Statutes

Statute


THE INTERNATIONAL AUSTRIAN-TURKISH
PRESS ASSOCIATION IN VIENNA

Die Internationale Österreichisch-Türkische
Pressevereinigung in Wien

Founded:  2000, ZVR Number : 553900571

TABLE OF CONTENTS

§ 1 Name, Seat and Field of Activity

§ 2 Purpose

§ 3 Means to achieve the purpose of the association

§ 4 Types of membership

§ 5 Acquisition of Membership

§ 6 Termination of Membership

§ 7 Rights and Duties of Members

§ 8 Organs of the Association

§ 9 The General Assembly

§ 10 Tasks of the General Assembly

§ 11 The Executive Board

§ 12 Tasks of the Executive Board

§ 13 Special Duties of Individual Board Members

§ 14 The Auditors

§ 15 The Secretary General

§ 16 Court of Arbitration

§ 17 Dissolution of the Association

§ 1 Name, Seat and Field of Activity

(1) The name of the Association is “THE INTERNATIONAL AUSTRIAN –
TURKISH PRESS ASSOCIATION IN VIENNA”
“Die Internationale Österreichisch-Türkische Pressevereinigung in Wien – “ATP”.

(2) The Association has its seat in Vienna and extends its activities throughout Austria.

(3) Branches may be established in all provinces.

§2 Purpose

The association, whose activities are not profit-oriented, has the following goals
Objective:

a) To inform its members about all media matters in Austria, Turkey and other countries. The promotion of the exchange of information and the deepening of journalistic relations between between Turkey, Austria and other countries.
The Association shall keep its members informed about the media rights of journalists, about all media-related issues between Turkey, Austria and other countries, as well as about the status of and changes in media law. Furthermore, the Association supports its members in case of problems with Turkish, Austrian and international authorities and tries to find solutions.

b) To promote contacts between the members of the Association and media institutions in Austria, Turkey and other countries.

e) To advise and promote the journalistic activities of its members and to represent their interests to the outside world.

f) To promote the journalistic relations of its members with media organizations and organizations and institutions on national and international level.

g) Furthermore, the Association informs its members about the economic rights and duties in the media sector in Germany and abroad. It also represents the concerns and interests of its members vis-à-vis domestic and foreign authorities.

h) The Association shall keep its members continuously informed about the status of and changes in press matters as well as all specific questions in all areas of the media.

i) The Association shall promote socio-cultural cooperation among its members.

j) The Association organizes conferences, exhibitions, lectures and other cultural events. cultural events. It also organizes excursions and symposia.

Association’s assets are liable for all obligations of the Association. Surpluses from all events belong to the assets of the association.

§ 4 Types of Membership

The members of the Association are divided into full members, associate members and honorary members.

(1) Ordinary members have all rights and duties of membership.
(2) Associate members have no voting rights. As a rule, each new member admitted to the Association shall be granted the status of associate member. At the latest after one year or earlier, the Board of Directors shall decide on the granting of ordinary membership or the extension of extraordinary membership.
(3) Honorary members shall have all the rights and obligations of members, with the exception of the right to vote. They may support the activities of the Association, in particular by paying a higher membership fee.

§ 5 Acquisition of Membership

(1) Any natural person, journalist, professional or managerial staff, student or pupil may become a member of the Association. The applicant must submit a written application for membership to the Board of Directors. In the case of natural persons, the application must include the applicant’s first and last name, age, occupation and address. If the applicant is a corporation, the application must include the corporation’s name, business name, legal representatives and authorized signatories, line of business, address, and the names of the legal representatives. In addition, in the case of registered or incorporated companies, an extract from the register of companies (or commercial register) of the Chamber of Commerce or equivalent proof of the legal constitution of the company may be requested.
(2) The Board of Directors shall make the final decision on the admission of ordinary and extraordinary members. Admission may be refused without giving reasons.
(3) Appointment as an honorary member shall be made by the General Assembly at the request of the Board of Directors.
(4) Prior to the formation of the Association, the (provisional) admission of members shall be made by the applicant(s). Membership shall not become effective until the incorporation of the Association.

  • 6 Termination of Membership
    (1) Membership shall be terminated by death (in the case of legal entities, by loss of legal personality or change of)

legal personality or change of the corporate structure), by voluntary resignation, by deletion and by expulsion.

(2) Members have the right to resign from the Association. The resignation must be made in writing. The letter of resignation must be addressed to the Board of Directors. Resignation can only take place at the end of a membership year with a notice period of three months. Rights and obligations shall remain in force during the period of notice and shall therefore only end on the date of withdrawal.

(3) The Board of Directors may terminate the membership of a member if the member is more than three months in arrears with the payment of membership dues despite three reminders. The obligation to pay the membership fee remains unaffected.

(4) A member may be expelled from the Association by the Board of Directors for gross violation of membership obligations and dishonorable conduct. (An appeal against the expulsion can be made to the General Assembly, until whose decision the rights of membership are suspended). Only the Executive Board of the Association shall decide on the further membership status of the respective member.

(5) The revocation of honorary membership may be decided by the General Assembly at the request of the Board of Directors for the reasons stated in paragraph 4.

(6) Retired members or their legal successors are not entitled to a refund of membership fees and project-related contributions to the Association or to shares from the Association’s assets.

(7) Binding statements made by a member in the name of the Association without the express written consent of the Board may result in the member’s expulsion from the Association and will have legal consequences.

 

  • 7 Rights and duties of the members|
    (1) Members are entitled to participate in all events of the Association and to use the facilities of the Association. Only full members have the right to vote in the General Assembly and to stand for election.

(2) Members are obliged to promote the interests of the Association to the best of their ability and to refrain from any action that could damage the reputation and purpose of the Association. They must comply with the statutes and the decisions of the organs of the Association. Members are obligated to pay the admission fee and membership dues in the amount determined by the General Assembly each year.

  • 8 Organs of the Association
    The organs of the Association are the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, the Auditors, the Secretary and the Court of Arbitration.

 

  • 9 The General Assembly
    (1) The General Assembly shall be held annually within three months after the beginning of the calendar year.

(2) An Extraordinary General Meeting must be held within six weeks of a decision by the Board of Directors or the Ordinary General Meeting, at the written request of at least two thirds of the members or at the request of the Auditors.

(3) All members must be invited in writing or by telephone to both ordinary and extraordinary General Meetings at least four weeks before the date of the meeting. The General Assembly shall be convened by stating the agenda. The meeting is called by the Board of Directors.

(4) Motions to the General Assembly must be submitted to the Board of Directors at least 15 days before the date of the General Assembly.

Board at least 15 days before the date of the General Meeting.

(5) Valid resolutions – with the exception of a motion to convene an extraordinary General Assembly – can only be

Extraordinary General Meeting – can only be made on the agenda.

(6) All members are entitled to participate in the General Assembly. Only ordinary members have the right to vote. Each member has one vote. Legal entities shall be represented by an authorized representative. Voting rights may be transferred to another member by written proxy. However, a member may represent more than one third party. The proxy must be issued separately for each General Assembly.

(7) The General Assembly has a quorum if half of its members (or their representatives, 1 person) are present. If the General Assembly is not quorate at the appointed time, the General Assembly shall meet 30 minutes later with the same agenda and shall be quorate regardless of the number of members present.

(8) Elections and resolutions of the General Assembly shall be made in writing.

As a rule, resolutions are passed with a simple majority of votes. Resolutions to amend the Statutes or to dissolve the Association require a qualified majority of two thirds of the valid votes cast.

(9) The General Assembly shall be chaired by the President or, in his absence, by the Vice President. If the President is also unavailable, the oldest member of the Board of Directors present shall chair the meeting.

  • 10 Tasks of the General Meeting
    The following duties are reserved for the General Assembly:
  1. to receive and approve the annual report and the financial statements;
  2. To adopt the budget;
  3. the appointment and dismissal of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Auditors, or their rejection, stating the reasons;
  4. to fix the amount of the admission fee and the dues for regular and extraordinary members; legal entities may be charged a higher dues.
  5. the granting and revocation of honorary membership
  6. To decide on appeals against expulsion from membership;
  7. to decide on amendments to the Constitution and on the voluntary dissolution of the Association;
  8. to discuss and act on other matters on the agenda.
  9. Discharge of the Executive Board.

 

  • 11 The Board of Directors
    (1) The Board of Directors shall consist of 5 members, namely the President (Chairman), the Vice

Vice President (2nd Chairman), the Treasurer, the Secretary and the Press Officer (Public Relations).

(2) The Board of Directors, elected by the General Assembly, has the right to co-opt another eligible member in the event of the resignation of an elected member, subject to the subsequent approval of the next General Assembly.

(3) The term of office of the Board of Directors shall be two years. In any case, it lasts until the election of a new Board of Directors. Resigned members of the Board of Directors are eligible for re-election.

(4) The Board of Directors shall be chaired by the President or, in his absence, by the Vice President.

The minutes shall be taken in writing or verbally.

(5) The Board of Directors constitutes a quorum if all members have been invited and at least half of the at least half of them are present.

(6) The Board of Directors passes its resolutions with a simple majority of votes.In the event of a tied vote, the Chairman shall have the casting vote. Motions for the award of an honorary presidency must be unanimously approved by the General Assembly.

(7) The President, or in his absence, the Vice President, shall preside over the meeting. If the If the latter is also unavailable, the meeting shall be chaired by the oldest member of the Board of Directors present.

(8) With the exception of death and expiry of the term of office (para. 3), the office of a member of the

(9) and resignation (10).

(9) The General Meeting may at any time dismiss the entire Board of Directors or individual members thereof.

Dismissal of Members.

(10) The members of the Board of Directors may resign in writing at any time. The resignation must be addressed to the Board of Directors, in the case of the resignation of the entire Board of Directors to the General Meeting. The resignation shall not become effective until a successor has been elected or co-opted (para. 2).

 

  • 12 Responsibilities of the Board of Directors
    The Board of Directors is responsible for the management of the Association. It is responsible for all tasks that are not assigned to another organ of the Association by the Articles of Association. In particular, it is responsible for the following matters
  1. the preparation of the annual budget and the annual report and financial statements;
  2. the preparation of the General Assembly;
  3. to convene the ordinary and extraordinary General Meetings;
  4. administration of the assets of the Association;
  5. the admission, exclusion and cancellation of members of the Association;
  6. the admission and dismissal of employees of the Association.
  7. The Secretary General is elected and dismissed by the Board of Directors for an indefinite period of time.

 

  • 13 Special duties of individual board members(1) The Chairman or President is the highest official of the Association. He is responsible for the representation of the Association, in particular vis-à-vis authorities and third parties. He chairs the General Assembly and the Board of Directors. In the event of imminent danger, he is also authorized to deal with matters that fall within the jurisdiction of the General Assembly or the Executive Board.

(2) The Secretary shall assist the President in the management of the affairs of the Association. He is responsible for keeping the minutes of the General Assembly and the Board of Directors.

(3) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the proper financial management of the Association.

(4) If the President is unavailable, the Vice President shall take his place.

 

  • 14 Auditors(1) The two auditors are elected by the General Assembly for a period of two years. Re-election is possible.

(2) The auditors shall be responsible for the ongoing business control and the audit of the annual financial statements. They shall report to the General Assembly on the results of their audit.

(3) In addition, the provisions of “11 para. 4, 9, 10 and 11 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the auditors.

 

  • 15 The Secretary GeneralThe Secretary General is an employee of the Association. He manages the office and is responsible for the day-to-day business of the Association in accordance with the instructions of the Board of Directors. He is the sole signatory for current business
  • 16 The Court of Arbitration
    (1) The Court of Arbitration shall decide on all disputes arising from the relationship between the Association and its members.

(2) The Court of Arbitration shall be composed of five ordinary members of the Association. It shall be constituted in such a way that each party to the dispute shall nominate two members as arbitrators to the Board of Directors within fourteen days. The arbitrators shall elect a chairman by majority vote. In the event of a tie, the nominees shall be chosen by lot.

(3) The arbitration tribunal shall make its decisions by a simple majority of votes in the presence of all its members. It shall decide to the best of its knowledge and belief. Its decisions are final within the Association.

 

  • 17 Dissolution of the Association(1) The voluntary dissolution of the Association can only be decided by an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for this purpose and only by a two-thirds majority of the valid votes cast.

(2) This General Assembly shall also decide on the liquidation of the Association’s assets, if any. In particular, it shall appoint a liquidator and decide to whom the liquidator shall transfer the remaining assets of the Association after covering the liabilities. As far as possible and permissible, these assets shall be transferred to associations, federations or other organizations serving Austrian interests and pursuing the same or similar purposes.

© 2000 Die International Austrian-Turkish Press Association in Vienna