THE BYLAWS OF THE BALKAN HISTORY ASSOCIATION
Ch. I. General Provisions
Art. 1. The name of this association shall be ‘Balkan History Association’ according to registration no. 159026 issued on the 15th of February 2017 by the Ministry of Justice. The abbreviation used will be BHA.
Art. 2. The BHA seal and logo shall be determined by the General Assembly.
Art. 3. The Balkan History Association headquarters is in …, and may be changed based on the decision of the General Assembly or the Executive Board. Also, with the consent of the simple majority of the General Assembly, branches may be opened in other towns in Romania or abroad.
Art. 4. The duration of the association shall be indefinite.
Ch. II. Purpose of the Association
Art. 5. The Balkan History Association aims at:
a) developing and promoting interdisciplinary research in the field of Balkan history, especially in the following sub-disciplines: political history, cultural history, social history, oral history, history of science, prehistory, economic history, urban history, communication history, archaeology;
b) coordinating university and extra-university concerns within the framework of historical sciences, with a view to establishing a specialized community capable of meeting the requirements in this field at regional and international level;
c) promoting scientific and rational thinking, freedom of thought and expression, human values;
d) formation of the scientific personality of young historians;
e) collaboration with pre-university and higher education institutions in Romania and other countries.
Ch. III. Objectives of the Balkan History Association
Art. 6. In order to achieve the aim pursued, the Balkan History Association carries out the following activities:
a) provides a framework for the scientific activity of its members, in all fields of history related to the Balkan region;
b) publishes and disseminates specialized works and publications in any medium (printed and online). Any revenue arising from the marketing of these publications shall constitute funds to be managed with the consent of the General Assembly;
c) organizes scientific meetings (national and international symposia, conferences, debates and congresses, both in Romania and in other countries);
d) encourages the international exchange of scientific materials at institutional level and facilitates an efficient connection to international scientific circles;
e) establishes connections and collaborations with other institutions and associations with related profile, within Romania and abroad, by organizing communication sessions and conferences;
f) designs, maintains and updates a web page intended exclusively for the Association;
g) edits specialized translations and scientific, methodological and methodical works;
h) establishes a digital library, which provides the opportunity to consult some papers and periodicals;
i) out of income, it supports and encourages any kind of research and study activities in the field of local, national or regional history, by granting scholarships;
j) offers awards, organizes national and international competitions.
Ch. IV. Patrimony of the Balkan History Association
Art. 7. The initial assets is 200 (two hundred) RON, according to the bank statement of … bank … subsidiary … sector … Bucharest.
Ch. V. Categories of Association’s Patrimonial Sources
Art.8. Funding of the maintenance and functioning expenses of BHA shall be ensured by:
a) the annual subscriptions of the members of the Association;
b) subsidies;
c) sponsorships in Romania or abroad;
d) other sources obtained from natural or legal persons in the country or abroad, in the form of donations or copyrights;
e) resources obtained from the state budget and/or from local budgets;
f) other revenues allowed by law.
Art. 9. The BHA may establish, according to the law, subsidiaries with exclusive capital from the Association, made from income or from donations, as well as in association with other capital, and by concluding cooperation agreements with other legal entities, Romanian or foreign.
Art.10. BHA may acquire and purchase movable and immovable goods from natural persons, legal persons, and associations in Romania and abroad, exercising their possession and use, for purposes determined by the governing bodies of the Association.
Ch. VI. Membership
Ways of Acquiring and Losing Membership
Art. 11. The members of the Association are:
a) the founding members;
b) Honorary members;
c) Individual members.
Art.12. The founding members are the persons who have taken part in the establishment of the Association.
Art.13. Eligible to be honorary members are persons who by their activities, support BHA activity or have registered outstanding scientific achievements.
Art.14. Honorary Membership shall be granted by the President, on the proposal of at least three members of the Association’s leadership.
Art.15. Honorary Membership is proven by the diploma issued by the Association. The diplomas will be recorded, serially numbered, and bestowed on honorary members after their validation by the Executive Board.
Art.16. Any natural person in Romania or abroad who accepts the current bylaws and supports the Association’s objectives and who has published, in any form, o specialized works on Balkan history may become a member of the BHA. Specialized works include studies, books, translations, CDs and films on scientific topics and/or scientific content.
Art. 17. Membership can be obtained by a request to the President, accompanied by the recommendation of a member of the Association and a Curriculum Vitae including a list of publications. The application for membership shall be approved after the General Assembly has verified the conditions required by the Bylaws. Once accepted and affiliated with BHA, any new member will pay an enrolment fee to be determined by the General Assembly.
Art. 18. Individual members may be:
a) professors, associate professors and assistants;
b) scholars in historical institutes, archivists, curators, librarians and other professionals in the field of history;
c) PhD students, master’s students, students.
Art. 19. The membership of the Association shall be forfeited:
- a) by exclusion, in the following cases:
a.1) bringing moral and financial damage;
a.2) violation of the Bylaws and rules recognized by the Association in its own internal regulations on its organization and functioning, approved by the governing bodies, as well as conviction for criminal deeds;
b) following the lack of any scientific activity;
c) on request, communicated in writing to the Executive Board. The right to withdraw is unconditional. The applicant shall be granted a 5-day reflection period before such withdrawal is deemed final.by not paying the fee for 2 years.
d) by not paying the fee for one year;
e) through repeated unmotivated absence from the General Assembly (more than two consecutive absences), with the exception of honorary members;
Art. 20. Exclusion from the Association of a member shall be decided by the Executive Board following a written notification to the Executive Board by a Board member or other BHA member, with a statement of reasons for the proposed exclusion.
Ch. VII. Rights and Obligations of Members
Art. 21. The members of the Association have the following rights:
a) to elect and to be elected to the governing bodies of BHA;
b) propose to the General Assembly measures to improve the BHA’s activity;
c) to be informed about the events organized by BHA and/or which the Association is co-organizer;
d) to participate as delegates to the manifestations that are part of the BHA’s achievements;
e) to take part in BHA activities in Romania or abroad;
f) to contribute to BHA’s publications;
g) to be invited by other similar organizations in Romania or abroad for exchange of experience;
h) to invite, with the consent of the Executive Board, researchers, and cultural figures from Romania and abroad to participate in the events organized by BHA.
Art. 22. BHA members have the following obligations:
a) to participate in scientific activities at the local, national, regional and international level organized by BHA;
b) to contribute to the achievement of the BHA’s objectives;
c) to contribute to the development of the BHA’s assets, to protect its material basis of the Association, to pay the annual contribution established by the General Assembly.
Ch. VIII. Management, Administration and Control Bodies
Art. 23. The BHA’s governing, management and control bodies are: a) the General Assembly; b) the Executive Board; c) The Auditor.
Ch. IX. General Assembly
Art. 24. The General Assembly is the governing body of the Balkan History Association, comprising all members.
Art. 25. The General Assembly shall hold one ordinary session at least once a year, and extraordinary sessions whenever necessary. The General Assembly shall be legally constituted if it meets the necessary quorum of half the membership plus one. If the first call fails to meet the required quorum, the General Assembly will be suspended and reconvened at a later date, not earlier than 7 days and no later than 30 days from the date of the first convocation.
Art. 26. For the validity of the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly it is required:
a) the presence of at least half plus one of its members;
b) the decisions to be taken by a majority of the votes cast by at least one half plus one of the members present. In the event of parity, the BHA Chairman may decide;
c) the date on which the Ordinary General Assembly is convened shall be established by the Executive Board and members shall be notified at least one month before the meeting, by written notice, by phone, by e-mail or on the Association’s website;
d) members may vote in the General Assembly either personally or through representation, and before the General Assembly, by mail or electronic means. In the case of voting by representation, the power of attorney can be downloaded from the BHA website and sent by post to the Association’s headquarters, or sent by e-mail, signed and scanned. In order to exercise the right to vote by representation, the principal will give the person who represents him (agent) all the specific instructions for each point entered on the agenda. From the members, one person can be designated for representation. The letter of attorney is valid only at the General Assembly meeting for which it was awarded. In order to identify the agent, at the time of attending the meeting, he/she will have the identity document. The principal is obliged to ensure that the power of attorney sent by post or by electronic means must reach the Association no more than 24 hours before the General Assembly. The mailing form can be sent to the BHA headquarters, originally, or by e-mail, scanned, with a signature attached. If the member who has voted by correspondence attends personally or by a representative in the General Assembly, the vote expressed by correspondence is cancelled; only the vote expressed in person or by the representative is considered. The member who has voted by correspondence is obliged to ensure that the form sent by post or e-mail must reach the Association no more than 24 hours before the General Assembly. The members who voted by correspondence are considered to be present in the General Assembly;
e) At proposal submitted for the approval of the General Assembly may be vetoed by any two of the three founding members, if they consider that it is contrary to the interests of the Association or the purpose for which it was established. Such proposal will then not be laid before the General Assembly.
Art. 27. The powers and duties of the General Assembly are as follows:
a) to elect and remove the President of BHA;
b) to elect and remove the members of the Executive Board and determine their functions;
c) to elect and remove the Auditor or the Audit Committee, as the case may be;
d) to approve or modify the BHA’s activity plan proposed by the Executive Board;
e) to approve the revenue and expenditure budget and the balance sheet drawn up by the Executive Board;
f) to determine the amount of the membership fee and the subscription the frequency with the subscription shall be paid, whether monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually, and the period of grace within which the subscription can be paid without loss of membership of the Association;
g) to amend the certificate of incorporation and bylaws, on the initiative of the Executive Board or at least one-third of the BHA members, and with the vote of at least two-thirds of those present at the meeting;
h) to set up subsidiaries in Romania or abroad;
i) to decide the dissolution and liquidation of the Association, and determine the destination of the remaining assets after liquidation;
j) to take any other measure not reserved by the articles of association to the competence of another body.
Ch. X. Executive Board
Art. 28. The Executive Board is the executive management body of the BHA activity, made up of three members elected from among the members of the General Assembly, as follows: President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer. The number of members of the Executive Board may be amended by the General Assembly. The term office shall be four years. No person may hold the same position in the Executive Board for more than two consecutive terms.
Art. 29. The duties of the Executive Board shall be as follows:
a) to draw up a programme of work and the budget of income and expenses, which shall be subject to the approval of the General Assembly;
b) to consider and approve the proposals of the President of the association regarding its current activities, as well as the organization of the activities;
c) to draw up an annual report on the activity of the BHA;
d) to establish the organizational structure and attributes of the functional compartments;
e) to decide, where appropriate, to change the BHA headquarters;
f) to perform such other functions as may be established by the General Assembly;
g) to decide on the acceptance and exclusion of individual members, in accordance with the stipulations of Chap. VI (Art. 19). The validity of these decisions requires the agreement of all members of the Executive Board.
Art. 30. The Executive Board shall meet each quarter, at its ordinary meetings, as well as at the request of the President. The decisions taken shall be recorded in writing and confirmed with the agreement of all three members; a member who cannot be present at the meeting, for objective reasons, shall be informed of the decisions and invited to concurt.
Art. 31. Any member of the Executive Board who is absent without leave from three consecutive meetings or from four meetings in a year shall forfeit membership thereof; a new member may elected by the Council subject to confirmation at the next General Assembly.
Art. 32. The Executive Board may by unanimous consent veto a decision of the General Assembly.
Art. 33. The President is elected by the majority of the General Assembly for a term of four (4) years. His duties are as follows:
a) to coordinate the work of the Executive Board and the BHA, which he represents in national and international relations;
b) to oversee relations between the BHA and similar organizations;
c) to answer for the BHA in its dealings with third parties.
Art. 34. The Vice-President shall cooperate with the President to carry out the BHA’s activity. The term of office is four (4) years.
Art. 35. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall perform all his or her duties, and shall enjoy the right of signature on documents pertaining to the BHA’s activity The right of signature may be transferred to the Vice-President for a limited period of up to a maximum of three months.
Art. 36. The Secretary-Treasurer is responsible for the administration of the assets and funds of the Association, with the obligation to draw up the minutes of all meetings of the governing bodies and to collect all contributions. The Secretary-Treasurer is also responsible for drafting reports on the financial situation and creating an archive of sponsors and potential sponsors.
Art. 37. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be appointed by the Executive Board on the President’s proposal by a simple majority of votes. The term of office is four (4) years.
Art. 38. The financial activity of the Association shall be verified by an Auditor, who shall operate according to law. The Auditor provides the internal financial control of the Association and is appointed by the General Assembly. If necessary, the General Assembly may approve the establishment of an Audit Committee, consisting of three members, to take over the tasks of auditing the activity of the Association. The Audit Committee must include at least one member of the Association and one accountant.
Art. 39. Any member who is not a member of the Executive Board may exercise the right of internal financial control for the entire period of time during which the Association has no designated Auditor.
Art. 40. Art. 40. If the number of BHA members exceeds fifteen, the internal financial control shall be mandatorily exercised by an Auditor, who may be appointed only by the General Assembly, for a period of two years.
Art. 41. The responsibilities of the Auditor are the following:
a) to verify the administration of the BHA’s assets;
b) to prepare reports on the financial activity of BHA, and present them to the General Assembly;
c) to check the balance sheets drawn up by the Secretary-Treasurer.
Ch. XII. Final and Transitory Provisions
Art. 42. The Balkan History Association has a bank account.
Art. 43. The termination of BHA’s activity may take place only as a result of the dissolution decided by a four-fifths majority of the members of the General Assembly. In case of dissolution of the Association, the assets left after the dissolution shall be handed over to a non-profit legal person, to be appointed by the General Assembly, by a majority vote of the members present at the dissolution meeting.
Art. 44. The founding members may exercise their veto power if the General Assembly decides to dissolve the BHA or merge with another Association.
Art. 45. The present bylaws were adopted by the founding members of the Balkan History Association today, the 31st of March, 2017 in Bucharest, in 11 original copies, of which 10 were handed to the parties today, the 31st of March.
Art. 46. This Statute shall be supplemented by the provisions of the Association Act and the other applicable legal provisions.
Founding members:
Dragnea Mihai ______________________________
Lepăr Ana-Maria ___________________________
Zamfir Constantin _______________________