b. The Director-General shall transmit to EMBC for consideration the annual report approved by the Council in accordance with paragraph 3, g. of Article VI of this Agreement.
4. The Director-General shall be assisted by such scientific, technical, administrative and clerical staff as may be authorised by the Council.
5. The Director-General shall appoint and dismiss the staff. The Council shall approve the appointment and dismissal of the senior staff as that category is defined in the Staff Rules. Any appointment and its termination shall be in accordance with the Staff Rules. Any persons, not members of the staff, who are invited to work at the Laboratory shall be subject to the authority of the Director-General and to such general conditions as may be approved by the Council.
6. Each Member State shall respect the exclusively international character of the responsibilities of the Director-General and the staff in regard to the Laboratory. In the discharge of their duties they shall neither seek nor receive instructions from any Member State or any government or other authority external to the Laboratory.

1. The Scientific Advisory Committee established in accordance with paragraph 7 of Article VI of this Agreement shall give advice to the Council, in particular with regard to proposals from the Director-General on the realisation of the programme of the Laboratory.
2. The Committee shall be composed of distinguished scientists appointed in their own right, not as representatives of Member States. Membership of the Committee should be drawn from scientists in a wide range of relevant fields of science in order to cover as far as possible both the field of molecular biology and other appropriate scientific disciplines. The Director-General shall, after due consultations with, in particular, the Council of EMBO and appropriate national institutions, propose to the Council a list of candidates which the Council shall take into account in appointing the members of the Committee.

1. Each Member State shall contribute annually to the capital expenditure and to the current operating expenses of the Laboratory an aggregate amount of convertible funds in accordance with a scale which shall be fixed every three years by the Council by a two-thirds majority of all the Member States, and shall be based on the average net national income at factor cost of each Member State for the three latest preceding calendar years for which statistics are available.
2. The Council may decide, by a two-thirds majority of all the Member States, to take into account any special circumstances of a Member State and adjust its contribution accordingly. In applying this provision the term “special circumstances” shall include, in particular, a situation in which the per capita national income of a Member State is less than an amount which the Council shall fix by a two-thirds majority, or one by which any Member State is required to contribute more than thirty per cent of the aggregate amount of contributions assessed by the Council in accordance with the scale referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.
3. a. States which become Parties to this Agreement after the thirty-first of December following its entry into force, shall make a special contribution towards the capital expenditure of the Laboratory already incurred, in addition to contributing to future capital expenditure and current operating expenses. The amount of this special contribution shall be fixed by the Council by a two-thirds majority of all Member States.
b. All contributions made in accordance with the provisions of sub-paragraph a of this paragraph shall be applied in reducing the contributions of the other Member States unless otherwise decided by the Council by a two-thirds majority of all Member States.
4. If, after this Agreement has entered into force, a State becomes or ceases to be a Party thereto, the scale of contributions referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be modified. The new scale shall take effect as from the beginning of the financial year following.
5. The Director-General shall notify Member States of the amounts of their annual contributions and, in agreement with the Finance Committee, of the dates on which payments shall be made.
6. The Director-General shall keep an accurate account of all receipts and disbursements.
7. The Council shall appoint auditors to examine the accounts of the Laboratory. The auditors shall submit a report on the annual accounts to the Council.
8. The Director-General shall furnish the auditors with such information and help as they may require to carry out their duties.

The Laboratory shall have legal personality. It shall in particular have the capacity to contract, to acquire and dispose of movable and immovable property and to institute legal proceedings. The State in which the Laboratory is situated shall conclude with the Laboratory a headquarters agreement, to be approved by the Council by a two-thirds majority of the votes of all the Member States, relating to the status of the Laboratory and such privileges and immunities of the Laboratory and its staff which are necessary for the fulfilment of its objectives and for the exercise of its functions.

Any dispute between two or more Member States concerning the interpretation or application of this Agreement which is not settled through the good offices of the Council shall be submitted, at the request of any party to the dispute, to the International Court of Justice, unless the Member States concerned agree on another mode of settlement within three months from the date on which the President of the Council states that the dispute cannot be settled through the good offices of the Council.

1. A proposal by any Member State to amend this Agreement shall be placed on the agenda of the ordinary session of the Council which immediately follows the deposit of the proposal with the Director-General. Such a proposal may also be the object of an extraordinary session.
2. Any amendment to this Agreement shall require unanimous acceptance by the Member States. They shall notify their acceptance in writing to the Government of Switzerland.
3. Amendments shall come into force thirty days after the deposit of the last written notification of acceptance.

The Laboratory shall be dissolved if at any time there are less than three Member States. Subject to any agreement which may be made between Member States at the time of dissolution, the State in which the Laboratory's Headquarters are located shall be responsible for the liquidation. Except where otherwise decided by the Member States, the surplus shall be distributed among those States which are Members of the Laboratory at the time of the dissolution in proportion to all payments made by them. In the event of a deficit, this shall be met by the said Member States in the same proportions as those in which their contributions have been assessed for the current financial year.

1. This Agreement shall be open for signature by the State Members of EMBC until the date of its entry into force in accordance with paragraph 4, a of this Article.
2. This Agreement shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. The appropriate instruments shall be deposited with the Government of Switzerland.
3. a. Any State Member of EMBC not a signatory to this Agreement may accede at any later time.
b. If the Agreement establishing EMBC terminates this shall not preclude a State, formerly party to it or in respect of which a decision has been taken under paragraph 2 of Article III of that Agreement to permit that State to accede to it, from acceding to the present Agreement.
c. The instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Government of Switzerland.
4. a. This Agreement shall enter into force when ratified, accepted or approved by the majority of States mentioned in the Preamble to this Agreement, including the State in which the Laboratory's Headquarters are located, and on condition that the total contributions of these States represent at least seventy per cent of the total of contributions shown in the scale annexed to this Agreement.
b. After this Agreement enters into force as provided in paragraph 4, a of this Article, it shall, as regards any signatory State subsequently ratifying, accepting or approving the Agreement, come into force on the date on which such signatory State's instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval is deposited.
c. For any acceding State this Agreement shall come into force on the date of deposit of its instrument of accession.
d. i. This Agreement shall initially remain in force for a period of seven years. Thereafter it shall remain in force for an indefinite period unless the Council, not later than one year before the expiry of the seven year period, by a two-thirds majority of all the Member States provided the contributions of such Member States constitute not less than two-thirds of the total contributions to the Laboratory budget, decides to prolong this Agreement for a specific period or to terminate it.
ii. Termination of the Agreement establishing EMBC shall not affect the validity of this Agreement.
i. This Agreement shall initially remain in force for a period of seven years. Thereafter it shall remain in force for an indefinite period unless the Council, not later than one year before the expiry of the seven year period, by a two-thirds majority of all the Member States provided the contributions of such Member States constitute not less than two-thirds of the total contributions to the Laboratory budget, decides to prolong this Agreement for a specific period or to terminate it.
ii. Termination of the Agreement establishing EMBC shall not affect the validity of this Agreement.

1. After this Agreement has been in force for six years, a State Party to the Agreement may, subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, b of Article VI of this Agreement denounce it by giving notification to that effect to the Government of Switzerland. Such denunciation shall take effect at the end of the following financial year.
2. If a Member State fails to fulfil its obligations under this Agreement, it may be deprived of its membership by decision of the Council taken by a majority of two-thirds of all the Member States. Such decision shall be notified to signatory and acceding States by the Director-General.

1. The Government of Switzerland shall notify signatory and acceding States of:
a. all signatures;
b. the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;
c. the entry into force of this Agreement;
d. all written acceptances of amendments notified under paragraph 3 of Article XIII of this Agreement;
e. the entry into force of any amendment;
f. any denunciation of this Agreement.
2. The Government of Switzerland shall, upon entry into force of this Agreement, register it with the Secretariat of the United Nations in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

1. For the period from the entry into force of this Agreement to 31 December following, the Council shall make budgetary arrangements and expenditure shall be covered by assessments upon Member States established in accordance with the following two paragraphs.
2. States Parties to this Agreement upon its coming into force, and States which may become parties up to 31 December following, shall together bear the whole of the expenditure foreseen in the budgetary arrangements which the Council may adopt in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article.
3. The assessments upon States covered by paragraph 2 of this Article shall be established on a provisional basis according to the need and in conformity with paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article X of this Agreement. On the expiry of the period indicated in paragraph 1 of this Article a definitive sharing of costs as between these States shall be effected on the basis of actual expenditures. Any excess payment by a State, over and above its definitive share as thus established shall be placed to its credit.