CODIFICATION OF THE STATUTORY OF THE SOCIETY THAT IS RUNNING IN ATHENS UNDER THE NAME "HELLENIC ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY" AFTER ITS AMENDMENTS BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF 8th OCTOBER 2015.
Name - Headquarters - Purpose
Article 1
A non-profit association with the title "ELΛΛΛΝIKHIKI ZOOLOGIKI ETAPEIA HELLENIC ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY" is hereby established in Athens with its headquarters in Athens. Its purpose is the promotion of Zoology and the protection of the fauna of Greece.
Article 2
In order to achieve this purpose, the activities of the Society shall be the collection of the scientific literature related to the fauna of Greece, its promotion, its coordination, the provision of information to those responsible for anything related to fauna and its protection, the exchange of information, the organization of symposia, conferences, lectures and discussions, the publication of papers, studies, journals or the support for their publication, as well as the assistance of any other kind of activity that contributes to the achievement of its objectives.
Article 3
The Association may, by decision of the General Assembly, establish local or other committees and sections of studies and researches either in Greece or elsewhere. It may also, by decision of the General Assembly, purchase, lease in any area suitable for the achievement of its purpose, an area of land with or without facilities or buildings, or proceed to the construction of such facilities, permanent or temporary, under whatever terms and conditions and agreements it decides. It may also purchase instruments or apparatus or any other means to assist it in the fulfilment of its objects.
Members of the Association
Article 4
Its members shall be divided into full members, corresponding members and alternate members. Regular and corresponding members shall be those who have a documented scientific activity in zoological matters. Associate members shall be those interested in the aims of the Association, provided they are of legal age.
shall be ratified by the Board of Directors after examination of the application for membership submitted to it. Members shall be required to pay an annual financial contribution, the amount and methods of payment of which shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting. Corresponding members are those members who reside permanently abroad, are invited to General Assemblies if they are in Greece, are entitled to vote, but are not counted for the purposes of quorum. Associate members shall participate in discussions but shall not vote and shall not count towards the quorum.
Article 5
They shall cease to be members of the Association:
Those who withdraw or resign (in compliance with article 87 of the Greek Civil Code) Those who are deleted if there is a good reason.Those who have not settled their financial obligations for more than three years and do not take care to settle them after written notification.
In case A, the Board of Directors decides sovereignly, in case B, the General Assembly decides upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors and imposes the definitive deletion and expulsion of the member in accordance with the provisions of Article 88 of the Code.
Article 6
In addition to the members, the Association may, following a decision of the Board of Directors, hire paid or unpaid employees or scientific collaborators.
Article 7
Resources of the Association are:According to Article 4, contributions of members.Voluntary contributions paid once or periodically.Donations of any kind, inheritances and legacies.Amounts derived from sales of general publications of the Association.Any grants from public or private sources? Any other, according to the laws, income
Administration - General Assemblies
Article 8
The Association is governed by a Board of Directors (BOD) consisting of seven (7) members. It shall be elected every three (3) years by the General Assembly, which shall be convened for this purpose, by ballot by secret ballot. Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by a single ballot which shall include those voting members who submit a written nomination to the Secretary of the Association no later than two days prior to the date of the election. The Board of Directors so elected shall meet in executive session, in the custody of the member having obtained a majority vote, within 15 days of the election and shall elect from among its members a President, Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer. The term of office of the members of the Board of Directors shall be three (3) years, beginning on the 1st of the month following the month in which the election is held and ending on the last day of the month in which the election is held.
The three-year term of office of each member of the Board of Directors according to the above may be extended until the next General Assembly. Outgoing members shall be eligible for re-election.
The members of the Board of Directors shall be jointly and severally liable to the Association for any losses incurred by the Association through negligence or misconduct and may be removed by the General Assembly by a resolution passed by an absolute majority of the members present. However, a two-thirds (2/3) majority of two-thirds (2/3) of those present shall be required for the recall of the President.
Article 9
The Board of Directors shall responsibly manage the Association in accordance with the laws and the Statutes and shall decide on all matters relating to the fulfilment of the objectives pursued, manage the Association's property, take all appropriate measures
to deal with and resolve the various issues concerning it.
The Board of Directors shall meet regularly at least once every six months following an invitation signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Secretary General and indicating the items on the agenda, in an extraordinary meeting whenever the need arises or when requested in writing and for the discussion of a specific issue by at least two members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum if half plus one of its members are present at the meeting. Decisions of the Board of Directors shall be taken by a majority of those present and in the event of a tie, the Chairman(s) shall have the casting vote.
A member who is prevented from attending or absent may be represented at meetings of the Board of Directors by a special letter of authorisation. The number of members so represented may not exceed two. A member may represent up to two members in accordance with the foregoing.
In the event of the resignation of one or two members of the Governing Board, their places shall automatically be taken by the first in the order of the successful candidates.
If there are three or more resigning members, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within 30 days to elect a new member.
General Assemblies
Article 14
The General Assemblies shall be divided annually into: a) ordinary, and b) extraordinary.
α) The Ordinary General Assembly shall meet once a year, compulsorily in the month in which the last elections were held, at a place determined by the Board of Directors and for the reasons stated below.
b) Extraordinary General Meetings may meet more than once a year for the reasons set out below if deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, or if requested by 1/10 of the members in good standing.
General Assemblies shall be called by the President at least one month before the meeting by invitations, (printed or electronic by e-mail). However, in urgent cases, the month may be reduced to one week. The invitation to a General Meeting may be published in Athens newspapers twice 10 days before the General Meeting. During the ordinary General Assembly, the items on the agenda are discussed, among which must necessarily be included:
Accountability for the activities of the Board of Directors, and triennial elections for the election of a new Board of Directors and Audit CommitteeAccounting for the expired Financial YearBudget for the new year to be approved by the General Assembly, which is prepared by the Board of Directors, Every three years, the members of the Audit Committee for the following year, as well as any alternate members, shall be elected by secret ballot, together with the members elected for the new Board of Directors.
Extraordinary General Assemblies shall be held whenever the Board of Directors deems it necessary or whenever one tenth (1/10) of the members in good standing request it in writing to the Board of Directors. The President(s) shall convene the General Meeting within the time limits specified above from the date of service of the request. If the President(s) or the Vice President(s) refuse to convene the General Meeting or are absent, the General Meeting shall be convened as prescribed by law.
Article 15
Decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by an absolute majority of the members present, which shall include those legally represented, but the representative of those who are absent or unable to attend may not represent more than two (2) members.
Resolutions shall be null and void if the General Assembly did not have a quorum, which is defined as follows:
At the first General Meeting, 1/3 of the total number of full members of those with voting rights must be present; if a quorum is not reached at the first General Meeting, a second General Meeting shall be convened on exactly the same issues, at the same place, in exactly one week, at which ¼ of the total number of full members with voting rights must be present.
If a quorum is not present at the second General Assembly, the second General Assembly shall be convened.
Elections
Article 16
By elections we mean the election by secret ballot and by ballots at the first triennial General Assembly of the Board of Directors and the three-member Audit Committee, whose term of office is the same as that of the Board of Directors. Candidates for the positions of the seven full members of the Board of Directors and their three alternates, as well as three members of the Audit Committee and their two alternates, may be all full members in good standing with voting rights. Elections shall be held before a three-member Election Committee, elected by the General Assembly by secret ballot, namely a scrutineer and two scrutineers.
Members in good standing shall be entitled to vote in the elections in person or by sending their ballot papers in a sealed envelope. The ballot papers shall be cast in a ballot box.
Final provisions
Article 17
The report of the General Assemblies and the accounts shall be sent annually to all members of the Association.
Following a decision by the General Assembly of the Association, the Association may join international associations or organisations pursuing similar objectives, and, following approval by the General Assembly of its members, the Association may regulate its internal functioning by means of Regulations.
A decision to amend the Statutes or to dissolve the Association shall require a resolution of the General Assembly in the presence of at least half of the regular members in good standing, and a majority of at least 3/4 of those present. In the event of dissolution, the General Assembly shall decide on the fate of the Association's property, which may be transferred to one or more Associations or Organisations pursuing similar objectives. The Association shall be dissolved for the reasons set out in Article 105 of the CC.
Article 18
The Association shall have its own round seal bearing around it the words "HELLENIC ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY". Anything not provided for by the present Statutes shall be regulated in accordance with the provisions of the laws relating to Associations and the Civil Code.
Article 19
The present Statutes, which contain nineteen (19) articles, after the amendment made and approved by the General Assembly convened for this purpose, shall come into force as of the registration of the amendments in the approved Book of Recognized Associations of the Athens Court of First Instance.
Athens 8 October 2015
The President
Petros Lyberakis
The Secretary General
Christos Georgiadis