Statutes

Statutes of AIEGL, approved by the extraordinary General Assembly of 29 May 1996. Please note that only the original French text is legally binding.

• Art. 1 – Name, object and statutes

  The International Association of Greek and Latin Epigraphy (AIEGL), created in 1972, is concerned with the Greek and Latin epigraphy of the ancient world from its origins to the end of late antiquity, and with the various ways in which the documentation has been transmitted to the present day. It is an association governed by articles 60-79 of the Swiss Civil Code and by the following statutes.

• Art. 2 - Aims

  The aim of AIEGL is to promote and encourage the scientific study of Greek and Latin inscriptions. The main business of the Association is a) to strengthen links between researchers, and between AIEGL and related associations; b) to encourage and promote the organisation of Congresses, colloquia, workshops, seminars and other types of academic meeting; c) to contribute and provide scientific support to all regional, national or international initiatives to extend existing corpora, to publish new ones that are of significant interest, and to advance all other tools of research that are of general interest; d) to encourage the recovery, protection and display of epigraphic material and its use by researchers and the general public; e) to promote the teaching of Greek and Latin epigraphy; f) to develop links between research in Greek and Latin epigraphy and the other branches in the study of the ancient world (article 2 of the statutes).

• Art 3 – Financial Resources

  The resources which enable the Association to achieve its aims are; a) the annual fees paid by its members; b) regular or exceptional subventions assigned by public or private, national or international institutions; c) gifts and bequests.

• Art. 4 – Members

  The Association welcomes as members persons whose activities and interests conform to article 2 of these statutes. Membership may be obtained by written application to the Secretary General. Members are divided ino four categories: a) active members; b) benefactors; c) honorary members; d) life members. Membership may be terminated as a consequence of a) death; b) voluntary resignation; c) removal from the membership list.
  All individual members, having paid their annual membership fee, are entitled: a) to participate actively in the life of the Association; b) vote at the general assemblies according to the ordained procedures; c) present themselves for election to the offices of the Association, in conformity with articles 7, 8 and 10 of these statues; d) receive without payment News of AIEGL and information concerning events organised by or under the patronage of the Association; e) enjoy other benefits given to members of the Association.

• Art 5 – Constitution

  The official constituents of the Association are; a) the General Assembly of the members; b) the Bureau; c) the Committee

• Art. 6 – The General Assembly

  The General Assembly of the members is the sovereign body of the Association. It comprises the individual persons who belong to the Association and who, unless they have been dispensed from this obligation, have paid their membership fees at least twenty four hours before the holding of a General Assembly.

  The Assembly is convoked by the President and the Secretary General with the agreement of the Bureau at least once every five years, and at all events during each International Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy. An Assembly must be convoked on the same conditions within one year of a specific request being made by at least one-third of its members to hold such a meeting.

  Every member may exercise the right to vote in person or by a written authority given to another member. In no case may a member be charged with more than three such written authorities.

  All the decisions of an Assembly, which has been convoked according to the prescribed regulations, are valid provided that one third of the membership has voted in person or by assigning written authority. All members are required to respect the decisions taken by the Assembly. In cases where a quorum cannot be obtained, the Association may exceptionally proceed to a vote by correspondence. The prerogatives of the Assembly are: a) to discuss and approve the agenda for the meeting; b) to discuss and approve the minutes of the preceding General Assembly; c) to discuss and approve the reports of the President, the Secretary General and the Treasurer about the activities of the Association since the previous General Meeting; d) to discuss and approve the financial report of the five previous years presented by the Treasurer, after having received the report of the verifiers of the accounts; e) approve the nomination of honorary members; f) fix the level of annual membership fees; g) discuss the choice of location proposed for the International Congresses and any other matter of general interest put forward by the Bureau, and to take the appropriate decision; h) to approve any changes suggested to the governance of the Association; i) to approve any changes made to the present statutes; j) to approve the dissolution of the Association; k) to elect the members of the Bureau, the members of the Committee, and the three verifiers of the accounts.

  In the case of any change being proposed to the Governance or the present Statutes, the change must be made known in writing to the members at least one month previously.

• Art. 7 – the Bureau

  The Bureau is the executive branch of AIEGL. It is made up of five members elected for this purpose. Elections take place every five years during the meeting of the General Assembly, which has been convoked in the manner and according to procedures established in article 10.
  The Bureau consists of: a) the President; b) the Vice-President; c) the Secretary General; d) the deputy Secretary General; e) the Treasurer. The Bureau remains in office until the following quinquennial Assembly. It normally meets once a year, convened by the President, with notice of at least one month.
  The prerogatives of the Bureau are: a) to develop projects which concern the scientific and cultural activities of the Association; b) provide the Association’s patronage to initiatives which appear worthy of it; c) maintain contact with the membership, with the Committee, and the verifiers of the accounts; e) decide about the spending the funds; f) to consider possible changes in the level of the annual membership fee; g) make proposals to the Assembly about the places where future Congresses will be held; h) formulate proposals to be submitted to the Assembly for approval; i) take all other initiatives, which it judges to be useful for accomplishing the objectives envisaged by these Statutes, which may not require the approval of the Assembly.

• Art. 8 – the Committee

  The Committee is a body to provide assistance and advice to the Bureau. It is made up from fourteen members from different countries, elected at the quinquennial General Assembly according to the procedures set out in article 10. If several persons from the same country are elected, the successful candidate will be the person who has the largest number of votes or, in the case of a tie, who is the older. The tenure of the Committee will last until the following General Assembly. In cases of decease or resignation, the Bureau will make up the Committee with the non-elected candidates who had obtained the largest number of votes, or, in default of this, with a member from a country that is not represented on the Committee.

  The Committee will be callled to a meeting by the Bureau at least twice, at the beginning and at the end of its official mandate. It will be consulted by letter at all times when the Bureau thinks that is will be useful to receive the advice of the committee’s members on questions or initiatives concerning the life of the Association, and will be invited, either to cooperate with the Bureau in realising projects which have been discussed, or to make its own proposals and suggestions to improve the functioning of AIEGL and improve its programmes.

• Art. 9 – the Verifiers of the Accounts

  There are three verifiers of the accounts. They are elected during the Quinquennial Assembly, convoked according to the procedures set out in article 10.
  The verifiers of the accounts have administrative and financial control over the balance sheet of the preceding quinquennium, which has been presented by the Treasurer for the Assembly to approve, by checking that it is accurate, conforms to regulations, and conforms with statutary procedures, and by drawing up an appropriate report which will be read to the Assembly before the accounts are approved and the balance is put to the vote.

• Art. 10 – Candidatures and Elections

  The Assembly elects the five members of the Bureau, the fourteen members of the Committee, and the three verifiers of accounts. Any member may present themselves for election during the General Assembly which has been convoked according to the rules indicated in article 6, provided that : a) the member is an individual; b) is not more than sixty-six years old; c) has not previously twice been a member of the branch (Committee or Bureau) for which she or he is a candidate; d) is in good standing on the lst of members and has paid membership fees, unless a dispensation has been made.

• Art. 11 – Head Office

  The head office of AIEGL is located at the business address of the Secretary General.

• Art. 12 – Regulations

  The rules for applying the present statutes and any any further information needed to clarify their interpretation and the manner in which they are put into practice are covered by the regulations. If it is necessary, the regulations may be modified by the Bureau, following consultation with the Committee. The modified text will be made known to all the members at least one month before the Assembly, during which a vote will be taken concerning the appropriate item on the agenda designated for this matter. The regulations or the proposed modifications will be subject to approval by a simple majority of the votes cast.

• Art. 13 – Changes to the Statutes

  Any proposal for changing the present Statutes that has been made by the Bureau with the agreement of the Committee must be made known to the members as least one month before the Assembly during which a vote will be taken concerning the appropriate item on the agenda designated for this matter. The proposal will be considered to have been approved if it secures more than two-thirds of the votes cast during a properly constituted Assembly.

• Art. 14 – Dissolution

  The Bureau, with the agreement of the Committee, may put on the agenda a proposal to dissolve AIEGL. For this to be sustained, the proposal must be approved by three-quarters of the members of the association, following a formal appeal. Abstention in the vote is not permitted. If the Association is dissolved its assets shall be distributed among the members who have paid their subscriptions.

• Art. 15 – Transitional Arrangements

  The current Statutes will be valid from the moment that they have been adopted by the General Assembly, except for points whose application depends on new elections, according to the five year periodic terms that have been defined.