§ 1 Name and Registered Office of the Association
(1) The name of the association is “Initiative Kiel-Canal”.
(2) The association has its registered office in Kiel.
(3) The association shall be entered into the register of associations. After registration it shall bear the suffix “e.V.”.
§ 2 Purpose of the Association
(1) Purpose of the association is to support the maintenance and the increase in traffic infrastructure efficiency of the Kiel Canal and its locks.
(2) The association realizes the purpose of the association in particular by influencing decision-makers in politics and administration with the aim of improving the infrastructural condition of the Kiel Canal and aligning organizational efficiency of its administration to the needs of its users. The association also informs the public about the importance of the Kiel Canal.
§ 3 Application for Membership
Members may be companies, chambers, associations, statutory bodies, municipalities, counties, other public authorities and individuals. An applicant for membership shall submit a written application for membership to the association. The executive committee will decide on the application. The committee may reject the requested membership in writing within one month after receipt of the application.
§ 4 Termination of Membership
(1) A member may at any time declare its withdrawal from the association. Required is a written statement to a member of the executive committee, within a notice period of a quarter of a year-end.
(2) A member may be expelled from the association, if it has failed grossly against the interests of the association. The exclusion is decided by the executive committee. The decision shall be communicated to the member in writing.
§ 5 Fees
Each member shall pay a membership fee. The amount is determined in the dues schedules. The fee is to be paid annually within the first month of each year and is payable for the full year of entry. If the volume is not sufficient to defray the cost, the executive committee is authorised to charge a one-time allocation of a maximum of two years membership fees. New members have to pay the annual fee and any charges in addition to this apportionment in full.
§ 6 General Meeting
(1) The ordinary General Meeting takes place annually. An Extraordinary General Meeting must be convened, if the interests of the association require it or one-tenth of the members demand it by stating the purpose and reasons.
(2) The General Meeting is convened by the executive committee in writing. A period of three weeks must elapse between the sending of the invitation to the last address the association knows of the member and the meeting. The invitation must contain time, place and agenda of the general meeting.
(3) The General Meeting shall be chaired by the chairman of the association and in his absence by another member of the executive committee. In case all committee members are prevented from attending, the General Meeting elects the chairman of the Meeting from among its members.
(4) Any duly invited General Meeting has a quorum. Resolutions of the General Meeting shall be adopted by a simple majority of the votes cast. Abstentions and invalid votes are not counted. Changes of the regulations need a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast. The same applies to a change of the association’s purpose, dissolution, and the merger of the association. The right to vote is only subject to members who have paid their membership fee. Applications of members have to be submitted to the executive committee in writing at least 14 days before a General Meeting.
(5) The method of voting shall be determined by the chairman. The election must be by secret ballot, if required by ten percent of the attendant members.
(6) The decisions of the General Meeting have to be summarised in a written protocol, which shall be signed by the chairman or one of his deputies and the secretary. In the protocol, time and place of the meeting as well as results of each vote have to be recorded.
(7) The General Meeting is responsible for the following matters:
§ 7 Board
(1) The Board is responsible for the day to day management and for all tasks that are not assigned to another body of the association.
(2) The Board comprises the Chairman, two Vice Chairmen, the Treasurer, the Secretary and up to three assessors.
(3) The Board according to § 26 BGB [German Civil Code] comprises the Chairman and the two Vice Chairmen. Respectively two members of the board jointly represent the association judicially and extra judicially. Internally the two Vice Chairmen are authorised to represent the association only in case the Chairman is unavailable.
(4) Any members of the board must be members of the association. They are elected by the General Meeting for a five-year period. Board members retain their function even beyond the mandate until a new board has been elected. If a Board member resigns prior to the end of the mandate, the Board may elect a replacement member for a period running until the next ordinary general meeting. If a board member representing an institutional member of the association loses its professional function, it resigns from the Board at this point of time. The respective institutional member has the right of proposal for a succession until the end of the mandate. The Board decides about this proposal.
§ 8 Dissolution
The dissolution can only be decided by an Extraordinary General Meeting convened specifically for this purpose with a one month period of notice. The assembly also decides about the way of liquidation and the use of any remaining property.
The Statues of the Association submitted on 10th December 2012 have been amended by decision of the General Meeting dated 17th April 2013 with regard to paragraphs 3 (Application of Membership), 6 (4) (General Meeting) and 7 (3) (Board) prior to entry into the register of associations.
Note: This translation of the German Statues has been drafted in April 2014. It is intended for informative purposes only. The German version of the Statues of the Association shall be the binding one and apply in case of any doubts.
