STATUTES OF THE ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION UNDER THE NAME “GREEK ANIMAL PROTECTION” CHAPTER A’ ARTICLE 1 FOUNDATION-NAME- HEADQUARTERS-OBJECTIVES-
1NTERNATIONAL
An animal welfare association is established as a non-profit association with the name “HELLINIKI PROSTASIA ZOON” and its seat is the Municipality of Athens. The corresponding name of the association in the English language is “HELLENIC ANIMAL PROTECTION”. The association can create branches in any place in Greece and abroad, as well as participate in corresponding agencies and organizations (non-profit) domestically and abroad.
ARTICLE 2 PURPOSES
A. The protection of animals, stray and
not, the development of animal welfare and the effort to find ways for the harmonious coexistence of humans and animals in the residential environment.
B. The care of stray and tamed animals, with the creation of programs and actions of feeding, sterilization, adoption, care, promotion of hospitality and protection from abuse as well as the establishment and management of shelters for stray animals.
C. . The promotion of charity and volunteerism with the organization 1) education and socialization programs for the homeless, 2) events, educational programs, informative seminars for groups of citizens, pupils, students, members of civic associations, unions and institutions,
3) action and protection groups against the abuse of animals (stray and controlled) and in favor of defending the rights and well-being of animals,
4) campaigns to inform citizens about the obligations and rights governed by animal welfare legislation,
5) actions and initiatives to facilitate citizens in the various problems they face in coexistence with stray and non-stray animals.
D. . The creation and operation of animal habitats, such as areas within the urban fabric, natural environment, parks, riverside areas, beaches and marine areas.
E. The cooperation with the competent authorities for the enlightenment of the public, the information regarding animal welfare legislation, the prevention and/or combating of animal diseases as well as the collection of stray animals for adoption to responsible owners.
H. The above objectives are pursued in
cooperation with other animal welfare associations in Greece and abroad and not only within the boundaries of the municipalities in which the “GREEK ANIMAL PROTECTION” Association is active.
ARTICLE 3 INSIDE
The Association achieves its objectives by any legal means, including the following:
A. The development of any kind of social, educational, cultural and recreational activity. The organization of lectures, seminars, artistic and all other types of events, as well as the publication of information forms
The development of the necessary collaboration with local, national, European and international bodies for the realization of all the above purposes and to deal with the phenomena of abuse, neglect and exploitation of animals in cooperation with the state, municipal, community and other authorities, non-governmental organizations and more generally Unions and Associations of persons under private and public law, with individuals and businesses of the private sector, who serve or can contribute to the promotion of the purposes of the Association.
B1. Participation in collective bodies, International and European bodies and networks to achieve the purposes of the Association in Greece and abroad. The exchange of information, experiences and intervention techniques in order to ensure the quality and efficient provision of services to animals. Participation in national, community, regional programs, as well as programs of non-governmental organizations, for the prevention and training to deal with incidents of abuse and abandonment of animals. The research and statistical recording of incidents of abuse and abandonment at a nationwide level.
B2. Coordinating the activities of the Association with constant contact and engagement of its members. Constant contact with other agencies and services (e.g. Police, Municipality, Coast Guard, Fire Brigade) that deal with the defense and settlement of all kinds of problems and animal rights.
C. Making speeches, performances, announcements, as well as submitting complaints and reports to the competent Authorities and Services, such as the Prosecutors and Police Departments for the defense of animal rights and legal assistance in cases of abuse. D.Registration in the register of Non-
Governmental Organizations.
E. The organization of lectures, speeches, gatherings, seminars and all kinds of activities as well as participation in community and development programs in Greece and abroad regarding the defense of animal rights.
F. The creation of a workshop for the manufacture and distribution of all kinds of goods with the Association’s logo in order to acquire financial resources for the Association’s activities.
G. . The search for accommodation for the animals being treated and then the search for their permanent foster family based on a relevant contract for their fostering – adoption. Contributing to existing shelters with food and medicine, as well as promoting adoptions. The placement of houses, feeders and watering cans in places where there are strays in cooperation with the citizens of the area and volunteers. Cooperation, in each Municipality and Region, with contracted veterinarians for animal care and sterilization. Providing assistance and expertise to volunteers, animal welfare organizations, unions, shelters and other organizations with the same goals and objectives.
H. . The staffing of the Association by specialized scientists, veterinarians, doctors, psychologists and trainers, in many parts of the Greek Territory with the aim of providing immediate care for the animals as well as permanent information and education support for children, young people and others (for example Old People’s Homes, Churches) at all levels for the relationship between man and animals, charity, the impact on tourism and culture and on a behavioral level throughout the population.
I. To participate in International networks, programs and agencies and through the coordination of actions always aimed at the well-being and protection of animal rights.
CHAPTER B’ ARTICLE 4
MEMBERS – RIGHTS – OBLIGATIONS
Members are divided into ORDINARY and HONORARY members.
A. All adults can become regular members, regardless of their gender and nationality, who are interested in the defense of animal rights. Registration is made by application of the interested party to the Board of Directors and recommendation of two other members of the Association. The status of regular member is obtained after the approval of the application for registration by the Board of Directors and the payment of the one-time registration fee. Regular members also pay the periodic (monthly or annual) subscription, determined by the Board of Directors. A register of members is kept according to the date of registration where the occupation, year of birth, address and other contact details are mentioned, as well as with which voluntary actions each member could participate in the Association. Regular members have the right to elect and be elected. All regular members have equal rights and obligations.
B. Honorary members become such after a decision of the General Assembly for those who have offered excellent services to the Association toward the achievement of its goals. Honorary members do not have the right to vote in the General Assemblies, nor the right to elect and be elected, but they have the right to participate in the discussions and express their opinions.
C. OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS
The members of the Association must:
A. Contribute to the fulfillment of the goals of the association, observing the law, all the articles of this statute as well as any internal regulation and the decisions of the General Assembly and the Board of Directors,
B. Participate in the actions and activities of the Association, to undertake and willingly perform any task assigned to them by the General Assembly and the Board of Directors for active participation in the action groups.
C. Participate in the meetings of the General Assemblies and other gatherings and events of the Association.
D. Pay their registration fee to the
association and fulfill their financial obligations to the association by paying their financial contribution and any extraordinary contributions.
E. To comply with the legislation
concerning associations, the provisions of the statute, the principles of the Association, the decisions of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly.
ARTICLE 5 REGISTRATION – SUBSCRIPTION – CONTRIBUTIONS
For membership registration, a one-time registration fee of fifteen (15) euros is payable. The Board of Directors, by its decision, can determine the monthly or annual subscription which must be paid by each member, as well as adjust it, as well as the amount of the one-time registration. Membership is acquired upon payment of the registration fee and subject to the above conditions of article 4. The Board of Directors, with its reasoned decision, may provide for the payment of extraordinary contributions by the members of the Association.
WITHDRAWAL – DELETION – SUSPENSION OF MEMBERS
Members have the right to leave the club. The withdrawal must be notified at least three (3) months before the end of the accounting year and is valid for the end of it (Article 87 of the Civil Code) if the member first fulfills his financial obligations until his withdrawal.
The Board of Directors may, for an important reason, among those mentioned in the articles of association and the relevant legislation concerning the associations, propose to the General Assembly the deletion of a member (article 88 AK). Removal of a member can be decided by the General Assembly under the following terms and conditions: A.When a member has not fulfilled his financial obligations for more than two years. For this reason, the Board of Directors may delete members, without convening a General Assembly, if three years have passed without payment of their subscription.
B. When by his acts or omissions and his general behavior, he does not fulfill his moral obligations expressed by the articles of the statute and also by the general spirit of the Association
C. The decision of the General Assembly
to delete a member must be taken by a majority of 2/3 of the members present and as long as the members present are at least twenty (20). The deleted member is invited to provide explanations. In the case of membership deletion, the decision is communicated by any suitable means to
the expelled member and the reasons for the deletion are mentioned in it.
D. A member who is deleted for reasons of non-fulfillment of financial obligations may be re-registered
CHAPTER Ill ARTICLE 6 RESOURCES
A. Resources of the Association are the following
a. any kind of income from its operation,
b. the registration fee,
c. members’ subscriptions and contributions, regular and extraordinary,
d. subsidies, grants, donations, sponsorships and legacies following a decision of acceptance by the board of directors
e. income from events that the club organizes or takes part in, and can be held twice a year or as provided by the current tax legislation
f. interest from the club’s money deposited in the bank,
g. income from products produced by members of the association or goods that they provide free of charge to third parties for the purpose of collecting money to achieve the objectives of the association. The management year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 of each year.
B. Acquisition of real estate or high value assets will always take place after the approval of the Board of Directors.
C. The property of the Association is available only and exclusively for the purposes provided for in this statute.
CHAPTER D’
BODIES OF THE ASSOCIATION – ADMINISTRATION OF THE ASSOCIATION ARTICLE 7 BOARD OF DIRECTORS – DUTIES & OBLIGATIONS
The union is managed by the Board of Directors, whose members are elected by the General Assembly. The Association is managed by a five-member Board of Directors (BoD), while there are also two (2) alternate members.
The Board of Directors is elected every three years by the General Assembly. The 5-member Board of Directors consists of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and one (1) member. The Board of Directors after the elections, within a week it convenes in a first meeting and is formed into a body by secret voting and by an absolute majority. The holding of two positions by the same member of the Board of Directors is prohibited. Members of the Board of Directors are elected from the members of the Association who are registered with their financial obligations in order and with a date of registration one year before the elections.
The Board of Directors meets at least once a quarter regularly and as often as deemed necessary by the President or requested by at least two (2) of its members. The Board of Directors ihas a quorum when at least three (3) members are present (among them the President or the Vice President) and decisions are taken by open voting and an absolute majority of those present. In cases of a tie, the vote of the President or the Vice-President shall prevail when he is presiding in place of the President.
In case of a vacancy in the position of a member of the Board of Directors, it shall be filled by substitute members and in the event of a lack of substitutes by members of the Association following a relevant proposal by the Board. The replacement is valid until the end of the term of office of
the departing member and is approved by the next General Assembly.
The Board of Directors generally works to ensure the success of the Association’s goals, executes the decisions of the General Assemblies, ensures that the statutes are observed, manages its property and is obliged to be accountable to the General Assembly. It decides on every case, except those that belong to the competence of the General Assembly, based on the statutes or according to the provisions of the law that governs the principles of the clubs-associations.
THE PRESIDENT
Represents the society in the Court, in the Services and in all its relations with other natural or legal persons or Public authorities. He convenes the General Assemblies and co-signs the minutes of
the Board of Directors together with the General Secretary. as well as all documents except those of a financial nature, where he co-signs with the Treasurer. He takes care of the execution of the decisions of the Board of Directors. and General Assemblies. He is replaced by the Vice-President in his absence.
THE GENERAL SECRETARY
Drafts and co-signs all the minutes of the Board of Directors. and of the Board of Directors. In case of his absence, he is replaced by another member of the Board of Directors. Maintains and keeps the book of minutes of the Board of Directors, General Assembly, reports of the Audit Committee, as well as the seal of the Association.
THE CASHIER
He collects all income on behalf of the Association on the basis of duplicate receipts and pays by payment orders or on the basis of legally issued receipts or invoices presented to him after approval of such expenses by the President for the realization of the purposes of the Association. The Board of Directors determines the monetary limit up to which the Treasurer may make cash payments He is responsible for keeping the original receipts and expenses documents, duplicate subscription receipts, receipts, payment orders, cash books.
He supervises all the expenses and income of the club and has the obligation to present the original documents once a month to the respective accountant who is responsible for accounting (not the cash register) and receives the originals updated.
Each year, with the help of an accountant, he prepares the report of the previous year and the budget of the following one, as well as prepares the report of the Audit Committee for checking, signing and validating it. Maintains and keeps the required property management books.
Submits to G.S. the account-balance sheet
of financial management. In case of his temporary absence, another member of the Board takes over his work.
THE ELECTORAL COMMITTEE
The control and supervision of the actions of the management of the Board of Directors. is assigned to a three-member Audit Committee from the members of the Association, which is elected by the General Assembly during the elections for the nomination of the Board of Directors.
The members of the three-member Audit
Committee cannot be members of the Board of Directors at the same time. The responsibilities of the Audit Committee are to audit the annual financial management of the Board of Directors. – receipts and expenses documents and verification of concurrence with the financial books.-
ARTICLE 8
General Assembly
The supreme and dominant body of the Association is the General Assembly of the members, which has the supervision and control of the Administration bodies and is divided into regular and extraordinary (AK 95 & 96).
The Ordinary General Meeting is
compulsorily convened at least once every year within the first calendar semester, during which: A. the Board of Directors is accountable. about what happened in the past year
B. the previous year’s report and the next year’s budget are approved,
C. proposals and experiences from dealing with incidents managed by the Association as well as methods and means used to achieve the goals and events carried out are discussed,
D. elections are held every three years for the election of a new Board of Directors. and Audit Committee and
E. decisions are taken on any issues based
on the general presumption of competence of the General Assembly The extraordinary G.S. are convened whenever the Board of Directors deems it
necessary. or request their convergence by
at least 1/5 (article 96 A.C.) of the financially settled members with their written request to the Board of Directors. in which the topics to be discussed will necessarily be listed. In this case, the
The Board of Directors is obliged to convene within thirty (30) days at the most an Extraordinary General Assembly, the agenda of which must include the topics to be discussed, which were requested by the aforementioned members’ request.
The invitation for a regular or extraordinary
General Assembly is also made by digital media at least 7 days before its convening and the invitation always mentions the place, the time and the topics to be discussed. Digital General Assembly is permitted under the terms of the applicable legislation.
Matters not mentioned in writing in the invitation cannot be discussed. In case of written consent of all members on a certain proposal, a decision can be taken without convening a General Assembly (article 97 of the A.C.). Members who have fulfilled their financial obligations take part in the General Assembly, while the right to vote and the right to elect and be elected are acquired by regular members who have completed one year from the date of their registration with the Association.
POWERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly is the supreme body of the association and decides on all matters that are part of the realization of its purposes as detailed in this statute. Approves the report, balance sheet, the actions of the Board of Directors. and exempts it from any responsibility, amends the statute, approves and amends the internal regulations, makes a decision on the dissolution of the association, on the donation of the income, fixed and nonfixed assets of the association to third parties – exclusively associations or individuals with strong and recognized philanthropic activity – decides on the deletion of a member
Especially for the amendment-dissolution of the statutes, the required quorum is 1/2 of the financially settled members of the Association entitled to vote and the required majority is 3/4 of those present (Article 99 of the Civil Code). To change the purpose, the consent of all members is required (Article 100 of the Civil Code).
Absentees consent in writing. Any dispute or ambiguity regarding the statutes is resolved at the General Assembly in compliance with the applicable laws.
QUORUM OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY
At the first meeting of the G.S. the presence of at least 1/3 of the paid members who have the right to vote is required. In the event that the required quorum is not reached at the first meeting, a repeat general meeting is convened with the same issues in the same place within eight (8) days. In the repeated General Assembly, it is considered that there is a quorum regardless of the number of present paid up members. Any dispute or ambiguity regarding the statutes is resolved at the General Assembly in compliance with the applicable laws.
(8) days. In the repeated General Assembly, it is considered that there is a quorum regardless of the number of present fully-paid up members. The decisions of the General Assembly are taken by an absolute majority of the members present (article 97 section a’AK), unless the statute or the law stipulates otherwise.CHAPTER E’
INTERNAL REGULATION – GENERAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 9 INTERNAL RULE The Board of
Directors has the prerogative to draw up internal regulations of the Association’s operation and bring it for approval to the General Assembly, for the more detailed regulation of the Association’s operation and action issues.
ARTICLE 10
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
This statute consists of eleven (11) articles, was discussed and voted at the General Assembly of the Founding