Statutes of APIMONDIA

As approved by the General Assembly September 2009 Montpellier, France

    Art.1 - Name

Apimondia is the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations and other organisations working within the apiculture sector.

The Federation was founded by resolutions passed at the XIII International Apicultural Congress of 1949 in Amsterdam and is the successor to the International Apiarist Congress Secretariat founded in 1895.

It is an organisation of unlimited duration.

Its activities are regulated by the following articles of the Federation:

     Art. 2 - Offices

The offices of Apimondia are in Rome, Italy. They can be moved by resolution of the General Assembly.

     Art. 3 - Objectives

APIMONDIA exists to promote scientific, technical, ecological, social and economic apicultural development in all countries and the cooperation of beekeepers’ associations, scientific bodies and of individuals involved in apiculture worldwide.

It also aims to put into practice every initiative that can contribute to improving apiculture practice and to rendering the obtained products profitable.

     Art. 4 - Achieving the objectives

Bylaws and guidelines determine how the tasks are to be effected such that the objectives are achieved.

According to the objectives, Apimondia established a foundation - FIITEA - in Romania.

     Art. 5 - Members of Apimondia

Full Members - may be any association or organisation of any country working in the interests of beekeepers and apiculture in line with the objectives of Apimondia, that wish to belong to Apimondia.

Full Members are given a number of votes at the General Assembly according to the number of members and the number of bee colonies belonging to them, according to the following table:

Associate Members - are bodies, institutes or laboratories pursuing studies or research in apiculture and/or related topics. Associate Members have one vote at the General Assembly.

Individual Members - are individuals having a genuine interest in aspects of apiculture, and institutions that have economic objectives in the sectors of production and trade of apiarian products or in connection with the manufacture and sale of technical equipment, wishing to collaborate with Apimondia, may be admitted to become part of the Federation as Individual Members. Individual Members have no voting rights at the General Assembly.

The Executive Council is entrusted with taking the relevant decisions in respect of admission of Full and Associate Members whose rights and duties within Apimondia become operational immediately. The admission is subsequently subject to the endorsement of the General Assembly.
The Secretary-General is to proceed with the admission of Individual Members, subject to the endorsement of the General Assembly.

    Art. 6 - Rights of the Members

All members have the right to receive information and notices from Apimondia that are published in the Federation news or other publications.

All voting members have the right to put forward persons of their choice for election to vacant Apimondia posts.

All members have the right to submit to the relevant Commissions presentations and papers for publication in congresses, symposia and publications. Selection and decisions shall be effected by the Commissions, whose decisions are binding.

All members and their representatives have the right to participate in congresses, symposia and other events organised by Apimondia at a lower charge.

    Art. 7 - Duties of the Members

Membership of Apimondia obliges all members:

1. to follow the Statutes of the Federation, the bylaws, guidelines and the resolutions passed by Apimondia and its bodies in accordance with the articles of the Statutes;

2. to refrain from any initiative contrary to the goals of Apimondia and the resolutions passed by its bodies.

All members are obliged to pay the annual fee determined by the General Assembly within the first three months of the year. The fees are set out in the bylaws.

In the case of late payment, the Management Board shall be entitled to suspend the rights of the member in question whilst in default.

It is the duty of all members to foster and spread the ideas of Apimondia, to promote actively the distribution and information material, to supply the Federation with notices, information and suggestions for improvements.

All members are obliged to notify the Secretary-General of any changes of the persons entitled to represent them without delay. Should the member in question fail to do so, then Apimondia will continue to regard the previous person as still entitled to represent the member.

    Art. 8 - Expiration of Membership

Membership expires:

1. by resignation: the declaration is to be sent by registered mail, in writing and signed by the authorised representative, to the Secretary-General of Apimondia, three months prior to the end of a calendar year;

2. if the annual membership fees have not been paid within one year of falling due (Art. 7 Par. 2);

3. if the member is barred by resolution of the General Assembly because the member has violated the Statutes of the Federation or the resolutions passed by the Federation's bodies.

The loss of membership is decided upon by the Executive Council and endorsed by the General Assembly.
It comes into force at the end of the year of endorsement. It automatically takes away any rights of the excluded member to the assets of Apimondia.

    Art. 9 - Bodies of the Federation

Apimondia has the following bodies:

1. the General Assembly;

2. the Management Board;

3. the Executive Council and

4. the seven Standing Commissions.

    Art. 10 - The General Assembly

The General Assembly comprises the representatives of the voting members (Art. 5). Each member shall be allocated a number of votes based on the number of members it represents and the number of bee colonies owned by the said members. Non-voting members (Art. 5) may attend the General Assembly and contribute to the debates and discussions.

    Art. 11 - Calling of the General Assembly

The ordinary General Assembly shall be held biennially during an International Apimondia Congress. An extraordinary General Assembly can be held when called for by half of the members of the Executive Council or a third of the voting members. The General Assembly shall be called by the Secretary-General at least two months prior to the date set. The invitation must include the agenda, place, date and time of the meeting. If there is a request for a resolution to change the statutes of the Association, then the invitation must include the suggestions for the article(s) to be changed. If the General Assembly cannot be called in good time in the case of issues needing immediate action, the President or the Management Board shall be entitled to conduct a postal vote. The resolution is adopted if within a set deadline three quarters of all members vote in favour of the resolution.

    Art. 12 - Quorum and Procedure for the General Assembly

The General Assembly has a quorum when members representing one third of the total number of votes are present and when the representatives present confirm with a two-thirds majority that the invitation was effected in accordance with the Statutes of the Federation and in good time.

The President of Apimondia, or in his/her absence the Vice President, shall act as the Chairperson of the General Assembly. If both persons are prevented from attending, the members present shall choose the Chairperson from the Executive Council.

Resolutions shall be passed by the General Assembly with a simple majority of the votes represented. Any change to the Statutes of the Federation requires a two-thirds majority.

Changes to the bylaws are adopted with simple majority.

The winding up of Apimondia, the transfer of its assets, the appointment of the liquidator and the determination of his/her powers requires a three-quarters majority.

The voting procedure shall be determined by the General Assembly by simple majority.

The minutes of the sessions shall be distributed to the members by the Secretary-General.

    Art. 13 - Powers of the General Assembly

The General Assembly shall be responsible for:

1. determining Apimondia activity, especially with respect to important features of the mission and objectives, the passing of guidelines and approval of the activity reports from the Federation's bodies;

2. choosing the location of the forthcoming international Apimondia congresses;

3. election of the Management Board;

4. election of the presidents of the Standing Commissions;

5. endorsing the appointment of the auditing body;

6. appointing honorary presidents and members (Art. 22);

7. accepting new members (Art. 5);

8. revoking membership (Art. 8);

9. approving the budget and financial report;

10. approving the bylaws including the membership fees;

11. approving co-operation with other organisations;

12. approving the relocation of the Apimondia offices;

13. approving changes to the statutes of the Federation;

14. winding up Apimondia, the use of the assets and the appointment of the liquidator and

15. adopting deliberations on measures to fulfil the resolutions.

    Art. 14 - The Executive Council

The Executive Council comprises:

1. the members of the Management Board and

2. the seven Presidents of the Standing Commissions.

All members of the Executive Council shall be elected for four years and can be re-elected. Half of all the positions shall be put forward for re-appointment during each ordinary General Assembly.

Preconditions for election are specific skills to fulfil the duties of the position, and a personal commitment to do so.

Candidatures for vacant positions, duly supported with a presentation letter and a detailed curriculum vitae, can be submitted to the General Secretariat office by the Members or the Executive Council up to two weeks prior to the General Assembly, where the elections for vacant positions will take place.

The members of the Executive Council shall exercise their functions in an honorary capacity. Compensation and payment of travel costs may be paid if funding allows.

    Art. 15 - Calling of the Executive Council

The Executive Council shall be called annually by the President or the Secretary-General, and has to meet at least prior to each General Assembly. It can also be called by written request of at least one-third of its members. The invitation must be sent two months prior to the date set and include the agenda, place, date and time of the meeting.

The Executive Council shall have a quorum when one third of the members are present.

The Executive Council shall reach its decisions by simple majority. In the event of a tied vote, the President shall have a casting vote.

The minutes of the meetings are to be published promptly.

    Art. 16 - Tasks of the Executive Council

The tasks of the Executive Council are:

1. all institutional activities that do not fall under the responsibility of other bodies;

2. carrying out, as far as possible, the resolutions of the General Assembly, in so far as these are not the responsibility of the Management Board;

3. decisions on all general matters and issues of interest for apiarists based on the work program, the suggestions of the Commissions and the principles and guidelines laid down by the General Assembly;

4. determining the main topics of the Apimondia congresses;
   a) to decide upon the admission of new members,
   b) to decide upon the loss of the requisite of an Apimondia member,
   c) to consider the budget and the financial report to be submitted to the General Assembly for approval,

5. suggestions for the Presidents of the Standing Commissions and

6. decisions on guidelines, in so far as this is not the responsibility of the General Assembly.

    Art. 17 - The Management Board

The Management Board comprises the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary-General.

The Management Board shall meet when one of its members deems it necessary. The invitation should include the agenda and be sent at least one month prior to the date set.

The Management Board sees to the smooth running of Apimondia’s affairs and of the activity of its different bodies. When necessary, it makes the appropriate decisions. In addition, the Management Board acts as a study group of the Executive Council in major problems.

    Art. 18 - The President

The President, or in his/her absence the Vice-President or the Secretary-General, legally represents Apimondia with respect to the members and third parties. At all gatherings and meetings, the President shall take the chair; if unable to attend, he/she will be represented by the Vice President or the Secretary-General.

In case the Secretary-General or other members of the Executive Council are not able to fulfil his/her duties the President must take over the responsibility. In case the General Secretary is not able to fulfil his/her duties the President has the right and duty to dispose of the bank accounts and the Apimondia assets and finances.

    Art. 19 - The Vice President and the Secretary-General

The Vice-President represents Apimondia as the legal representative whenever the President designates her/him to this task. The Vice President is responsible for ensuring that Apimondia activities fall within the provisions of the Statutes.

The Vice President is responsible for monitoring the financial management of Apimondia’s operations and assets.

The Secretary General shall run the secretariat and other institutional activities. He/she shall be responsible for managing Apimondia’s finances; he/she shall also be responsible for the budget and the financial report. He/she shall keep up to date the inventory of assets owned by Apimondia.

    Art. 20 - The Standing Commissions

The Standing Commissions are:

1. Standing Commission for apitherapy;

2. Standing Commission for bee biology;

3. Standing Commission for beekeeping economy;

4. Standing Commission for beekeeping for rural development;

5. Standing Commission for beekeeping technology and quality;

6. Standing Commission for bee health;

7. Standing Commission for pollination and bee flora.

The purpose of the Standing Commissions is to study all material questions pertaining to the relevant fields to realise the objectives specified in Art. 3. The Executive Council can form working groups to give advice to the Standing Commissions in various areas, or it can combine two or more Standing Commissions to form a working group for certain tasks.

The Standing Commissions shall prepare the specialist sessions of the Apimondia Congresses and select the papers to be presented.

The Standing Commissions are responsible for the scientific editing of the official digital version of Apiacta.

The Standing Commissions shall comprise, in addition to the Presidents elected by the General Assembly, three or more expert members nominated by the relevant Commission Presidents and appointed by the Management Board.

    Art. 21 - Auditing body

The Auditing Body shall monitor the economic and legal aspects of the management. The written reports are presented to the General Assembly by the Secretary-General and the Vice President.

The Auditing Body shall be appointed for four years. It can be re-appointed.

    Art. 22 - Honorary President and Honorary Members

Following a proposal by the Executive Council, the General Assembly can elect by simple majority a former Apimondia President or any other member of the Executive Council who has rendered valuable services as Honorary President.

The General Assembly or the Executive Council can entrust the Honorary President with important representative or arbitration tasks or involve her/him as adviser in the event of problems within or with the member organisations.

Following a proposal by the Executive Council, the General Assembly can appoint beekeepers, prominent scientists or deserving functionaries of Apimondia establishments as Honorary Members.

The Honorary President is the Dean of the Honorary Members.

Honorary Members are exempt from membership fees.

    Art. 23 - International Congresses

The Apimondia Congresses shall be normally held biennially. Their organisation and execution shall be the responsibility of Apimondia and the corresponding member association of the country where the Congress is going to take place, in accordance with the decisions of the General Assembly.

In the Apimondia bylaws, there are guidelines on how to apply for an Apimondia Congress. The instructions of the Executive Council are to be followed by the relevant organiser according to the bylaws of Apimondia and the “Letter of Agreement”.

    Art. 24 - Assets

The assets of Apimondia shall be managed by the Management Board.

    Art. 25 - Budget and Management

The financial review of Apimondia shall be held on a calendar year cycle, and reported to the General Assembly on a two-year cycle.

    Art. 26 - Changes to the Statutes of Apimondia

Petitions for changing the statutes can be submitted by the Management Board, the Executive Council and voting members. They must be received by the President or the Secretary-General six months prior to the General Assembly. The Secretary-General is obliged to pass them to the voting members at least two month prior to the General Assembly.

Changes to the Statutes of the Federation require a two-thirds majority of the votes of the members present.

If a General Assembly cannot be held - for whatever reason - in the planned rotation, changes to the Statutes of the Federation may be effected in a written vote organised by the Management Board. The changes must also be resolved with a two-thirds majority of the votes of all members.

Any changes to the Statutes of Apimondia by the General Assembly take immediate effect following their adoption.

    Art. 27 - Bylaws

The bylaws regulate the internal tasks of Apimondia and its bodies, the legal relationship to its members, the membership fees, the execution of the business, the congresses and symposia, payments and price lists, the relationship of Apimondia to affiliated facilities and institutions and the standing orders.

Proposals for changing the bylaws can be submitted by the Management Board, the Executive Council and voting members. They must be received by the President or the Secretary-General six months prior to the General Assembly. The Secretary-General is obliged to pass them to the voting members at least two month prior to the General Assembly.

Changes to the bylaws require a simple majority of the votes of the members present.

    Art. 28 - Winding Up

In the event of the Federation being wound up, the General Assembly shall decide, with a two-thirds majority of all its members, on the transfer of the assets to the benefit of one or more international organisations with which Apimondia has been connected and that can carry on the activities in the interest of global apiculture.

If its winding up is decided, the General Assembly designates a receiver and the liquidation terms and conditions.

If a General Assembly cannot be held - for whatever reason - in the planned rotation, the winding up of the Federation may be effected with a written vote organised by the Management Board. The winding up must be resolved with a two-thirds majority of the votes of all its members.

    Art. 29 - Original Text

The binding text of these articles of the Federation shall be in the English language. It shall be the principal text for all evaluations, discussions and interpretations.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bylaw 1. Membership and membership fees

In order to set the applicable annual fee, the number of members and colonies represented by the Association or organisation must be forwarded to Apimondia upon request.

Associations and organisations from developing countries may be granted a reduced admission fee and membership fee upon request to the Executive Council.

b) Associate Members

Each Associate Member is required to pay an annual fee, to be fixed by the Executive Council, according to the importance of the institution applying, at the time of admission. The minimum amount payable is based on the lowest membership fee foreseen for Full Members and may be eventually increased as appropriate.

c) Individual Members

Participants in the Apimondia Congresses paying full registration fees are registered as Individual Members of Apimondia for the year following the congress. Other Individual Members are requested to pay an annual membership fee of € 50.

Bylaw 2. The executive council

The Management Board

The President

The President or in his/her absence the General Secretary is the legal representative of Apimondia to the members and third parties.

The President or the Vice President takes the chair at all meetings.

The President must take certain specific duties to fulfil the goal of Apimondia and follow the directions set by the General Assembly and the Executive Council. He/she is the co-ordinator of the duties of all the members of the Executive Council.

The President is the Chairman of the board of Directors in attached institutions. The President can designate these duties to the Vice President or the General Secretary.

The President must give regular information to the other members of the Executive Council.

In case the other members of the Executive Council are not able to fulfil their duties the President is responsible for taking over the duties or delegate the duties to other members of the Executive Council. In case the General Secretary is not able to fulfil his/her duties the President is responsible for the administration. He/she must take over the right to dispose of Apimondia’s bank accounts and assets.

The Vice President

Statutes, budget and finances.

The Vice President represents Apimondia as the legal representative whenever the President designates him/her to this task.

The Vice President is in charge to monitor that Apimondia activities falls within the Statutes.

The Vice President is responsible for monitoring the financial management of the Apimondia operations and assets.

In case the President is not able to fulfil his duties the Vice President must take over the duties of the President.

The General Secretary

Management. administration, congresses, symposia.

The Secretary General sees to the good organisation and management of the Bureau and of the sub-offices: he/she is responsible for their efficient activities.

He/she sets forth proposals to the Apimondia President concerning the decisions and measures he/she considers useful for the attainment of the objectives stipulated in the Statutes and to carry out the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Executive Council.

The financial management of Apimondia falls within the competence of the Secretary General; he/she is also responsible for the budget and the financial report.

He/she keeps up-to-date the inventory book of the assets of Apimondia.

He/she ensures the convening of meetings of the Apimondia bodies.

The Secretary-General decides on the admission of individual correspondents among those who have requested this status.

The Standing Commission Presidents

The Standing Commission Presidents are each responsible for Apimondia’s activities within their specific area. They propose the members of each of the respective commissions to the Executive Council for approval.

Each prepares a statement of mission, goals and activities to be carried out by each Commission.

The Commission Presidents are responsible for the planning of their specific sessions at the Apimondia congresses. The Commission Presidents propose and organise symposia, specialist conferences and publications.

The Standing Commissions are responsible for the scientific content of the official digital version of Apiacta.

The Executive Council appoints among the Presidents of the Standing Commissions a scientific editor of Apiacta.

There are seven Standing Commissions:

Standing Commission for apitherapy

Standing Commission for bee biology

Standing Commission for beekeeping economy

Standing Commission for beekeeping for rural development

Standing Commission for beekeeping technology and quality

Standing Commission for bee health

Standing Commission for pollination and bee flora.

The Editor

The Executive Council appoints an Editor of the official digital version of Apiacta.

The Editor must be fluent in English language.

The Editor is the administrative editor of the official English version of Apiacta.

Realization / Réalisation / Realización   / Realisierung: Gilles RATIA APISERVICES - Copyright © 1995-2009

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