Articles of the Association of
ISORECEA
The International Study of Religion in Eastern and Central Europe Association
Chapter I
GENERAL TERMS
Article 1.
This statute regulates provisions for the name, the seat of the Association, representation, the seal; objectives and activities that achieve objectives, the field of activity of the Association according to its objectives; internal structure, bodies of the association, their participation, powers, decision making conditions and methods for electing and demoting, length of term in the office, the conditions and procedures for granting and terminating membership, membership fees; the rights, duties, responsibilities and disciplinary responsibility of members as well as the method of keeping the Membership Register; on how to resolve disputes and conflicts of interest within the association; the appointment and removal of the liquidator of the Association; property and division of possible profit, property acquiring, closing and property actions in case of the termination of the association, as well as other issues of concern for the Association.
Article 2
The name of the association is The International Study of Religion in Eastern and Central Europe Association (in short ISORECEA), hereinafter referred to as the "Association". Location of the Association is Zagreb, Croatia.
Article 3
1. The Association is registered at the City Office for General Administration.
2. The Association is a non-profit legal entity.
3. The term of existence of the Association is perpetual.
Article 4
The Association has a right to use its own seal and other designations, according to the applicable law. The seal of the Association is of round shape with 4cm in diameter with the text on reading: Udruga za međunarodno istraživanje religije u Istočnoj i Središnjoj Europi UMRISE, Zagreb and The Association for International Studies of Religion in Eastern and Central Europe (ISORECEA).
Article 5
The Association has based its activities on the voluntary work of its members.
Article 6
The Association is represented by the President, the Vice President and the Honorary President. The General Assembly of the Association may empower other individuals to represent the Association.
Chapter II
OBJECTIVES, MEANS AND THE FIELD OF ACTIVITY OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 7
In accordance with its objectives the Association is active in the area of international cooperation, education, science and research.
Objectives for which the Society is established are:
1. Development and exchange of scientific information concerning religion and churches in Eastern and Central Europe, with regard to the following: religious studies, sociology of the religion, ethnology, ethnography, history, psychology, law and any other related disciplines.
2. Creation of a network for the exchange and updating of information concerning above mentioned issues.
3. Organisation of international conferences at least every two years, presenting and summarising achievements of different organization or persons and discussing them.
4. Publishing books, journals, in particular Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe which is the Association's official journal, and other scientific materials.
5. Promotion of young scientists and students from different countries.
6. Promotion of publications of its members.
Article 8
To achieve objectives mentioned in Article 7, the Association shall:
1. Organise an e-mail network, containing list of members of the Association, including details like: area of activity, affiliation, occupied position and the catalogue of the most important publications. Such list shall be fully accessible for the Association's members. It shall permit direct contacts between members and facilitate their electronic co-operation.
2. Undertake and conduct scientific research.
3. Organise scientific conferences and participate in them.
4. Look for donors willing to support the Association.
5. Publishing books, journals, and other scientific materials.
6. Promote publications of its members.
Article 9
The work of the Association is public. The public will be informed on the work of the Association in the methods outlined in this Statute:
- Timely reporting to its members on the activities of the Association and significant events, written reports, special meetings and in other appropriate matters,
- Public statements.
Chapter III
MEMBERS, THEIR RIGHTS AND DUTIES
Article 10
There shall be three classes of membership, as follows:
1. Ordinary members
2. Honorary members
3. Supporting members
Article 11
The membership is open for all, irrespective of their nationality. Ordinary member of the Association can be any major person:
- Who has done scientific work in the field of religious studies or pursues his/her studies in this field,
- Who has expressed his/her will to join the Association, and
- Has been approved of by the Executive Board.
Article 12
Membership in the Association is acquired by registering with the Secretary of the association.
A new applicant becomes a member upon the completion of the registration in the Membership Register, kept by the Association's Secretary. The Membership Register is kept digitally and must contain the following data: a member’s personal name, their e-mail address, Personal Identification Number - or the equivalent, date of birth, date of registration, membership category and the membership termination date.
Membership registration containing the e-mail address, date of accession, membership category and the date of membership termination, shall always be available for review to all members as shell the complete list of all required data to the competent authorities upon their request.
Article 13
Honorary membership is awarded by the General Assembly of ISORECEA. The Honorary members are exempt from the obligation to pay Association's dues and they enjoy the same rights as the Ordinary members of the Association. An Honorary member can be elected by the General Assembly as Honorary President of the Association.
Article 14
Supporting member of the Association can be any natural or legal person interested in the scientific activities of the Association, contributing materially or financially to its activities that submit the written application form and be approved by the Executive Board. The Supporting member enjoys the rights enlisted in Article 15(3-4) and also has a right to attend the General Assembly of the Association with consultative voice. Only Ordinary and Honorary members are entitled to vote actively and passively in the General Assembly. The Supporting member having status of legal entity acts in the Association by its representative.
Article 15
An Ordinary member has the right to:
1. Elect and be elected to the Authorities of the Associations.
2. Take part in meetings of the Association (including the General Assembly) with vote on its matters.
3. Enjoy the support of the Association.
4. Submit motions and demands concerning activities of the Association.
Article 16
A member is obliged to:
1. Pay Association's dues regularly. This does not refer to Honorary members.
2. Participate in the life of the Association.
3. Support the development of the Association, safeguard its reputation and comply with appropriate standards.
4. Promote activities of the Association.
Article 17
The membership terminates in the event of:
1. Written and voluntary resignation of the member.
2. Discontinuation stated by the decision of the Executive Board – in case of failure to contribute to the association's dues for a period of three months after prior written reminder.
3. Expulsion by the resolution of the Disciplinary Commission following the disciplinary procedure. This can be pronounced only when a member acts contrary to regulations and resolutions of Association's Authorities, or injures the Association in an unreasonable manner.
4. Loss of legal personality in case of legal entity having a status of a Supporting member.
Article 18
The Disciplinary Commission, through a disciplinary procedure, establishes the violation of membership obligations and responsibilities, as defined in the Articles of Governance.
Article 19
The Association may accede to alliances of associations, communities, networks and international associations. The act of accession must be approved by the Assembly.
Chapter IV
RESOLVING DISPUTES AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Article 20
The dispute / conflict of interest in the Association occurs in the case of the violation of rights, obligations and responsibilities of members and when it affects the functioning of the organization as a whole, or if constitutes a matter of common concern to all members.
For disputes/conflicts of interest, the Assembly shall appoint an arbitration panel among the Association members. The composition, mandate, decision-making of the panel shall be regulated by an ordinance adopted by the Assembly. The arbitration panel shall operate in accordance with the provisions of the Conciliation Act. The decision of the arbitration panel is final.
Should the dispute/conflict of interest be related to the Association governing bodies' decisions on the basis of which the request for registration of changes in the Register of Associations shall be submitted and which shall be decided by the competent office, the dissatisfied member shall first address the Association to resolve the dispute/conflict of interest. After the final decision of the arbitration panel, the Association shall submit to the competent office the request for entry of changes into the Register of Associations together with the decision of the arbitration panel.
Chapter V
AUTHORITIES OF ASSOCIATION
Article 21
The organs of the Association shall be:
1. The General Assembly
2. The Executive Board
3. The Audit Commission
4. The Disciplinary Commission
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Article 22
The General Assembly shall be the supreme authority of the Association; it can be convened as a regular Assembly or as an ad hoc Assembly. The Assembly comprises of all permanent and honorary members of the Association. The Assembly is convened by the Executive Board upon the proposal of the President and according to the proposed agenda. The Assembly is chaired by the President of the Association, and in his/her absence the Vice President. In the absence of both the President and Vice President of the Association, the Assembly shall, at the beginning of the session determine the chair by taking a public vote. The Minutes of the session shall be kept and signed by a Secretary and permanently stored in the archives of the Association.
When the Association bodies' mandate expiry, the Assembly meeting is to be convened by the last legal representative registered in the Register of Associations of the Republic of Croatia or by at least one third of permanent members of the Association entered on the Membership Register before the mandate expiry of the Association bodies.
Article 23
The General Assembly shall have the authority to:
1. Establish the working and financial plan and programme of the Association.
2. Grant the vote of acceptance to the Executive Board for its previous activities (on the submission of the Audit Commission).
3. Award Honorary membership and appoint and remove the Association's President, Honorary President, Vice President, the members of the Executive Board (including the Secretary, Treasurer and Editor(s)-in-chief of the Association's journal Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe) as well as the liquidator of the Association, the Audit Commission and the Disciplinary Commission.
4. Set of the amount of membership dues.
5. Adopt amendments to the Articles of the Association and dissolve the Association.
6. Consider appeals to the decisions of the Executive Board.
7. Adopt internal regulations.
8. Take decisions in all matters not reserved to other bodies of the Association.
9. The regular General Assembly shall be convened every year.
10. Legal validity of the resolutions.
a. The resolutions adopted by the General Assembly are legally valid, if at least half of the members of the Association participating in the concomitant Conference are present. If there is not present a sufficient number of members of the Association, a second meeting shall be held. One third of the members present at the concomitant Conference and at the rescheduled meeting shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of all business.
b. The General Assembly adopts resolutions by simple majority vote. This does not refer to decisions regarding amendments to the Association's Articles and the dissolution of the Association. In these cases the decisions shall be subjected to the two-thirds majority vote of members present at the General Assembly.
c. Election of the President, Vice President, members of the Executive Board, liquidator, Audit Commission and the Disciplinary Commission can be carried out by correspondence. In such case all members of the Association shall receive voting card, containing instruction and stating the deadline for the casting of vote. The voting card shall be dispatched at least one month prior to the deadline for counting the votes.
Article 24
The Extraordinary General Assembly is convened by the Executive Board
1. On its own initiative
2. Upon the request of the Audit Commission
3. On the written demand of at least one-third of the Ordinary members of the Association.
The Extraordinary General Assembly shall be convened by at least three months written notice. It shall hold debates on the matters for which it was convened (agenda).
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Article 25
The Executive Board shall be the supreme body of the Association between the meetings of the General Assembly. It performs executive functions and other tasks as defined by the Articles of Governance. The Executive Board is the executive and operational collegial body that answers to the Assembly.
It shall be composed of the Honorary President, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor(s)-in-chief of the Association's journal Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe, immediate past President of the Executive Board, and no more than five other members of the Association. Additionally, the organiser of the upcoming Association's conference joins the Executive Board after he or she is approved by members of the Board. The President convenes the meetings of the Executive Board and presides over its work.
No remuneration shall be awarded for the performance of their duties.
Article 26
The Executive Board shall meet each year. Both consultation and voting shall be allowed by exchange of the emails. The resolutions of the Board are adopted by simple majority vote. In the case of equal numbers of votes, the vote of the President shall decide.
Article 27
The Executive Board shall have the authority to:
1. Manage and supervise all activities of the Association.
2. Admit new members and discontinue memberships.
3. Manage the finances of the Association within approved financial plan.
4. Approve the annual budget.
5. Submit work and financial reports of the Association to the Assembly.
6. Propose the amount of membership dues to the General Assembly.
7. Appoint candidates for offices of the Association.
8. Elect members of the Editorial Board of the Association's journal Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe based on the proposal by the journal's Editor(s)-in-chief.
9. Elect the organiser of the upcoming Association's conference based on submitted proposals.
Article 28
If during the term of office, the number of the members of the Executive Board decreases, the Executive Board shall have a right to fill the vacancies by maximum three persons.
Article 29
The General Assembly shall elect by ballot: the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor(s)-in-chief of the Association's official journal, other members of the Executive Board excluding the organiser of the upcoming Association's conference, members of the Audit Commission and the Disciplinary Commission for a four year term. The mandate may be repeated. The offices of the President and the Vice President may be held for no more than two terms. The Assembly elects the liquidators in the same way.
Article 30
The President or the Vice President and Honorary President shall represent the Association in the external relations. The President or the Vice President or any other member of the Association, authorized by the legal representative of the Association sign the Association's documents and correspondence. The President and the Vice President are also personally liable for any financial obligations of the Association.
PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 31
The President is elected by the Assembly for a term of 4 years. President of the Association is at the same time, by the power of his/her function, President of the Executive Board. The President:
- Represents the Association,
- puts up for discussion issues that fall under the competence of the Assembly and the Executive Board
- ensures that the public is informed about the work of the Assembly and its bodies,
- presides over the work of the Assembly and the Executive of Board,
- reports on the functioning of the Association to the Assembly;
- Enters into contracts and takes legal action in the name the Association while undertaking financial responsibility.
- Delivers the minutes from the Assembly meeting to the competent administrative body in charge of keeping the Register of Associations.
VICE PRESIDENT
Article 32
In the case of absence or inability of the President he/she will be replaced, in all of his/her responsibilities, by the Vice President. The Vice-President is appointed by the Assembly for a term of 4 years.
SECRETARY OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 33
The Secretary of the Association is elected and appointed by the Assembly for a term of four years and with a mandate for performing administrative tasks within the Association. The Secretary of the Association shall keep the Membership Register.
THE AUDIT COMMISSION
Article 34
The Audit Commission shall be composed of three members elected for the term of two years by General Assembly. The member of the Audit Committee cannot be a member of any other governing body of the Association. If during the term of office, the number of the members of the Audit Commission decreases, the Executive Board shall have a right to fill the vacancy by maximum one person.
Article 35
The Audit Commission controls the overall activity of the Association, particularly the financial management. The Commission presents to the General Assembly of the members its conclusion concerning the financial management of the Association and prepares submission on the vote of confidence for the Executive Board.
DISCIPLINARY COMISSION
Article 36
Members of the Association will be liable for violations of their duties established by the Articles of Governance and other legal documents. The Disciplinary proceedings are conducted by a Disciplinary Commission, composed of three members elected and dismissed by the Assembly. The request to initiate disciplinary proceedings may be submitted by the Executive Board, the Audit Commission, or at least 1/10 of the members of the Assembly.
The mandate of the members of the Disciplinary Commission shall be four years. The following disciplinary measures may be imposed by the Disciplinary Commission:
- Issuing a warning
- Termination the membership in the Association.
Decisions are made by majority vote of the members of the Disciplinary Commission.
Article 37
The decision of the Disciplinary Commission may be appealed in front of the Assembly, up to 15 days, counting the day of the decision delivery. The Assembly shell decide on the first session following the appeal.
Chapter VI
PROPERTY OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 38
Property of the Association includes:
- Financial funds;
- Movables;
- Real property;
- Other property rights.
The Association may enter in any transactions concerning its assets that are in accordance with the purpose and the activities of the Association as stipulated in the Articles of Governance and in accordance with the Law.
Article 39
The property of the Society shall consist of:
- Membership dues;
- Income earned from publication and other economic activities of the Association;
- Donations from private individuals and other organisations;
- State grants;
- From other sources in line with the law.
Article 40
The financial year runs from the first of January to the thirty-first of December, inclusively.
The Report on material and financial operations shell be submitted by the Treasurer and the President of the Association to the Assembly for consideration and adoption.
Chapter VII
THE TERMINATION OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 41
The decision on termination of the Association can be reached at the Assembly meeting if at least two thirds of the attending members should reach the decision on termination of the Association. In the case of reaching the decision on termination of the Association, such a decision shall prescribe who shall acquire the assets of the Association. The assets of the Association cannot be shared among the founders, members of the Association, persons authorised to represent the Association, employees or related persons.
Article 42
The Assembly appoints and terminates the liquidator of the Association. The liquidator represents the Association in the liquidation proceedings and is entered in the Register of Associations at the beginning of such proceedings as the person authorized to represent the Association for the duration of the liquidation proceedings and until the removal of the Association from the Register of Associations.
Chapter VIII
AMENDMENTS TO THESE ARTICLES
Article 43
The decision regarding amendments to these Articles of Association in the General Assembly shall be subjected to the two-thirds majority vote of members present, following a discussion. The approved changes shall be submitted to appropriate State registration Authorities.
Article 44
The Assembly of the Association shall be in charge of the interpretation of these Articles of Governance.
The Executive Board of the Association shall be in charge of the interpretation of the other Acts and Regulations of the Association.