Statutes

(with effect from 19.04.2008)

§ 1 Name, Location and Purpose

1. The organisation is called "Association of higher professions for technology, economy and design", hereafter referred to in short as the Association or BVT.

2. The organisation is located in Karlsruhe, where it is registered with the appropriate register of organisations.

3. The Association aims to promote further education and training based on initial professional education combined with practical training and experience in the fields of technology, economy and design, as well as Continuing Professional Development, and to increase public understanding of further education and training and the related professions, e.g. State-certified Engineer, State-certified Business Manager and State-certified Designer.

4. This purpose is served by:

4.1 general lectures and discussions,

4.2. specialist lectures and discussions,

4.3 an advisory service provided by the Association,

4.4 the editing and production of publications of all kind corresponding to the Association's objectives.

5. Additional means of serving this purpose is by co-operating with other associations, unions, organisations and institutions with comparable objectives or which manage, support or promote further education and training.

6. The Association is not politically, denominationally or economically tied. It works selflessly and pursues exclusively and directly charitable aims in accordance with the tax regulation relating to tax-privileged purposes.

§ 2 Membership

1. To become a full Member of the Association it is necessary to be:

1.1 A graduate of an institution which provides further education and training appropriate to, for example, State-certified Engineers, State-certified Business Managers, State-certified Designers and others.

1.2 A student at a public or a state-certified institution which provides appropriate further education and training corresponding to § 2(1.1).

2. The admission of organisations wishing to join the Association requires a written agreement. Members of such organisations thereby become Members of the Association if their statutes permit it.

3.1 Persons - or legal entities - who do not meet the conditions of admission under § 2(1), but are willing to make a contribution to the Association of an amount equivalent to at least one year's annual subscription, can be admitted as Supporting Members.

3.2 Supporting Members can participate in events organised by the Association or one of its Regional Branches and can hold an advisory or administrative position, but they do not have the right to vote either at a Members' Assembly or at the General Assembly.

4. Individuals showing special dedication to the work of the Association can become Honorary Members.

5.1 Applications for admission must be made in writing to the head office.

5.2 The decision regarding an application is made by the General Secretary or his deputy.

5.3 Should an application be rejected, the final decision rests with the Main Board meeting as a quorum.

6. A Member can be immediately excluded by resolution of the Main Board meeting as a quorum if he offends against the obligations defined in the Statutes.

7. An appeal to the Regional Chairmen's Committee against rejection or exclusion can be made within one month of the receipt of the decision. The lodging of an appeal does not have the effect of postponing a decision. The ultimate decision lies with the Regional Chairmen's Committee meeting as a quorum.

8. On joining the Association, a Member commits himself to recognising the Statutes.

9. The minimum duration of Membership is one calendar year (1.1 - 31.12).

10. Leaving the Association is possible only at the end of the current calendar year, and at least three months' notice must be given to the General Secretariat by registered letter.

11. Student Membership expires at the end of the year in which proof is given that the further education and training was completed before the sitting of the final examination.

12. Full Members are allowed to use the letters BVT after their name, but such letters must not be used after a company's name.

§ 3 Structure - Bodies

1. The Association has Regional Branches as part of its structure.

2. The General Assembly or the Regional Chairmen's Committee meeting as a quorum makes decisions about the setting-up and naming, as well as the closing, of Regional Branches.

3. The bodies of the Regional Branches are:

3.1 the Members' Assembly

3.2 the Regional Board

4. The bodies of the Association are:

4.1 the General Assembly

4.2 the Regional Chairmen's Committee

4.3 the Main Board

4.4 the General Secretariat

4.5 the Advisory Board

4.6 the Auditors

§ 4 Bodies of the Regional Branches

1. The Members' Assembly

1.1 The Regional Branches provide the essential impulse for the Association's work and the formation of opinions. Working Groups of active Members shall discuss and process suggestions appropriate to the objectives of the Association.

1.2 The Members' Assembly is convened by the Chairman of the Regional Branch or one of his deputies annually as the General Assembly of the Regional Branch or for other reasons. On the written application of at least one quarter of the members of a Regional Branch an extraordinary Members' Assembly must be convened. A Member of the Main Board is also authorised to convene the Members' Assembly of a Regional Branch.

1.3 The convening of the Members' Assembly must be announced at least two weeks in advance by written invitation and must include the provisional agenda.

1.4 The Members' Assembly of a Regional Branch discusses and decides upon:

a) the work of the Association in the Regional Branch,

b) requests to the General Assembly according to § 4(1.1),

c) the business report and financial statement of the Regional Board,

d) the approval of the activities of the Regional Board,

e) the election of members of the Regional Board.

1.5 Each full Member has the right to vote at the Members' Assembly; representation of those absent is not permitted. Insofar as it does not contravene the Statutes, voting is effective with a majority of the votes cast. In the event of there being several motions for the same item, that item is agreed for which there are the most votes.

1.6 A written record must be made of the Members' Assembly and of each resolution passed, signed by the Chairman of the Regional Board or one of his deputies. The record must be countersigned by the member voted as Secretary.

2. The Regional Board

2.1 The Regional Board is responsible for managing the Regional Branch according to the requirements of the Statutes and for relevant affairs of the Association. These comprise in particular the appropriate use of finances and the execution of decisions of the Members' Assembly and other bodies of the Association.

2.2 The finances of the Regional Branches must be employed exclusively for constitutional purposes. Members do not receive allowances from the finances of the Association. Persons shall benefit neither from expenses which do not correspond to the purposes of the Association nor from disproportionately high remuneration.

2.3 The Regional Board consists of a Chairman and at least two deputies.

2.4 The Regional Board is elected for a period of four years. Only Members are eligible for election. The person who receives the majority of votes of those present and eligible to vote is elected. After his term of office he carries on business and represents the Regional Branch until new Regional Board elections take place. On the retirement of two Regional Board members, an extraordinary Members' Assembly must be convened to hold an election for their replacement.

2.5 The Chairman or individual members of the Regional Board can be relieved of office by a three-quarters majority of the Members' Assembly and must be replaced by immediate re-election.

§ 5 The Bodies of the Association

1. The General Assembly 1.1 A meeting of the General Assembly must be held every three years. An additional meeting can be convened if at least one fifth of the Members or the Regional Chairmen's Committee or the Main Board meeting as a quorum request such a meeting in writing stating its purpose and reason.

1.2 The General Assembly is convened by the Chairman or one of his deputies with at least six weeks' notice and with the announcement of the provisional agenda. This can be done by publication of a notice in a magazine of the Association.

1.3 The delegates of the Regional Branches together with the Main Board form the General Assembly at which they are eligible to vote. With the approval of the Main Board, only those delegates present are eligible to vote.

1.4 Each Regional Branch appoints as a delegate its Chairman or one of his deputies and at least one full Member.

The total number of delegates is determined as follows:

Number of members of a Regional Branch Number of delegates
up to 300 2
from 301 to 500 3
from 501 to 1000 4
from 1001 to 2000 5

1.5 The General Assembly is the supreme body of the Association; it has the final decision on the affairs of the Association.

1.6 The General Assembly discusses and decides upon:

a) the guidelines of the Association's work,

b) the business report and financial statement of the Main Board,

c) the report of the Auditors,

d) the approval of the Main Board,

e) the election of the Auditors,

f) the election of the members of the Main Board,

g) the financial plan,

h) the membership subscriptions,

i) changes to the Statutes,

j) the liquidation of the Association,

k) requests received by the Main Board in writing up to three months in advance of the General Assembly; see in particular § 4(1.1).

1.7 The General Assembly is quorate if the number of delegates present exceeds by one the number of Board members present.

1.8 The General Assembly chooses one of its elected members to manage the General Assembly in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Standing Orders. Decisions are reached on the basis of a majority of votes cast. In the event of there being several motions for the same item, that item is agreed for which there are the most votes.

Each person eligible to vote is entitled to only one vote; the transfer of votes is not permitted. In the event of a tie, the relevant proposal is rejected.

1.9 To change the Statutes a two-thirds majority is required.

1.10 A record of the General Assembly is required to be written, including following items:

a) venue and date of the General Assembly,

b) statement of the convening of the meeting,

c) number of those present and eligible to vote,

d) decisions made and elections held,

e) results of votes, in any elections with an indication of the proportion of votes cast.

1.11 The record shall be signed by the member of the Main Board voted as Secretary and countersigned by the person managing the meeting and the Chairman.

2. The Regional Chairmen's Committee

2.1 A meeting of the Regional Chairmen's Committee must be held once a year, but an additional meeting must be held if at least one third of the members of the Regional Chairmen's Committee or the Main Board meeting as a quorum requests such a meeting stating its purpose and reason.

2.2 The Regional Chairmen's Committee is convened in writing by the Chairman of the Association or one of his deputies at least four weeks in advance with the announcement of the provisional agenda.

2.3 The Regional Chairmen's Committee is made up of the Chairmen of the Regional Branches or one of their deputies and the Main Board. It constitutes a quorum if the number of those Regional Chairmen present exceeds by one the number of Main Board members present.

2.4 The tasks of the Regional Chairmen's Committee include preparing the General Assembly, advising the Main Board on all matters concerning the Association, and giving advice on the content of the Standing Orders. Between the General Assemblies the Regional Chairmen's Committee decides on the membership subscription by a two-thirds majority.

2.5 Members of the Main Board who retire or have retired from the Main Board because of being relieved of office, resignation or for other reasons can be re-elected by the Regional Chairmen's Committee meeting as a quorum. The person who receives the majority of the votes of those present is elected.

3. The Main Board

3.1 The Main Board consists of a Chairman and six deputies.

3.2 The Chairman and his deputies are elected by the General Assembly. Only Members of the Association are eligible for election. The person who receives the majority of the votes of those present is elected.

3.3 The Chairman and his deputies shall come from different Regional Branches and represent different occupational groups.

3.4 The Chairman and the deputy Chairmen represent the Association legally and otherwise according to § 26 of the appropriate legal code, whereby two Board members together have the right of representation.

3.5 The Main Board is quorate if at least three of its members take part in the voting. The Main Board is responsible for managing the Association according to the requirements of the Statutes and for relevant affairs of the Association. These comprise in particular the appropriate use of finances and the execution of decisions of the Members' Assembly and the Regional Chairmen's Committee.

3.6 It is possible to remove the Chairman or his deputies from office by a two-thirds majority decision of those members of the Regional Chairmen's Committee present and eligible to vote or by a General Assembly convened for this purpose. The bodies referred to must vote meeting as a quorum.

4. The General Secretariat

4.1 The Main Board proposes the General Secretary and his deputy for the general management of the Association. This proposal requires confirmation by the General Assembly.

4.2 The Main Board has the right to employ a qualified person to assist the General Secretary with the management and financial administration. The General Secretary can also be an employee by approval of the General Assembly.

4.3 The General Secretary and his deputy must be invited as advisers to all meetings of the Association's bodies.

5. The Advisory Board

5.1 The Main Board appoints an Advisory Board of professionally qualified persons who are especially supportive of the aims of the Association.

5.2 The members of the Advisory Board can be invited to all meetings of the General Assembly and the Regional Chairmen's Committee.

5.3 It is possible to remove a member of the Advisory Board from office by a two-thirds majority decision of the Main Board.

6. The Auditors

6.1 The General Assembly elects two Auditors. The Auditors are neither members of the Main Board nor members of the General Secretariat and work in an honorary capacity.

6.2 The Auditors check the respective annual accounts of the Association. They are also authorised to audit the finances and book-keeping of the Regional Branches.

6.3 The Auditors report their results to the General Assembly and on request to the Regional Chairmen's Committee.

§ 6 Financial Year, Subscriptions and Finances

1. The Financial Year

1.1 The financial year is the calendar year.

2. Membership Subscription

2.1 The membership subscription is proposed by the Main Board and fixed by the General Assembly or the Regional Chairmen's Committee. It must be paid in advance for the financial year.

2.2 Student Members pay a reduced subscription.

2.3 The procedure for debiting membership subscriptions is defined in the Standing Orders.

2.4 A percentage of the membership subscriptions of the Regional Branches defined by the Regional Chairmen's Committee is allocated for the work of the Regional Branches. The procedure for settlement between the Regional Branch and the Association is defined in the Standing Orders.

2.5 Members who are in arrears despite receipt of a reminder can be restricted in their rights by the General Secretary or his deputy.

3. Finances

3.1 The General Secretariat must report on the finances of the Association to the General Assembly or in response to a request from the Main Board or the Regional Chairmen's Committee.

3.2 Subscriptions and allowances are exclusively and directly used for the charitable aims and activities of the Association according to these Statutes.

§ 7 Changes to the Statutes

1. Changes to the Statutes require a two-thirds majority decision by the General Assembly. Proposals for changes to the Statutes must be made in writing to the Main Board three months in advance.

2. The Main Board has the right formally to modify the Statutes for the purpose of registration in the appropriate register of organisations.

§ 8 Liquidation of the Association

1. The Association can be liquidated by a three-quarters majority decision of the General Assembly.

2. In the event of the liquidation or termination of the Association, the capital must be used for taxed-privileged purposes. Decisions concerning the future use of the capital require the approval of the tax authorities.