The Statute




TRIBUNAL D' INSTANCE DE STRASBOURG 

45, Rue du Fossè des Treize
B. P. 444
67008  STRASBOURG CEDEX

REGISTRE DES ASSOCIATIONS

Certificat d 'inscription

ll a été inscrit aujourd'hui au Registre des associations,
au Volume LXXIII Folio N° 118 Dossier N° 233/1995

L'association dite:

RESEAU EUROPEEN DES ISTITUTIONS DE FORMATION DES
COLLECTIVITES TERRITORIALES

ayant son siège à 67000 STRASBOURG
8. rue Gustave Adolphe Hirn

Les statuts darent du 7 tévrier 1995.

Est président et représentant légal de 1'association:

Monsieur HAHN Jorgen. Directeur
Demeurant à
Kystvej P.B 160
DK 8500 GRENAA (DANEMARK).

STRASBOURG. Le 3 octobre 1995
le Grettier en Chef




Article 1:

An association is hereby established which shall be called "the European Network of Training Organizations for Local and Regional Authorities". The association shall be set-up under local law governing associations in the départements of Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin and Moselle as laid down in Articles 21 et seq. of the Local Civil Code.
The legal seat of the association shall be in Strasbourg at the following address: CNFPT Antenne départementale du Bas-Rhin 8 rue Gustave Adolphe Hirn 67000 Strasbourg
The association shall be entered in the register of associations of the Tribunal d'Instance of Strasbourg.


Article 2:

Mindful of the objectives set out in the European Charter of Local Self-Government the association shall promote, through co-operation at European level, the development of skills in local and regional authorities in Europe and increase mutual knowledge in training matters.
For that purpose it shall admit organizations engaged in training for local and regional authorities so as to provide them with a legal framework within which, in co-operation with European institutions, they may develop joint action, facilitate financing and in general invigorate the network which they form. Other organizations, institutions, groups or persons concerned with these objectives can also participate in the activities of the associations.


Article 3:

To achieve its object the association shall engage in activities in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the General Assembly which may include:
  1. Basic activities. such as:
    publication and updating of a yearbook
    organization of annual/bi-annual seminars
    issue of an information and liaison newsletter
  2. Prgrammes approved by the General Assembly, such as:
    research on subjects of common interest
    dissemination of information so as to avert duplication of effort and make collaboration more effective
    acting as a clearing house
    financial aid to co-operation ventures
    assistance to seminars organized jointly by various centres
  3. Complementary activities which may be realised under specific budgets, such as:
    assistance to activities specific to a centre
    multi-lateral programmes.
Activities shall be conducted with a concern to keep all the members fully informed, to maintain complementarity at all times between the network's activities and its members' activities, in the spirit of non-competition between the network and its members.


Article 4:
The association's aims shall be disinterested. The association shall be non-profit-making; any financial surplus shall be reinvested in the association's work in accordance with the association's aims.
The association shall not make any disbursement except to refund expenses or to pay for a service rendered or work performed.


Article 5:
The association shall be established for an indefinite period.


Article 6:
The association's income and property shall consist of the members' financial contributions, items or services provided to the association by its members, revenue from the association's property and activities, including earnings from publications, training activities, information provision, events organised or services rendered, any gifts or subsidies, and any other resources compatible with the aims and nature of the association.
The General Assembly may, by a two-thirds majority of members present or represented and entitled to vote, set a membership fee expressed in French Francs, the minimum amount of which may vary according to the category of member.
Ex-officio members and honorary members shall not pay any membership fee.
Where a member disagrees with the amount of the membership fee which the General Assembly has set with respect to it, resignation, as provided for in Article 10, shall absolve the member of all financial obligation to the association.


Article 7
No member shall be personally liable in respect of commitments entered into by the association. Such commitments shall be met solely by means of the association's own assets.


Article 8:
The association shall be composed of ordinary members, associate members, ex-officio members and honorary members.
Ordinary membership shall be open to non-profit-making bodies engaged, in the public interest, in training for local and regional authorities,.whether they have legal personality, are part of a local authority or come under an association of local authorities, provided that they have real and direct influence over training for local and regional authorities. The founder members shall be the ordinary members which sign these Statutes on the date of their adoption.
Associate membership shall be open to bodies, institutions, authorities or individuals with an interest, of whatever kind, in action to promote training for local and regional authorities within a European framework. In particular, associate membership shall be open to such authorities, associations of elected representatives or of local authorities, international or transfrontier organizations, economic agencies, professional bodies, non-specialist training bodies, training networks or training bodies of public administration and individuals professionally involved in training for local and regional authorities, provided the above-mentioned bodies, authorities or institutions declare their allegiance to the network's aims and principles.
The ex-officio members shall be the Secretary General of the Council of Europe or his representative and representatives of European institutions of particular importance in the association's field of action.
Honorary membership shall be open to persons who have served the network with distinction.
Only ordinary members shall have the right to vote in the association's bodies. Associate members, ex-officio members and honorary members shall have advisory status.


Article 9:
Applications for ordinary membership or associate membership shall be made to the Bureau in writing and shall state the applicant's reasons for applying. The Bureau shall determine an application within three months of its receipt. An applicant or a member of the association may appeal to the General Assembly against decisions of the Bureau by a registered letter addressed to the President of the association.
The list of ex-officio members shall be decided by the General Assembly.
Honorary membership shall be granted by the General Assembly by a three-quarters majority of members present or represented.
Ex-officio and honorary membership shall not take effect until accepted in writing by those receiving it.
The Bureau shall keep a list of members.


Article 10:
Membership may be renounced by written resignation from the association without prior notice. In cases of serious breach of the aims or other requirements laid down in the Statutes or in cases of failure to pay the membership fee, the Bureau may decide to remove a member from the association. The member may appeal to the General Assembly by a registered letter addressed to the President of the association within one month from being given notice of the Bureau's decision.


Article 11:
The General Assembly shall be a meeting of all the members of the association. The President shall convene it in ordinary session once a year on such a date as he shall decide. He shall likewise convene extraordinary sessions of the General Assembly at the Bureau's request or at the request of one-third of the members entitled to vote and he shall do so within three months of such a request. Members shall be given at least 15 days' written notice of such sessions and such notice shall be accompanied by a copy of the agenda. The agenda shall be agreed by the Bureau.


Article 12:
The General Assembly shall decide the general lines of the association's work. It shall approve the President's annual management report and the financial report from the Treasurer and, where appropriate, the auditors. It shall lay down guidelines for the development of the association's work and see to it that the Bureau puts the guidelines into effect. It shall approve the association's accounts and annual budget.
Minutes shall be kept of meetings of the General Assembly; the minutes shall be signed by an officer of the association.
Decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by a majority of ordinary members present or except where these Statutes provide otherwise. Members unable to attend the General Assembly shall be entitled to vote by proxy. Each member present shall hold no more than 2 proxy votes with the exception of the President, who may hold an unrestricted number of proxy votes.
A record shall be kept of decisions of the General Assembly.


Article 13:
The effects the association, for purposes of Article 26 of the Local Civil Code shall be the members of the Burcau, which shall be composed of a President, two Vice-presidents, a Treasurer and other members as appropriate. The number of officers shall be no less than five and shall not exceed nine. Officers shall be elected by the General Assembly from among the ordinary manners of the association for a term of two years by a simple majority of members present or represented.
In addition, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe or his representative shall be ex-officio macular of the Bureau in an advisory capacity.


Article 14:
Thc Bureau shall meet as often as it sees fin under such arrangements as it shall decide. It shall take whatever decisions are necessary for the management of the association which are not the prerogative of the General Assembly or which the President has not been empowered to take by the Statutes or by vote. It shall provide secretarial services to the General Assembly.
The Bureau may decide to ask others to attend its meetings in an advisory capacity. It shall ensure that all the legally required entries and notices are made in the register of associations. If at any time the association's liabilities exceed its assets, the Bureau shall apply without delay to have the association declared insolvent.
The Bureau shall keep a register of its decisions, which shall be signed by the President.
The Bureau may delegate, to one or more of its members, all or some of the powers vested in it.


Article 15:
The President shall ensure that the Statutes are complied with and that the association's non-pecuniary interests are protected.
The President or one of the Vice-Presidents shall be empowered under these Statutes to act as the association's sole representative in legal or non-legal matters. He shall have express responsibility for carrying out whatever procedures or formalities are required for entry of the association in the register of associations and he may delegate this responsibility to another member of the Bureau.


Article 16:
The Association, on the basis of a decision taken by the General Assembly, may decide to have a staff with a Secretary General in charge. The staff may have responsibilities delegated to it by the Bureau or sub delegated to it by the President. If staff are appointed they shall have responsibility for day-to-day management of the association under the Bureau's supervision and shall assist the Bureau in an advisory capacity.


Article 17:
The Treasurer shall ensure that the accounts are kept in a proper manner.
Up-to-date accounts shall be kept of income and expenditure. An audit shall be carried out annually.


Article 18:
The CLRAE shall provide advice to the association. It may be asked for an opinion on the association's programmes and budget.


Article 19:
The Statutes may be amended by decision of the General Assembly. Such a decision shall require a three-quarters majority of ordinary members present or represented, such a majority to be equal to not less than half of the association's membership. The deliberations shall be confined to adoption or rejection of amendment proposals submitted to the Bureau not less than one month before the holding of the General Assembly.
However, the Bureau shall be empowered to decide such amendments to the Statutes as are necessary to remove any obstacle to the association's registration.


Article 20:
The association may be dissolved at the Bureau's request by an extraordinary General Assembly, convened specifically for that purpose in accordance with the rules laid down in Article 11.
Decisions of the General Assembly about the dissolution of the association shall not be valid unless at least two-thirds of the ordinary members are present. If that quorum is not achieved, the Assembly shall be reconvened to meet 15 days later. It may then proceed with its deliberations regardless of the number of members present.
To be valid, a decision to dissolve the association shall require the agreement of three-quarters of the members present. The vote shall be taken by a show of hands unless at least one quarter of the members present ask for a secret ballot.
If the association is dissolved, the Extraordinary Assembly shall appoint one or more auditors, whose powers it shall decide, to dispose of the association's assets.
The association's net assets shall be distributed to associations, institutions or bodies pursuing aims similar to those of the association.


Article 21:
The General Assembly may decide to draw up Rules of Procedure which shall lay down the manner in which the association shall operate and the rights and obligations of members.


Article 22:
These Statutes were adopted in Budapest on 28/09194.