Article 1
Name, Head Office and Business Operations of the Association
(1) The Association is named “AACC:
Alps-Adriatic Centre for Cross-border Co-operation”.
(2) The head office of the Association is in Klagenfurt,
and it operates throughout Austria and abroad. If necessary,
branch offices can be founded in other states of the federation.
Article 2
Purpose of the Association
(1) The work of the association is non-profitable.
(2) Purpose of the Association: To promote cross-border
and friendly neighbourhood co-operation in Europe.
Article 3
Instruments to Implement the Policies of the Association
(1) The purpose of the Association will be achieved by
performing the following activities:
- Minorities in Central and Eastern Europe (primarily problems
of juridical settlement of inter-ethnic relations in reference
to the growth of the EU and to preserve peace in Central
and Eastern Europe).
- Interstate co-operation and economic development (economic
co-operation at the state and international level, with
the slogan “Benefit from Diversity“)
- Education and behaviour to strengthen and improve international
co-operation.
- Analysis and development of cross-border co-operation
with the aid of advanced IT applications.
- General questions concerning EU growth towards the East,
as well as know-how transfer and support to candidate states
in the Alps-Adriatic region.
(2) The organisational instruments of the Association are:
- The foundation of an interstate network among public-juridical
establishments
- Research (monitoring, forming and managing the Centre
to exchange experiences)
- Processing and provision of EU projects
- Advising politicians (consulting)
- Organising lectures, seminars, discussions and excursions
- Producing scientific publications
- Performing market analysis
- Documentation
- Planning educational courses
- Exchanging technical know-how
(3) To achieve the purpose of the Association financial
funds are necessary which are to be collected in following
ways:
- Membership
- Subsidies and presents
- Income from projects and events
- Proceeds from collections
- Sale of own publications
- Legacies, inheritances and other sources of income
(4) In order to achieve the goals of the Association, it
is authorised to form capital and private trading companies,
to participate in such companies or to manage companies
within the framework of its goals.
Article 4
Membership
The members of the Association are:
- regular members who are active in the Association,
- associate members who support the Association mainly by
paying a higher membership fee,
- supporting members can be natural persons and legal entities,
especially communities and other public establishments that
support the activities of the Association by paying a higher
membership fee and provide substantial support, and
- honorary members who are accepted by the Assembly of the
Association due to their exceptional merits.
Article 5
Acquisition of Members
- The members of the Association can all be natural persons
and legal entities.
- The Executive Board makes decisions concerning the acceptance
of regular, associate and supporting members. Acceptance
can be denied with no explanation. Honorary members are
inaugurated by the Assembly following a proposal from the
Executive Board.
Article 6
Termination of Membership
(1) Membership terminates with death, and for legal entities
with the loss of the status of the subject, voluntary withdrawal
or deletion.
(2) Voluntary withdrawal is always possible; whoever wants
to withdraw must announce this in writing to the Executive
Board. This does not cancel obligations towards the Association
until the moment of withdrawal.
(3) Members who have delayed paying their membership fee
for more than one year can be cancelled from the membership
list after being reminded three times without success. The
obligation to pay the due membership fee, however, remains.
(4) The Executive Board is allowed to exclude a member from
the Association if obligations according to the Rules are
seriously violated or if acting towards the Association
in a damaging way. Within two weeks after receipt of the
written decision on exclusion a member has the right to
make a claim against exclusion to the Assembly.
(5) Due to the reasons quoted in Article 4, the Assembly
is also allowed to cancel honorary membership following
a proposal by the Executive Board.
Article 7
Rights and Obligations of Members
(1) All members of the Association have the right to participate
in the Assembly and to put forward proposals. However, the
right to make decisions as well as active and passive voting
rights are reserved only for honorary and regular members.
(2) During the Assemblies members have the right to be informed
by the Executive Board about the activities and financial
affairs of the Association. If requested with an explanation
by one tenth of the members, the Executive Board is obligated
to inform each of these members in writing also outside
the Assembly within 4 weeks after the written request has
been made.
(3) Members are obliged to support the interests of the
Association to the best of their ability and to withdraw
from all action that could endanger the reputation and work
of the Association. They must respect the rules of the Association
and the decisions of its bodies. They are also obliged to
pay the enrolment and membership fee, as specified by the
Assembly. Honorary members are exempt from paying the membership
fee and taxes.
Article 8
The Assembly
(1) The regular Assembly is convened every fourth year.
(2) An extraordinary Assembly is convened on the basis of
the Executive Board or a decision by the Assembly, a written
demand by at least one third of the members or at the request
of the auditors. In all the mentioned cases the Assembly
must be convened at the latest within two months after giving
notice in writing to the Executive Board.
(3) Invitations in writing for a regular or extraordinary
Assembly must be sent to all members at the latest two weeks
before the Assembly is held. The invitation must specify
the place, time and agenda of the Assembly. The Assembly
is convened by the Executive Board.
(4) The proposals for the Assembly’s agenda should be submitted
to the Executive Board at least one week before the Assembly.
(5) Valid decisions except the one concerning the convening
of an extraordinary Assembly are permitted only regarding
the points of the agenda.
(6) All members can participate in the Assembly. The voting
right is regulated according to Article 7 of the Rules.
Each member has one vote with a voting right. The transfer
of a voting right to another member is allowed when authorised
in writing, but each member can represent only two other
members. Legal entities are represented by an authorised
proxy. The Assembly, which is convened in accordance with
the Rules, constitutes a quorum irrespective of the number
of members with a voting right present.
(7) At the Assembly the decisions are accepted, as a rule,
with an ordinary majority of votes; in case of an equal
number of votes, the vote of the president is decisive.
In case of a change in regulations or the dissolution of
the Association, a qualified majority of three thirds of
valid votes is required.
(8) The Assembly is chaired by the president. If the president
is held up, the Assembly is chaired by a member of the Executive
Board who is appointed by the president.
Article 9
Tasks of the Assembly
The following rights are reserved for the Assembly:
- Acceptance and confirmation of the annual and final balance
sheet.
- Election and dismissal of the members of the Executive
Board and the auditors.
- Fixing the amount of the enrolment and membership fee.
- Making decisions on changes to the Rules and the dissolution
of the Association.
- Consulting and making decisions on all matters on the
agenda.
Article 10
Executive Board
(1) The Executive Board consists of a minimum:
- President (male of female)
- Assistant for financial affairs (male or female)
- General secretary (male or female)
These members of the Executive Board are elected at the
founding Assembly.
The Assembly is permitted to enlarge the Executive Board.
The members of the Executive Board who are elected by the
Assembly after its foundation are in hereinafter named as
the Enlarged Executive Board.
(2) The mandate of the Enlarged Executive Board lasts four
years. In every case it lasts until the election of the
new Enlarged Executive Board. Members of the Executive Board
can be re-elected.
(3) The Executive Board has the right to select another
member. However, this member has no voting right.
(4) The Executive Board is summoned by the president or
the general secretary in a written or oral form.
(5) The Executive Board forms a quorum if all the members
were invited and at least five members are present.
(6) The Executive Board makes decisions with an ordinary
majority. In the case of an equal number of votes, the vote
of the president is decisive.
(7) The president chairs the Executive Board. If he/she
is held up, then the general secretary does so. If also
he/she is held up, the Executive Board is chaired by a member
appointed by the president.
(8) The function of the members of the Enlarged Executive
Board terminates with death, expiration of the mandate,
dismissal or resignation.
(9) The Assembly is allowed to dismiss individual members
of the Enlarged Executive Board during the mandate due to
behaviour that harms the Association.
(10) Members of the Executive Board can resign by presenting
their resignation in writing at any time. The written resignation
should be addressed to the Executive Board or to the Assembly
in case the whole Executive Board resigns. The dismissal
of the Executive Board is valid only after a new one has
been elected.
Article 11
Range of Activities of the Executive Board
(1) The Executive Board manages the Association. It performs
all the tasks that are not delegated by the Rules to some
other body of the Association.
(2) The Association performs the following tasks as part
of its activities:
- Making budget proposals and producing the annual and
final balance sheet.
- Drafting the annual plan and reporting of activities.
- Organising and convening regular and extraordinary assemblies.
- Managing the property of the Association.
- Accepting, cancelling and dismissing members.
- Accepting and dismissing employees of the Association.
(3) The Executive Board is allowed to name a managing director.
He/she performs the tasks described by the Executive Board
in the Rules of procedure.
(4) The Executive Board makes decisions on the formation
of companies and participation in those companies and asserts
its partnership rights, primarily the voting right in companies
in which the Association participates. The Executive Board
makes decisions on the implementation of the voting right
in companies in which the Association participates with
an ordinary majority of votes.
Article 12
Specific Tasks of Individual Members of the Association
(1) The Association is presented to the public by the president
(male or female), or vice-president (male or female) if
elected by the Assembly and general secretary.
(2) The president (male or female) runs the current affairs
of the Association. He/she chairs the Assembly and the meetings
of the Executive Board. If there is the danger of delay,
the president (male or female) is allowed to make decisions
according to his/her judgement also regarding affairs that
belong to the range of activities of the Assembly or Executive
Board. The decisions must subsequently be confirmed by the
competent body of the Association.
Article 13
Auditors
(1) The Assembly selects two auditors for the mandate of
the Executive Board, whose re-election is permissible.
(2) The auditors control the running of affairs and the
balance sheet. They report to the Assembly on the results
of the audit.
(3) Regarding the other points, it makes sense that the
provisions in sections 2, 8, 9 and 10 of Article 10 apply
to the auditors.
Article 14
Arbitration
(1) In all disputes deriving from relations in the Association
arbitration is decisive.
(2) The arbitration board consists of three members. It
is formed in such way that each party in the dispute proposes
one regular member to the Executive Board as arbiter within
two weeks. Both arbiters agree to the third arbiter being
the president of the arbitration board. If they cannot agree,
lots are drawn.
(3) The arbitration board makes decisions in the presence
of all members with an ordinary majority. It makes decisions
according to its best knowledge and conscience. Its decisions
are final within the Association.
Article 15
Dissolution of the Association
(1) Voluntary dissolution of the Association can be decided
by three founding members of the Association or by an extraordinary
Assembly which is convened for this reason, with the majority
of the votes as specified in Article 7, Section 8 of the
Rules.
(2) The last Executive Board must announce voluntary dismissal
- in written form to the authority, and
- report the dissolution in the magazine which publishes
official news.
(3) In case of voluntary dissolution or if the purpose
of the Association is omitted, the available property can
in no case belong to members of the Association. The last
Executive Board of the Association (liquidator) must hand
over all the property to the legal entity, which Article
34 ff BAO accepts as non-profitable, charitable or ecclesiastical
and which was approved by the Assembly.
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