Statute

This is an informational translation. The binding text is the Greek original.

Article 1: Establishment, Seat

I. A non-profit Association is hereby established under the name “ΕΘΕΛΟΝΤΕΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΗ”

II. The seat of the Association is the city of Athens.

III. The Association may establish offices in other parts of the country or abroad.

IV. The short name of the Association is ΕΘ.ΚΩ.

V. In the English language the name of the Association is: Voluntaries for Constantinople.

Article 2: Purpose

The purposes of the Association are: 1. Contributing to the preservation of the Greek culture of Constantinople and of the East, 2. Contributing to the continued presence and the well-being of the Greeks of Constantinople in their homeland. 3. Contributing to the preservation of the historical records of Hellenism, 4. Social solidarity with all fellow human beings in need, within and outside Constantinople. 5. Passing on the cultural and civilisational traditions of Hellenism to new generations.

Article 3: Means of Achieving the Purposes

The Association pursues the achievement of its purposes by every lawful means and in particular: 1. By offering volunteer work for the achievement of the purposes of the preceding article, 2. By preparing studies and carrying out research on Hellenism, 3. By organising volunteer missions to offer voluntary service in Constantinople and elsewhere, 4. Cooperation with associations of Constantinople and with Greek charitable (pious) foundations in Constantinople, 5. Organisation of seminars, lectures and training courses, 6. Study and documentation of historical archives, 7. Organisation of events of an educational and recreational nature.

Article 4: Members

I. The members of the Association are divided into Full and Probationary members:

1. Full members are the founding members, as well as those who offer volunteer work within the framework of the purposes of the Association of a total duration of at least 2 months within a period of 3 years and who have also cooperated with associations of Constantinople.

2. Probationary members are persons who declare that they wish to offer volunteer services within the framework of the purposes of the Association. They become full members by decision of the Board of Directors (B.D.), provided that they complete the period of volunteer service referred to in subpara. 1.1. of this article and also agree to contribute to the achievement of the purposes of the Association.

Probationary members have no right to vote nor the right to be elected among the elected members of the Association. They may attend the meetings of the General Assembly (G.A.) and express views and opinions.

II. Every registration of a member is decided by the Board of Directors of the Association upon an application by the person concerned, in which the electronic address is also declared to which documents of every kind addressed to that person, e.g. invitations etc., shall be notified.

Article 5: Rights of Full Members

I. The full members of the Association are entitled:

a. To participate on an equal footing in the General Assemblies, provided that they have fulfilled their financial obligations towards the Association.

b. To express their views by vote.

c. To elect the organs of the Association.

d. To stand as candidates for participation in the organs of the Association.

e. To enjoy the benefits and every right arising from their status as members of the Association.

f. To withdraw from the Association freely.

II. Members of the Association who withdraw may be re-registered.

Article 6: Obligations of Members

I. The members of the Association are obliged: a. To contribute to the fulfilment of the purposes of the Association, b. To attend the meetings of the Association, c. To participate in the activities of the Association, d. To pay their one-off registration amount to the Association, e. To pay their monetary subscription and any extraordinary contributions to the Association, f. To show collegial conduct and solidarity towards one another, g. To comply with the legislation concerning Associations and with the provisions of the Statute, the principles of the Association and the decisions of the Board of Directors and of the General Assembly of the members.

II. Every breach of the provisions of the law concerning Associations and of the Statute entails disciplinary control of those responsible.

Article 7: Disciplinary Control

I. Disciplinary control is exercised by the Board of Directors and, in exceptional cases, at its discretion, by the General Assembly of the members, and consists of: a. A reprimand, b. Temporary expulsion from the Association for a period of up to one year, c. Definitive removal from the Association.

II. The disciplinary procedure is initiated by the Board of Directors or on the instruction of the General Assembly.

IV. Against the decision of the Board of Directors imposing disciplinary sanctions, an appeal lies to the General Assembly within two (2) months.

V. Decisions concerning the exercise of disciplinary control are taken by secret ballot.

Article 8: Removal of Members

I. The Board of Directors may, for serious cause, among those referred to in the Statute and in the relevant legislation concerning Associations, decide on the removal of a member from the Association.

II. The removal of a member is decided in particular:

a. If for three (3) years the member has not fulfilled their financial obligations towards the Association, b. If the member does not participate actively in the achievement of the purposes of the Association.

III. Against the decision of the Board of Directors removing a member, an appeal lies to the Court.

IV. A member who has been removed is re-registered by decision of the Board of Directors, provided that the grounds for removal have ceased to exist or those that remain are by then insignificant.

Article 9: Resources of the Association

The resources of the Association are:

a. The regular annual subscriptions of the members and their one-off registration amount, b. The extraordinary contributions of the members, c. The income deriving from the property of the Association, d. Donations, inheritances and legacies to the Association, e. Participation in funded development and research programmes.

Donations are accepted by decision of the Board of Directors and, in case of disagreement, by decision of the General Assembly of the members.

The level of the amounts under items a and b is determined by decision of the General Assembly upon a proposal of the Board of Directors.

Article 10: Financial Management

I. The management of the finances of the Association is carried out on the basis of the budget of revenue and expenditure, which is drawn up by the Board of Directors and approved by the General Assembly, and is valid from 1 January to 31 December of each year.

II. Until the budget of the new year is approved, receipts and payments may be made on the basis of the budget of the previous year.

III. The statement of accounts of each year, together with the report of the Audit Committee, must be submitted for approval to the General Assembly within three (3) months of the end of the financial year.

IV. Resources are collected after a duplicate receipt has been issued in each case, stamped with the seal of the Association and signed by the Treasurer and the President of the Board of Directors.

V. Out of the resources, a sum of up to 500 Euros is kept in the Association’s cash box and the remainder is deposited in a bank account in the name of the Association.

VI. Payments and transfers of money from the bank account are made by electronic transaction by the authorised member of the B.D. or their alternate.

VII. Withdrawals of money are made by the authorised member of the B.D. or their alternate.

Article 11: General Assembly

I. The General Assembly is the supreme and sovereign organ of the Association. Through it the will of the members is expressed.

II. It is composed of the Chair and the Secretary, who are elected by the members present before the opening of the proceedings of the Assembly, and of the members of the Association present.

III. The General Assembly meets in ordinary session once (1) a year within the first quarter of the year, and in extraordinary session when the Board of Directors so requests.

IV. The convening of the General Assembly may also be requested by the full members of the Association by written application of one fifth (1/5) of the full members, as well as by the Audit Committee in the event of irregularities in management. The application for convening is addressed to the Board of Directors and must state the matters to be discussed. In both these cases, the Board of Directors must convene the General Assembly within ten (10) days. In the event of inaction or refusal, the Court decides on the convening.

V. Full members are summoned to the General Assembly by individual invitations signed by the President and the Secretary General of the Board of Directors at least ten (10) days in advance. Invitations may be sent by electronic mail. Probationary members are summoned by any appropriate means.

VI. The invitation states the items on the agenda as well as the time and place of the meeting of the General Assembly.

VII. The General Assembly discusses exclusively the matters stated in the invitation. These are determined by decision of the Board of Directors either on its own initiative or where they are proposed by at least one fifth (1/5) of the number of full members, and indeed ten days before the discussion.

Article 12: Meeting of the General Assembly

I. The members of the Association attend the General Assembly in person and sign the relevant Book.

II. The General Assembly has a quorum if at least one half (1/2) of the full members who are up to date with their financial obligations are present.

If no quorum is formed at the first Assembly, a new Repeat Assembly is convened with exactly the same matters after at least seven (7) days, and it has a quorum with however many members attend.

III. Decisions are taken by an absolute majority of the full members present, by open vote. In the event of a tie, the vote of the Chair of the Assembly prevails.

IV. The decisions of the General Assembly of the members that relate to elections, to the election of organs of the Association, to matters of confidence, to the approval of the accounts

VII. Decisions taken in breach of the provisions of this Statute are deemed void.

VIII. The minutes of the meeting are signed by the Chair and the Secretary of the General Assembly and are handed over to the Secretary General for safekeeping.

Article 13: Competences of the General Assembly

I. The General Assembly, when in session, discusses the matters brought before it for discussion.

II. Matters rejected by the General Assembly may be discussed again.

III. The General Assembly has general competence.

IV. Matters discussed exclusively by the General Assembly are:

a. Approval of the statement of accounts, b. Account of the work of the Board of Directors after the end of each year, c. The election of members of the Board of Directors, d. The election of members of the Audit Committee, e. The election of members of the electoral committee when elections are held, f. The decision on participation in second-level associations, k. The supervision and control of the administration of the Association, l. The amendment of the Statute of the Association, m. The approval of internal regulations, n. The suspension of the activities of the Association, o. The dissolution of the Association

Article 14: Board of Directors

I. The Association is governed by a five-member (5) Board of Directors consisting of one (1) President, one (1) Vice-President, one (1) Secretary General, one (1) Treasurer and one (1) Member, all of whom are unpaid and are elected by the General Assembly of the members of the Association from among the full members, together with three (3) alternates.

II. Members of the Board of Directors who leave office are replaced for their term by the alternate members in the order of their election.

III. The offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary General and Treasurer may not be held by the same person.

IV. The members of the Board of Directors are jointly and severally liable for the conduct of the affairs of the Association, unless they were present when a specific decision was taken and disagreed, and their disagreement was recorded in the minutes.

V. The Board of Directors meets in ordinary session once (1) a month, and in extraordinary session when the President deems it necessary or three (3) of its members request it in writing. It has a quorum if at least four (4) of its members are present.

VI. The President, when absent or prevented, is replaced in turn by the Vice-President or the eldest of the Members.

VII. Decisions are taken by a majority of the members present and, in the event of a tie, the vote of the President prevails.

VIII. For each meeting the members are notified at least five (5) days in advance by invitations sent by electronic mail, which also state the items on the agenda.

IX. In wholly exceptional cases the members are summoned even on the same day as the meeting, by any means.

Article 15: Competences of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors: a. Governs the Association, b. Exercises disciplinary control over the members of the Association and, where it is unable to do so, this control is exercised by the General Assembly, c. Decides on the registration of members as well as on their removal, d. Through the President and the Secretary General, convenes the meetings of the General Assembly, e. Implements the decisions of the General Assembly, f. Ensures compliance with the provisions of the Statute, g. Informs the State Authorities, in accordance with the law, on matters required by law, h. Appoints Committees from among the members of the Association to deal with matters of the Association, i. Manages the property of the Association, j. Decides on the allocation of expenditure for the achievement of the purposes of the Association, k. Determines and prioritises the matters that the Association carries out, l. Determines the amount of the registration fee of the members of the Association as well as the extraordinary contributions, and in general adjusts the monetary amounts referred to in the Statute to new circumstances, by a majority of five sevenths (5/7), and where it does not achieve this majority at two (2) successive meetings the matter is referred to the General Assembly of the members.

m. Decides on the representation of the Association before third parties and the State Authorities.

Article 16: Competences of the President

I. The President:

a. Convenes, together with the Secretary General, the Board of Directors and the General Assemblies of the members in ordinary or extraordinary session.

b. Ensures the implementation of the decisions of the Board of Directors and of the General Assembly of the members.

c. Represents the Association before third parties or the State Authorities, unless the Board of Directors or the General Assembly decides otherwise for a specific case.

d. Concludes and signs contracts, implementing decisions of the Board of Directors.

e. Conducts, with the Secretary General, and signs the correspondence.

f. Monitors and controls the finances of the Association.

g. Signs, with the Treasurer, payment orders and cheques.

h. Signs, with the Treasurer, collection orders.

i. Operates the savings account, co-signing with the Treasurer.

j. Inspects the cash books.

k. Calls upon the Audit Committee to audit the finances of the Association.

l. Decides on the delegation of their competences to the Vice-President.

II. At the meetings of the Board of Directors, the President -when absent or prevented- is replaced in turn by the Vice-President or the eldest of the Members present.

Article 17: Competences of the Secretary General

I. The Secretary General:

a. Directs the Secretariat of the Association, b. Attends to the correspondence of the Association, signing together with the President, c. Keeps the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors, d. Keeps the seal of the Association and stamps the documents, e. Cooperates with the organs of the Association and provides them with every required information, f. Keeps the minutes of the General Assembly, of the Board of Directors and of the electoral committee, as well as the reports of the Audit Committee, g. Is jointly responsible with the President for the accurate keeping of the Books and records of the Association.

II. The Secretary General -when absent or prevented- is replaced by one of the Members designated by the Board of Directors.

Article 18: Competences of the Treasurer

I. The Treasurer:

a. Manages the finances of the Association.

b. Makes payments and collections on the basis of payment orders and receipts signed by the President and by the Treasurer.

c. Operates, with the President, the account that the Association holds with a Bank.

d. Places at the disposal of the Board of Directors, the Audit Committee, the General Assembly and the President, when requested, every information concerning the financial situation of the Association.

e. Keeps the Books prescribed by law and by the Statute and is jointly responsible with the President for the financial situation of the Association.

f. Submits every quarter a summary description of the state of the finances of the Association to the Board of Directors.

II. The Treasurer -when prevented or absent- is replaced by one of the Members designated by the Board of Directors.

Article 19: Election of the Elected Members of the Association – Electoral Committee

I. The elections of the Association for the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee are held every year by secret ballot by the ordinary General Assembly of the Association. Those who wish to be elected members of the Board of Directors or of the Audit Committee submit a relevant application to the Board of Directors within a time limit set by the Board of Directors, on condition that they have fulfilled their financial obligations towards the Association.

II. Applications for candidacy may be submitted only by full members.

III. The names of the candidates, in alphabetical order and separately for the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee, are notified to the members in good time and are entered on the same or on separate ballot papers, at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

IV. The elections are conducted by a three-member electoral committee, which is elected by the ordinary General Assembly of the members of the Association by open vote.

The electoral committee

1. Supervises the conduct of the elections on the basis of the provisions of the law and of this statute.

2. Verifies the eligibility of the members participating in the elections, on the basis of the list of members who are up to date with their payments, which the outgoing Board of Directors is obliged to hand over to it.

3. Rules on every dispute that arises or objection that is raised.

4. Receives, up until the start of the electoral process, the applications of the candidates for their participation in the elections. Simultaneous candidacy by the same member for the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee is not permitted. The members of the electoral committee may not be candidates in the elections.

V. By secret ballot the members of the Association elect the elected members, marking to the left of the name -with a cross- the persons of their preference, at most five (5) for the Board of Directors and two (2) for the Audit Committee.

VI. Those declared successful are those who, in order, have received the most votes. The first five (5) of them constitute the Board of Directors and the next three (3) are alternate members; likewise the first two (2) on the list of the Audit Committee constitute its regular members and the next two (2) the alternates.

VII. In the event of a tie, the successful candidate is determined by lot drawn among those who received an equal number of votes.

VIII. For the conduct of the elections and their results, the Electoral Committee draws up minutes, prepares and signs the voting record, the minutes of the counting of ballot papers and a document declaring those elected, which, after being signed by all the members of the Committee, are handed over to the Secretary General of the outgoing Board of Directors for safekeeping in the archive of the Association.

XV. Those elected to the Board of Directors constitute themselves as a body and allocate among themselves the duties referred to in paragraph I of Article 14, in order to take over the administration of the Association.

Article 20: Audit Committee

I. The Audit Committee is elected by the General Assembly of the members together with the Board of Directors and consists of two members and their two alternates.

II. The Audit Committee audits the financial situation of the Association and draws up a relevant report, which it submits to the General Assembly of the members no later than two (2) months after the end of the financial year.

III. This audit is carried out upon instruction or on its own initiative at any time. An audit is always mandatorily carried out at the end of the financial year, so that the findings of the audit may be brought to the attention of the Association. For this purpose a relevant report is drawn up, which is communicated to the members of the Association at least five (5) days before the convening of the General Assembly.

IV. The Audit Committee, in the event of irregularities in management, requests by a document addressed to the Board of Directors the convening of the General Assembly in order to bring the findings to its attention. In this case the Board of Directors must convene a General Assembly within twenty (20) days.

Article 21: Amendment of the Statute

I. The Association may amend the Statute by convening a General Assembly, on whose agenda the matter of the amendment of the Statute is entered. In the case of its amendment, the presence of at least one half plus one of all members entitled to vote is required, and the relevant decision is taken by a majority of (3/4) of those present

II. Every amendment takes effect from the day following its registration in the public books in accordance with the law.

Article 22: Dissolution of the Association

I. The dissolution of the Association is decided by the General Assembly of the members convened specifically for this purpose. In this case the presence of at least one half plus one of all members entitled to vote is required, and the relevant decision is taken by a majority of (3/4) of those present.

II. The dissolution of the Association is proposed by the Board of Directors or by at least one fifth (1/5) of the number of full members or by the Audit Committee in the event of a serious irregularity in management.

Article 23: Fate of the Property of the Association

In the event of dissolution, the property of the Association is not distributed among its members. The General Assembly of the members decides on its fate. If no relevant decision has been taken, the property of the Association passes to the Ecumenical Federation of Constantinopolitans.

Article 24: Seal, Emblem

I. The Association has a round seal bearing in the centre the year of foundation of the Association and around the edge the name of the Association.

II. The Association may, by a decision to be taken once by the Board of Directors, determine a special emblem as well as amendments to it.

Article 25: Books of the Association

The books kept by the Association are:

- Mandatory

a. Register of members of the Association. All the details of the members that concern the Association are entered in it

b. Book of Minutes of the Board of Directors

c. Book of Minutes of the General Assembly of the members

d. Book of Receipts - Payments.

- Optional:

a. Register of Incoming and Outgoing documents

b. Book (archive) of Incoming and Outgoing documents

c. Book of attendance of members at the General Assembly.

The Association may also keep other Books according to its needs.

Article 26: Digital Operation

The obligations of the members of the Association, as well as the operation of its organs, may also be carried out with the use of digital means. In particular:

i. The elections of the members of the organs of the Association, as well as any other act requiring a vote, may also be carried out electronically, if this is deemed necessary

ii. The books and registers of the Association may also be kept with the use of digital means.

iii. The use of a digital signature is possible for all acts for which there is a relevant legislative provision, and under the terms and conditions laid down in each case.

In the case of co-signature of documents digitally, the signatories sign a single digital file. Where digital signature is possible for only some of the co-signatories, two files are kept, one with all the digital signatures and one with all the physical signatures.

iv. The informing of and communication with the members of the Association, the sessions of all the organs of the Association, in particular of the B.D. and of the committees, as well as every other act relating to the operation of the Association, may also be carried out by digital means. The quorum at the various events is determined by the sum of those present physically and digitally

The details concerning the selection, development, procurement and mode of operation, as well as every other detail concerning the digital platforms and means, are determined by decision of the B.D., following a relevant authorisation by the General Assembly.

Article 27: General Provisions

I. The Association is entitled to participate in wider unions of Associations, such as Federations, that have purposes similar to those of the Association. The General Assembly of the members decides on this. For representation and for the relationship of the organs with the Association, the provisions of this Statute and the relevant laws apply by analogy.

II. Acts of the organs of the Association are valid and binding on the Association, provided that they are decided within the limits of their competence during their term of office.

Article 28: Transitional Provision – Registration Fee – Annual Subscription

The financial contributions of the members of the Association, until a different decision is taken, are set as follows:

a. Registration fee of members in the Association: 15 Euros.

b. Annual subscription of full members: 10 Euros.

c. Annual subscription of probationary members: five Euros.

Article 29

Anything not provided for by this statute, as well as any dispute that may arise in the application of its provisions, is resolved and regulated by the provisions of the Civil Code and the laws in force on Associations.

Article 30: Final Provision

This Statute, consisting of thirty (30) articles, is approved today article by article and as a whole at the Founding Assembly held by online videoconference, as provided for by the Legislative Act of 20/03/2020 (Government Gazette A΄ 68, art. 33 para. 2), by the founding members, and is signed through the gov.gr procedure

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