Under the name of European Liver Transplant Association (ELTA), an association was founded in 1993 in Rhodes, as an official section of the European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT), which is currently legally constituted and incorporated under the law of the NETHERLANDS. On October 18th 2005 the name of the association ELTA was changed to “European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association” (ELITA).

The purpose of the Association is to promote the following amongst persons involved in the practice and organization of Liver and/or Intestine Transplantation:

• Research concerning liver and intestine transplantation both basic, translational and clinical, including facilitation of randomized clinical trials and prospective high quality cohorts.
• Writing of recommendations and clinical practical guidelines in the field of liver and intestine transplantation.
• Education of medically and nursing qualified trainees and specialists, biomedical and other scientists, as well as other healthcare professionals in the field of transplantation.
• Education and awareness in the public regarding liver and intestine transplantation.
• Advisory role to pan-European and national health bodies and authorities, as well as organ procurement agencies, concerning liver and intestine transplantation in all its aspects, including research funding.
• Maintenance and scientific trusteeship of the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR).
• Attendance of trainees in transplantation at its meetings.
• Facilitation of scientific exchange between transplant centres and members of the association.
• Promotion of ELITA as the official representative body, delegated by ESOT, for liver and intestine transplantation in Europe.

The bodies of the Association are:

1. The Assembly of ELITA.
2. The Board of ELITA, comprised of the Chair, Secretary, Secretary-elect, Treasurer, General Manager of the ELTR, Past Chair and 6 Board Members.

1. Assembly

The ELITA Assembly is held at the ESOT Congress (currently every 2 years). Any ELITA/ESOT member may attend the ELITA Assembly. The agenda will be set by the Board. Members can add to the agenda following requests in writing to the Chair or the Secretary up to one month in advance of the Assembly. A report by the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and General Manager of the ELTR will be given at the Assembly. Ratification of officer appointments takes place at the Assembly.

2. Board

2.1 Functions

The ELITA Board leads the Section, designs and implements ELITA activities and projects (including educational and training activities), creates and maintains ELITA’s communication tools and represents professionals in the field.

The Board may create working groups which will report on their activities to the Board. The ELITA Board through its Chair reports to, and represents ELITA at, the ESOT Council. In the absence of the Chair, the Secretary (or, in their absence, another Board member nominated by the Chair) will represent ELITA at the ESOT Council.

2.2 Composition

The Board is comprised of:

The Chair is responsible for chairing Board meetings and coordinating other aspects of the Association as determined by the ELITA Board. They must conduct the affairs of the Association respecting the present Regulations and the majority view of the Board as well as that of the ELITA Assembly. They must share information with the ELITA Board. The Chair is elected by the Board for a 2-year mandate. The Chair stays on the Board as Past Chair for two years after the end of their mandate.

The Secretary draws the agenda of all meetings of the Board and the ELITA Assembly, organizes meetings of the Board and of the ELITA Assembly, and issues written reports and other statements on behalf of ELITA. Duties also include the registration of documents and the drawing of contacts with other societies and organizations, as directed by the Chair and the Board. The Secretary also acts as vice-Chair and thus replaces the Chair in all 2 functions and responsibilities in the absence of the Chair, unless other prior delegation has been given to other Board members. The Secretary is elected by the Board for a 2-year mandate, at the end of which they take on the Chair’s duties after formal approval of their future plan for ELITA by the majority of Board members; the Secretary accepts appointment in this position on such basis and thereby commits to the role. If the Secretary cannot take up the position of Chair as intended, the Board will elect a Chair among its members.

The Secretary-elect assists the Secretary in their duties and is elected by the Board for a 2- year mandate, at the end of which they take on the Secretary’s duties after formal approval of the majority of Board members; the Secretary-elect accepts appointment in this position on such basis and thereby commits to the role. If the Secretary-elect cannot take up the position of Secretary as intended, the Board will elect a Secretary among its members.

The Treasurer is the signatory alone, or with other Board members, for the Association’s bank account, registered in the name of ESOT with a designated subsidiary account. They supervise the collection of money both through ESOT and from other parties, including that from ELITA affiliation fees, and distribute money on behalf of the Association. They maintain a log of expenditures and out-goings and prepare annual accounts and a balance sheet, and liaise with the ESOT Treasurer. They present accounts yearly or at any other time at the request of the Board or of the ESOT Treasurer on behalf of ESOT. The Treasurer is elected by the Board for a 4-year mandate.

The Past Chair serves on the Board for two years with an advisory role (no vote).

Six non-officer Board members, elected for a 4-year mandate. They can be re-elected for one further term.

The General Manager of the ELTR has day to day operational control and supervises the associated staff. They are appointed by the Board for a 4-year mandate with possible extension for 4 additional years after-re-election (see section V).

A representative of the Young Professionals in Transplantation (YPT) Board, nominated by the YPT Committee, regularly attends Board meetings in an advisory role (no vote) to ensure that the future generation of liver transplant professionals has a voice in the ELITA Board. The YPT representative supports the Board’s effort to nurture emerging professionals in the field and may contribute to the development of educational and scientific initiatives.

The Board may appoint additional liaison persons to support collaborations with sister societies. These liaisons may join the Board on specific occasions or on a regular basis depending on the terms of their appointment and shall do so without voting rights.

2.3 Board Elections

Only ELITA affiliates in good standing are eligible to become ELITA Board members. In order to facilitate the election process, affiliates will be provided with a description of the positions open for candidacy. Candidates must present letters of support by two members of ELITA as well as any additional materials required by the call for nominations. Elections are held by secret ballot, online, every two years.

Board members are elected by ELITA affiliates in good standing; Board member positions are renewed every four years. Officer positions (Chair, Secretary, Secretary-elect, Treasurer) are elected by the Board amongst Board members as stated in point 2.2. Election of Board members and officers is ratified at the ELITA Assembly.

In order to ensure continuity within the Board, no more than 50% of the Board should be renewed at any given time. If a situation arises in which more than 50% of the Board members are up for re-election the Governing Board can extend the term of one member for another 2 years.

Upon resignation or death of an officer, the Board elects an interim officer amongst its members who will serve until the end of the original mandate. The interim term will not count towards the total length of the mandate as stipulated above. Upon resignation or death of a non-officer Board member, a new call for nominations will be issued to elect a new Board member.

The ELITA Board strives to balance its representation with respect to different professions and specialties (e.g. hepatologists and surgeons) and encourages participation by members of traditionally underrepresented groups. In order to ensure a balanced representation and thus to best serve ELITA affiliates, the Board reserves the right to launch specific calls for nominations when a Board seat becomes available.

2.4 Board meetings

The ELITA Board will schedule regular meetings and conference calls throughout the year. The Board is entitled to the financial resources and office support necessary to organize one to two full day face-to-face board meeting(s) per year, in compliance with ESOT reimbursement guidelines.

When appropriate, the Board may schedule conference call throughout the year with the support of the ESOT team. The agenda is set by the Secretary and is open to the contributions of all Board members.

A majority of members of the Board (six) constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Any action required or permitted at any meeting of the Board may be taken without a meeting providing the majority of members, having all been informed to the issues by e-mail, communicate by e-mail their agreement to the proposed action(s) under consideration.

Notice of Board meetings shall be communicated by e-mail at least 2 weeks before the proposed date. The Chair or any 3 Board members may convene special meetings at such times and such manner and locations as the Chair and/or Board members consider necessary or desirable.

2.5 Secretarial Support

Administrative support for ELITA and for the coordination of Section meetings, conference calls, and activities is provided by the ESOT Team.

The ELITA Board establishes the following working groups within the Board: Scientific Working Group, Educational Working Group, Practical Guidelines Working Group, and Membership & Communication Working Group. Additional working groups can be established if necessary at the discretion of the Board.

Working Groups are led by the members of the Board and participation in their activities is open to any ELITA member.

The ELITA Scientific Working Group is responsible for improving ELTR data including the update of the variables; approving proposals for studies; setting up and updating publication rules; drafting position papers; and approving publications from ELTR and endorsement of educational activities requested by other societies.

The ELITA Education Working Group is in charge of coordinating scientific meetings, monothematic conferences and courses organized exclusively or jointly by ELITA. The ELITA courses currently  include the Basic Course in Liver Transplantation, Hepatologist in Liver Transplant Program and Split  Course.

The ELITA Practical Guidelines Working Group is responsible for Selecting topics and Supervising the preparation of the practical clinical guidelines (PCG). Release of ELITA PCG every other year is recommended, with pre-selection of topics 3 years ahead of publication. Organization of consensus meetings/ monothematic conferences as preparatory meetings to PCG is encouraged. Considering the new role of the ESOT Transplant Learning Journey (TLJ) as a consensus platform, the Practical Guidelines working group shall liaise with TLJ organizers and ESOT Guidelines Task Force to foster collaborations, monitor ongoing projects, and avoid duplication of work.

The ELITA Membership & Communication Working Group is responsible for attracting new ELITA members, advertising ELITA and its activities at other meetings and on social media.

The ELITA Board has the custodianship and is the scientific governing board of the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR). The Board regulates use of the data from the ELTR.

ELTR is managed by the ELTR Governing Board, consisting of 6 members: General Manager, General Manager-elect, ELTR database manager, the ELITA Treasurer, an elected member from ELITA Board, and a member of the ESOT Executive Council.

The Board appoints the General Manager of the ELTR who is ex officio a member of the ELITA Board.  The General Manager has day to day operational control and supervises the associated staff. This appointment is for a period of 4 years with possible extension for another 4 years after-re-election.

The General Manager is responsible for data collection, for maintaining the database and for data protection. They will issue reports every 6 months to all ELITA affiliates. Other publications using ELTR  data must have prior approval of the ELITA Board.

The General Manager-elect is elected by the Board after an official call for nominations open to all  ELITA affiliates. They are appointed for 4 years with possible prolongation for another 4 years after re-election.

The ELTR Governing Board reports to the ESOT Executive Council on ELTR activities both half-yearly and yearly, within 2 months after the respective period.

The financial responsibility of the ELTR is that of ELITA and consequently that of ESOT.

The Association will hold a scientific meeting at the ESOT Congress every 2 years, with the organization of the meeting to follow the ESOT bylaws. The Board and its representative at the ESOT Council will be responsible for and ensure appropriate representation of liver- and intestine-related topics in the program.

The structure and content of the annual scientific ELITA meeting and other scientific, consensus and educational meetings, concerning liver and intestine transplantation will be defined by the ELITA Board. The Board will also organize meetings and courses on behalf of, and in co-operation with ESOT.

ELITA is a non-profit organization. Its income is derived from the membership fees, funds, donations, and various activities related to is objectives including unrestricted educational grants from the bio medical industry. The Association has no commercial purpose, has no remuneration for its officers or members, and does not intend to make a profit. It will seek independently both funding and sponsorship for its various activities consonant with the objectives outlined in article 2.

The official Journal of the Association is Transplant International, which is the Journal of ESOT.

The common activities of the Association are undertaken with this approved set of working rules and regulations. These can be changed by a two-thirds majority in a vote by ELITA Members, which must include at least two thirds of the membership. Postal ballots or other means of balloting are at the discretion of the governing Board.

These articles were adopted by the ELITA Board on September 30, 2022. These were then unanimously approved at the ELITA Assembly in Athens on 17 September 2023.