Stanovy - CZ

Articles of Association
of the Society of the Friends of Greece

Article I.
Name, registered office and legal status

The Society of the Friends of Greece is a voluntary association of friends and admirers of Greece which has as its basic goal and mission to preserve and maintain the national awareness of the Greek Diaspora in the Czech Republic, and also to support all types of cultural and other projects aimed at mutual recognition and bringing both national cultures closer.
The registered office of the Society is in Prague.
The Society has been established pursuant to Act No. 83/1990 Coll., on the association of citizens, it is a legal entity and it is founded on the day when it is registered by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.
The Society has been established for an indefinite period of time.
Wherever conditions are favourable, to fulfil the goals of the activities of the Society, the Society can initiate the establishment of branches.

Article II.
Goals and Mission of the Society

The Society of Friends of Greece has as its basic goal and mission to deepen relations between the Czech Republic and Greece in all sectors of cultural life, art and history, both ancient and current.
In order to carry out the goals and mission stated in sub-paragraph 1), the Society of Friends of Greece in particular:
a) arranges for the release of mutual information among all its members on all the spheres of interest of the Society of the Friends of Greece;
b) organises and supports cultural and social events related to Greece held on the occasion of Greek state holidays, so called "Greek Days", and other cultural programmes, etc.;
c) organises exhibitions, including the sale of exhibits;
d) organises debates and meetings with celebrities from various walks of life who have a relationship with Greece, and with Greek celebrities whose attitudes support the goals and mission of the Society;
e) organises lectures and groups of lectures on Greece;
f) organises excursions to places related to cultural monuments and contemporary Greek art for its members;
g) as a part of its editorial activities it prepares the publication of professional and special-interest literature, the contents of which relates to Greece, this includes regularly informing its members of such publications;
h) it will open an information and cultural centre including a library
i) supports, as a part of its educational activities, courses in Modern Greek and Ancient Greek.
During the fulfilment of its goals, the Society of the Friends of Greece co-operates with the Society of Greek Communities, the foundation Filhelenia and other cultural and educational organisations, societies and special interest associations.

Article III.
Members, their rights and duties

Membership of the Society can be either individual or for a group.
Any legal or natural entity who professes agreement with the mission of the Society of the Friends of Greece, and is willing to participate in the development of the Society's operation, according to his abilities and capacity can become a member of the Society.
Membership of the Society commences after an application has been accepted and possibly a membership card of the Society of the Friends of Greece has been issued. The amount of the annual fees and the dates on which they become payable will be determined by the committee of the Society.
Members have the following rights and duties:
a) to elect and to be elected to the committee of the Society, and to delegate elected representatives to meetings of the committee of the Society;
b) to vote on the committee of the Society on all the issues on the agenda;
c) to be informed of the Society's activities;
d) to pay annual membership fees of the determined amount and on the set terms;
e) the right of free access to or the entitlement to a discount for selected events of the Society;
f) to actively carry out the goals and mission of the Society.
Membership in the Society ceases:
a) after the Society of the Friends of Greece becomes extinct;
b) as a result of a notice of disaffiliation given in writing by a member no later than one month in advance;
c) if a membership is cancelled as a result of a member's failure to fulfil his obligations or a material breach of the Articles of Association of the Society. The decision to cancel the membership is taken by the committee of the Society. A member can file an appeal against the cancellation of his membership within 15 days following the day on which he receives the notice thereof. Such an appeal does not have a delaying effect.

Article IV
Organs of the Society

The bodies of the Society are comprised of the General Assembly, the Committee, the Supervisory Board and the Executive.
The term of office of the elected representatives of the Society is two years. Representatives of the Society shall hold their positions after the expiry of their term of office, until new representatives of the Society are elected. If all the members of the Board of Directors of the Society resign on their own initiative or as a result of being recalled before the expiry of their term of office, or the number of members of the Committee falls below 3 or the number of members of the Committee is an even number, new elections will be held.
Minutes, including the resolutions adopted, shall be made of any collective meeting of the Society. If a member of the Society's representatives does not agree with an adopted resolution, he/she shall be entitled to have his proposal recorded in the minutes, however this does not release him from the duty of fulfilling the adopted resolution.
The supreme body of the Society is the Board of Directors which meets once a year. The Board of Directors is summoned by the Committee. All the members must be informed of the date on which the meeting of the Board of Directors will take place at least 10 days in advance.
The Board of Directors constitutes a quorum if at least one half of the delegates are present. If this condition is not complied with, another meeting of the Board of Directors will be held after half an hour which will be entitled to pass resolutions by a majority of the votes of the attending members, except in the case where a decision on the winding-up of the Society is under consideration. In this case the votes of more than one half of the delegates are required.
The powers of the General Assembly in particular include:
a) taking decisions on the fundamental issues of the Society and its key activities;
b) the election and recall of members of the Committee;
c) the election and recall of members of the Supervisory Board;
d) the approval of the report on the financial situation of the Society and the annual financial statements;
e) the approval of the report on the activities of the Society and the Supervisory Board;
f) making amendments to the Articles of Association;
g) taking decisions on the winding-up the Society;
h) taking decisions on all other issues.
A meeting of the General Assembly is presided over by the chairman of the Committee or another member appointed by the Committee.
The Committee is the supreme executive body of the Society. It consists of 3 - 5 members who are elected by the General Assembly, and it is responsible to the General Assembly. The Committee is entitled to pass resolutions if more than half of its members are present by an absolute majority of their votes. The committee elects the chairman and the deputy chairman from among its members. The Committee meets at least once every two months on the dates set in advance. The chairman or the deputy chairman (if the chairman is absent) is obliged to summon an extraordinary meeting of the Committee if he is asked to do so by more than one member of the Committee or by the Supervisory Board. All the members of the Committee must be invited to attend any meeting of the Committee. The Committee appoints the executive of the Society who is responsible for its operation. The statutory representatives of the Committee are the chairman and the deputy chairman who act in the interest of the Society in all acts in law and other acts.
The Supervisory Board is the body of the Society which is competent to supervise all its activities. It is composed of three members elected by the General Assembly. A member of the Committee may not be a member of the Supervisory Board at the same time. The Supervisory Board elects the chairman who manages all its activities and summons its meetings as appropriate but no less than twice per year from among its members. The Supervisory Board is entitled to pass resolutions if more than half of its members are present at a meeting by an absolute majority of their votes.
The Supervisory Board is entitled to inspect all the documents of the Society and to require the necessary information from the Committee, the executive and other members of the Committee. The Supervisory Board makes written comments on the reports of the Committee, and submits reports on its own activities to the General Assembly.

Article V.
Management of the Society

The financial resources of the Society consist of the following:
a) membership fees;
b) donations, subsidies, subventions, contributions
c) the revenues from the economic activities of the Society.
In order to carry out its activities, the Society of the Friends of Greece can establish commercial companies and carry out business activities according to the Trade Licensing Act. All matters concerning the establishment and winding-up of such companies are decided on by the Committee.

Article VI.
Interim and Final Provisions

Until a due and constituent General Assembly is summoned, the activities of the Society of the Friends of Greece are regulated and co-ordinated by a preparatory committee,
The Society may terminate its activities:
a) as a result of a decision taken by the General Assembly concerning the termination of the activities of the Society, its amalgamation with another entity and the change of its legal form;
b) by virtue of a legitimate decision of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic concerning the winding-up of a Society according to Act No. 83/1990 Coll.
If the Society is wound up, the method of its liquidation shall be decided upon by the General Assembly.
These Articles of Association becomes effective on the day when the Society of the Friends of Greece is registered by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.