The statutes of ANME

Association for Natural Medicine in Europe e.V.

Modification: Mai 11^th, 2022

§ 1 Purpose

1. The Association for Natural Medicine in Europe e.V. (ANME) is an alliance of organizations, manufacturers, foundations, representatives of health prevention and individuals in Europe, which are active in the field of natural medicine, traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, salutogenesis and health promotion for people and animals. The above areas are summarized under the symbol “T&CM" ("Traditional and Complementary Medicine").
2. ANME serves to coordinate and represent the common interests of T&CM in both European and respective national politics

§ 2 Name, Seat, Legal Status

1. The association uses the name Association for Natural Medicine in Europe – ANME
2. ANME has its headquarters in Schoeneck, Germany.
3. The working languages of ANME are German and English.
4. The purpose of the association is exclusively and directly the pursuit of charitable purposes within the scope of § 51 of the German Tax Code. The purpose is achieved in particular through:
   1. Promoting and protecting T&CM for the benefit of the general public
   2. Promoting autonomous holistic healthcare of the population
   3. Collecting, broadening and deepening of knowledge and experience in the T&CM
5. ANME works selflessly as a non-governmental organization (NGO) and non-profit organization. It pursues moral and non-economically-driven purposes
6. ANME resources may only be used for statutory purposes.
7. In their capacity as members, members of ANME do not receive any profit shares or any other benefits from the funds of ANME.
8. No person may be favored by expenditures that are outside of the purpose of ANME, nor by disproportionately high remuneration.

§ 3 Tasks

1. Within its objectives, ANME pursues the following central tasks:
   1. Promotion, preservation and recognition of T&CM in Europe
   2. Promotion of the cooperation of the member organizations and interest groups
   3. Promotion of political knowledge in the T&CM health policy sector
   4. Promotion of T&CM research in Europe
   5. Promotion of Salutogenesis in Europe
2. The ANME Advancement Award is awarded to persons or projects that have rendered outstanding services to T&CM. The prize is endowed with 1000, - Euro and is awarded every two to three years on special occasions.
3. ANME can take on other tasks within the scope of its intended purpose, provided that the non-profit status as designated in § 2 is not affected.

§ 4 Membership

1. Members of ANME can only be organizations, manufacturers and persons from the field of T&CM who:
1. Have their registered office in a state which is a member of the Council of Europe
2. Have the capacity to be the bearer of rights and obligations themselves under the law of their country of origin
2. Upon decision of the Executive Board, T&CM persons and organizations supporting T&CM can acquire membership.
3. There is no automatic guarantee that an applicant will be accepted as a member.
4. By joining, the member agrees that personal data provided in connection with the membership will be collected, processed and used for the association, taking into account the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation/GDPR. This includes the following information: surname, first name, contact details and bank details. Membership cannot be established without this consent. Personal data provided may only be used for association purposes. This includes: the administration of members, the organization of general meetings, conferences and events of the association as well as the delivery of electronic mail. Any other processing or use (e.g., transference to third parties) is not permitted without the consent of the member.

§ 5 Admission, resignation, expulsion

1. Applications for membership must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board of ANME. Acceptance is decided upon by the Executive Board.
2. A member can only withdraw from ANME at the end of a calendar year. It must be declared in writing to the ANME board 3 months in advance. The declaration of withdrawal does not release you from the fulfillment of existing obligations towards ANME. Claims of any kind against ANME by a member resigning from membership are excluded.
3. If there is a serious reason deemed, the Executive Board may approve an application request for immediate dissolution.
4. A member can be expelled if it does not meet its obligations towards ANME or if it endangers the purpose of ANME or its non-profit orientation.
5. The expulsion presupposes that the member has been warned beforehand and has been given the opportunity to fulfill its obligation within a reasonable period of time.
6. The right to expel for good cause remains unaffected.

§ 6 Membership Fees

1. The board decides by resolution, which requires a 2/3 majority, on the type, amount and due date of membership fees in the form of a membership fee regulation. Upon request of a member of the board, the general meeting shall decide by a simple majority.
2. The membership fees shall not exceed the expenses for the statutory tasks of ANME.
3. All members shall pay a membership fee according to the current membership fee regulations.
4. The application for associate membership can only be made by organizations and associations.

§ 7 Bodies

1. The organs of ANME are:
1. the Executive Board
2. the Extended Board (members of the Executive Board plus Advisors)
3. the General Assembly
2. The Extended Board can decide on the formation of further bodies of the association, especially the formation of committees for special topics. These bodies are generally dependent.

§ 8 Executive and Extended Board

1. The Executive Board consists of at least four and at most six members:
1. President/Chair
2. At least one Vice-President
3. Treasurer
4. General Secretary
2. The Extended Board of ANME shall consist of not less than five and not more than eleven members:
1. Executive Board members and
2. at least one Adviser
3. ANME is represented in and out of court by the President/Chairman or his/her Vice-President within the guidelines of Section 26 of the German Civil Code (BGB).
4. The Executive Board manages the business of the association and carries out the administrative tasks, insofar as these are not transferred to another part of the association. In particular, it has the following tasks:
1. The execution of the resolutions of the General Assembly of Members
2. To convene, prepare, conduct and preside over the meetings of the entire Extended Board and the General Assembly of Members
3. Bookkeeping and preparation of the financial report for each fiscal year
4. Admission and participation of members according to these bylaws
5. Conclusion and termination of contracts and other legal relationships for ANME
5. The Extended Board members are elected for a period of three years.
6. The Extended Board may pass its resolutions in person, online/digitally or in written format.
7. If a position on the Extended Board is vacant, another member may be appointed to the full Board on an interim basis. The Executive Board can also entrust one of its Executive Board members with the dual task of filling two board roles, so long as this is accepted by the other board members.

§ 9 General Assembly

1. The general assembly of members is competent for all tasks that are not assigned to the Extended Board or other bodies of ANME. It holds the exclusive competence for the following affairs:
1. Receipt of the annual activity report and the accounting report of the board and the discharge of the Executive board
2. Fee regulations
3. Election and dismissal of the members of the Extended Board and the cash auditor
4. Amendment of the bylaws
5. Dissolution of ANME
2. The ordinary general assembly takes place at least once per calendar year and can be held online, in hybrid form or in person. An extraordinary general assembly is to be convened if:
1. The Executive Board decides to convene it for urgent reasons,
2. 1/10 of the members request the convocation from the Executive Board in writing, stating the reason(s)
3. The general assembly is convened by the president or a vice president in writing, giving at least four weeks' notice and stating the preliminary agenda. This convocation should be accompanied by the annual activity report and the financial report of the Executive Board. The period of notice shall commence on the day following the sending of the letter of invitation.
4. The letter of invitation is deemed to have been received by the member if it was sent to the address or e-mail address of the respective member last known and notified to the Executive Board.
5. A member can request an addition to the agenda in writing no later than two weeks before the start of the general meeting. Subsequent motions or motions made during the general meeting, including supplementary motions, can only be approved by a decision of the general meeting with a 2/3 majority.
6. The general assembly shall be chaired by the president of the Executive Board, or by a vice president if the president is unable to attend, or by the treasurer if the vice president is unable to attend. If no member of the Executive Board is present, the meeting shall appoint the chairperson.
7. The general assembly shall appoint an election officer, an election assistant and a minute-taker, who shall not be members of the Extended Board, to conduct the Extended Board elections. Before the beginning of the elections, the election officer determines the number of voters.
8. Each individual member present has one vote.
9. Members who are an institute, school, foundation, or organization/association with up to five hundred individual members shall have ten votes. Members who are a manufacturer or organization/association with over five hundred individual members shall have twenty votes. Members who are unable to participate in a vote have the option of transferring their vote count to a member present by means of a proxy vote. Individual members are exempt from this rule.
10. Associate members do not have the right to vote.
11. The members of the entire board can be elected individually in the order according to § 8 by acclamation. The right to request a secret ballot remains unaffected. The candidate whom has received more than half of the valid votes cast shall be deemed elected. If this number of votes has not been reached, a run-off election shall take place in a second ballot between the two candidates whom have received the most votes. In the event of a tie, the election officer shall decide by drawing lots.
12. After the election of the members of the whole Executive and Advisory Board the cash auditor is elected, as per paragraph 11, accordingly.
13. Resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority of the valid votes cast, unless these bylaws or a regulation based on them expressly provide otherwise.
14. The following matters can only be voted on with a 2/3 majority:
1. Amendments to these bylaws, the name of the Association and the purpose of the Association (also in accordance with § 3 Para. 2)
2. Changes of the legal form
15. A 4/5 majority of the votes cast is required to dissolve ANME (see § 11 para. 1 below).

§ 10 Office

1. ANME shall maintain an office for the fulfillment of its tasks and for the conduct of its day-to-day business.
2. Correspondence, applications to the general meetings and the board as well as any other correspondence concerning ANME shall be directed through the office. The office is authorized to work via home office and/or mobile office, to inspect all documents and correspondence and, if necessary, to document and archive them.
3. Each member has the right to inspect the business papers of ANME at the registered office, to make copies or to have them made against reimbursement of costs. This right expires upon termination of membership.
4. Full-time employment contracts may be concluded for tasks of the office and the association.
5. The Extended Board members and other members may be granted travel expenses and reimbursement of expenses within the framework of tax flat rates (fiscal code, voluntary work). In addition, flat-rate daily rates (expense allowances) can also be granted. The amount is determined by the Extended Board.

§ 11 Dissolution

1. The general assembly decides on the dissolution of ANME. The application for dissolution must be submitted by at least 1/4 of the members to the agenda at least 3 months before a General Meeting to be specially convened for this purpose.
2. If ANME is dissolved, it will be liquidated, if necessary, in accordance with Section 47 et seq. of the German Civil Code (BGB), if necessary. The Executive Board members are responsible for the liquidation. Any remaining residual value shall be converted into EURO and paid to a recognized non-profit charitable institution in the Federal Republic of Germany.

§ 12 Arbitration Committee

At the request of the General Assembly, an Arbitration Committee may be elected by the General Assembly every three years. It shall consist of three persons who are not members of the Extended Board. The Arbitration Committee may be called upon by any individual member or by the Extended Board.

§ 13 Final Provision

1. Place of jurisdiction is Frankfurt am Main. This also applies to disputes relating to circumstances for which there is a different place of jurisdiction given under the law of other states of the Council of Europe or international private law.
2. The first ANME bylaws were drawn up in German, English and French, and became effective upon signature by the founding members in May 2001.
3. If one paragraph of the present bylaws is invalid, this has no effect on the validity of the other paragraphs.
4. In order to increase the comprehensibility of these statutes, the old spelling has been used. All addressed contents refer to women, men and diverse.