European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA)

www.eiha.org

Statutory Articles

Registered: 23.11.2005 County court Cologne (Germany), VR 701379

§ 1        Name, location and business year

The “European Industrial Hemp Association” (EIHA) is an industry association that has its seat in Huerth nearby Cologne, Germany. The association is included in the registry of associations of the city of Brühl. The EIHA’s business year is the calendar year.

 

§ 2        Objectives of the association

  1. EIHA has the following objectives:
  • To support the cultivation, processing and use of industrial hemp – i.e. hemp strains that are allowed to be cultivated in accordance with EU law and the raw materials of which are processed industrially – and its products
  • Promotion, support, and monitoring of applications, approvals, and certifications of hemp products by European or national governments, regulatory authorities or other institutes
  • To collect important information on industrial hemp and industrial hemp policy and to publish data about the European Natural Fibres Industry and to establish market figures and trends
  • To give industrial partners easy access to the European Hemp Industry via the EIHA-homepage
  • To establish a regular exchange of information between its members and to co-operate with other national, European and international organisations and associations
  • To represent the industry to EU institutions and national ministries
  • To support communication between the national ministries concerning EU-policy
  • To provide EU institutions, national ministries, the media and the public with current and reliable information on industrial hemp, to develop and submit recommendations for changes to present laws, regulations, standards and guidelines on the EU and national levels
  1. The association pursues directly and exclusively the charitable goals as described in the section “Steuerbegünstigte Zwecke” of the German “Abgabenordnung” of 1977 in the most current version. The charitability must be applied for.

 

§ 3        Non-profitability and the use of Association funds

  1. EIHA is a non-for-profit association and does not primarily pursue financial goals.
  2. Association funds may only be used for the statutory goals. Members do not receive a share of the profits nor any other benefits out of the association funds in their function as members.
  3. No person involved may receive benefits due to expenses not primarily connected with the goals of the association or receive unreasonably high compensation for services provided.

 

§ 4        Membership

Members of the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) may be legal entities or natural persons.

  1. The EIHA has regular and associate members. Only a natural person or legal entity who is engaged in the cultivation, processing or trade of industrial hemp / Cannabis sativa L. plants, and its derived products can become a regular member. Only a natural person can become an associate member.
  2. Only a natural person or a legal entity, which is not involved in the hemp industry as stated in § 4 (1), can become an associate member. Associate members support the goals of the EIHA. They have free access to meetings and have the right to speak and make proposals. *
  3. Voting rights: Each regular member shall have ten votes plus the additional votes based on hemp turnover level. The hemp turnover levels are determined by the general meeting. The annual turnover of the member according to the last annual financial statement before the respective meeting is decisive. Each associate member has one vote. Members domiciled or resident outside Europe shall not be entitled to vote on decisions concerning European problems and issues. *
  4. Special responsibilities of regular members: Regular members must provide, to the managing director of EIHA, data on their cultivation and processing of hemp and on the use of their material by product line by, at the latest, 1. April of the following year. Data will be treated confidentially and not be shared with other members or the Board of Directors.
  5. Membership must be applied for in writing to the board of the association. The board decides on the application. No member may be admitted who can be excluded according to the statutes, unless the board decides otherwise with a 2/3 majority. *
  6. Membership in the association is automatically terminated in the event of death or bankruptcy, by voluntary cancellation or if a member is expelled from the association. Membership cancellation must be announced in writing to the Board of Directors and will take effect at the end of each quarter.
  7. If there are serious reasons, the Board may decide to exclude a specific member from the association. A member can be excluded due to violation of the statutes and interests of the association, due to violation of resolutions and regulations of the association, due to damage to the association’s image or if the payment of membership fees or earmarked special contributions to the association or its enterprises has been missed for more than three months. A serious reason is given in particular if a member is or becomes a company affiliated with a regular member of the association within the meaning of § 15 AktG, unless the Board decides otherwise with a 2/3 majority. *

* Decision of the General Meeting on March 8, 2019, Hürth (Germany).

 

§ 5        Subscription

  1. The EIHA, its activities and enterprises are financed by membership fees, donations and earmarked special contributions.
  2. Each member has to pay a membership fee in money. The annual membership fee is determined by the General Meeting.
  3. The General Meeting may decide to levy an earmarked special contribution and by whom this contribution should be mandatory. These decisions will need a majority of 75% of the votes cast. The special contribution may only be used for the objectives of the association. The General Meeting may decide that the exact amount of the annual special contribution shall be determined by the Board. The Board has to take into account the use of the special contribution. Upon request, a member may be exempted from paying the special contribution by resolution of the Executive Board. Any member who has voted against the collection of the special contributions may withdraw from the association by written declaration to the Executive Board in which the special surcharge was resolved.

§ 6        Bodies of the Association

The Bodies of the Association are as follows:

  1. The General Meeting
  2. The Board of Directors
  3. The Advisory Board

 

§ 7        General Meeting

  1. The General Meeting shall be held annually before 1st of December. All members of the association are to be officially invited by the Board of Directors at least four weeks beforehand in written form by email or post.
    A meeting agenda should accompany the invitation.
  2. An extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the Board of Directors if deemed necessary in the best interest of the association or if at least 40%** of the regular members officially request this and provide a reason.
  3. The General Meeting will settle the following issues:
    • election of the Board of Directors, including chairperson (president) and two deputy chairs (see § 8),
    • subscription rules,
    • guidelines for the association’s work,
    • exoneration of the Board of Directors,
    • the association’s business and financial reports,
    • Changes to statutory articles.
  4. Every duly scheduled General Meeting (normal or exceptional) is a quorum. Decisions on all issues other than changes to the statutory articles or the liquidation of the association require a simple majority.
  5. A member may assign a representative to cast the vote on his behalf. Each representative may represent only one other member.
  6. Minutes of the General Meeting must be kept and signed by the chairperson of the meeting and the Secretary.

* Decision of the General Meeting on March 8, 2019, Hürth (Germany).

** “half” was changed to “40%”: General Meeting on November 30th 2010, Huerth (Germany).

 

§ 8        Board of Directors

  1. The Board of Directors consists of at least 3 members, including a chairperson and two deputy chairs. The chairperson is also the president of EIHA.
  2. All members of the Board of Directors must be delegated by regular members of the association.
  3. The President and the two Vice-Presidents of the Board as well as the other members of the Board shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years. The removal of individual or all members of the Board requires a 3/4 majority of the votes cast. A board member may be re-elected. Membership in the Board comes into force immediately after the election has been accepted. The board members are elected individually unless the General Meeting decides on a different election procedure. In particular, an overall vote (including block voting) for all or some of the board members can be decided. *
  4. Each chairperson is authorised to represent individually as described in § 26 of the German Code of Civil Law. Each chairperson may represent the association on his own.
  5. Responsibilities of the Board of Directors: preparation of financial statements, engagement or dismissal of the employees of the association, management of ongoing business, accounts and administration of the association, invitations to General Meetings, control of the work plan and budget, maintaining external contacts, public relations and the submission of public reports between General Meetings. The Board of Directors will appoint an executive committee/office, headed by a managing director to perform these responsibilities. All members of the executive committee/office must be independent from the regular members and are bound only by the decisions of the Board of Directors. The management of the association can also be assigned to a legal entity, an institute or a company. The managing director always has to be a natural person.
  6. The Board of Directors will meet annually. The minutes of these meetings are available to all members of the association.
  7. The Board of Directors constitutes a quorum if half the members are present at the meeting. Decisions will be reached by a simple majority. The Board of Directors is bound by the regulations of the General Meeting.
  8. In order to co-ordinate the association’s work, the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) will maintain one location as the head office and further offices as required by the association work. All correspondence in the name of the association must be signed by at least the chairperson or one of the deputy chairs of the Board of Directors, with the address of the head office having to be included in the letterhead. The right to sign any correspondence may be officially delegated by the Board of Directors.

* Decision of the General Meeting on March 8, 2019, Hürth (Germany).

 

§ 9         Advisory Board

  1. Members of the Advisory Board are appointed by the Board of Directors.
  2. Members of the Advisory Board may only be natural persons who are particularly suited to the task of representing the association or who have specialist competencies in connection with the goals of the association.
  3. Following appropriate consultation members of the Advisory Board will advise the General Meeting and the Board of Directors on specific issues.

 

§ 10      Financial Audit

The association’s accounts will be audited annually by one* financial auditors elected at the General Meeting. He/she is* required to provide an annual statement of accounts no later than nine months after the end of a business year and to provide a written report at the following General Meeting.

 

§ 11      Changes to statutory articles

Changes to statutory articles may only occur at meetings, which constitute a quorum, and with a 3/4 majority** of all votes represented at the meeting. Changes to statutory articles are to be announced with the invitation to the General Meeting.

 

§ 12      Termination of the association

  1. EIHA can be terminated only at an extraordinary General Meeting called for this purpose and with a 2/3 majority of the votes represented at the meeting.
  2. In case of termination of the association or the cessation of aims that carry tax privileges, the Board of Directors will propose to the membership a purpose of use for accumulated funds. Acceptance of a proposal requires a single majority of votes. Decisions of the General Meeting concerning the future application of the funds may take effect once the Board of Directors has received approval from the revenue office.

 

§ 13      Minutes

Minutes must be kept of all official meetings of the association’s bodies. The minutes, which are available to all members, must be submitted to the head office for distribution within two months* before the meeting.

§ 14      Effective date

These statutory articles will take effect with the passing of the resolution at the foundation meeting and the entry in the association registry (VR 1397) on 23.11.2005.

* Decision of the General Meeting on March 8, 2019, Hürth (Germany)

** Decision of the General Meeting on December 10th, 2015, Hürth (Germany).