STATUTES

Of the Interregional Association

" Euroregion ............."

1. Preamble ....top of the page

The border regions of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Republic of Bulgaria and the FYR of Macedonia, located in the geographic area of the central Balkans, in accordance with the principles of equality and mutual prosperity, represented by the bodies that signed the Agreement,

establish

an Interregional Association named the ......................

as a joint advisory and co-ordinating body with the purpose of promoting transfrontier co-operation between the border regions – the members of the Association as defined in the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities, Article No. 106, of the Council of Europe.

2. General Provisions ....top of the page

2.1 This Statute does not affect any of the already existing forms and types of transfrontier co-operation between the States and Parties involved.

2.2 This Statute does not affect the scope and content of the powers presently exercised by the Parties according to the domestic law of their respective States.

2.3 Parties, within the framework of mutual agreements and capacity, shall ensure financial means necessary for the functioning of the Association and its bodies. All expenses of the .............Euroregion are to be covered by the local budgets as well as other sources, which are available to support its activities. "Fund-raising" for such additional financial sources in respect to mutual interests a common task of the members of the Association and its bodies.

2.4 Bodies of the Association shall exercise advisory, consulting and co-ordinating functions that shall not constitute any obligations of a legal character towards the Parties.

2.6 The Association and its bodies, while fulfilling their functions and implementing their tasks, may co-operate with international organisations and agencies which are directly interested in inter-regional co-operation.

2.7 The respective governments of the States whose regional and local representatives participate in the Association have the right to get any information on the activities and the decisions undertaken by the Association. They may also directly contact the bodies of the Association to inform them of the position – as well as the requests – of the governments, and direct consultations on the issues of interests of concern.

3. Regional Scope ....top of the page

3.1 The Association shall include the following regions/countries/cities of county rank:

In the FR of Yugoslavia - ……………………….

In the FYR of Macedonia - ...............................

In the Republic of Bulgaria - ......................................................

3.2 Membership and the regional scope of activities of the Association are open and can be changed in accordance with provisions of the present Statutes.

3.3 In case of any amendment concerning the regional scope and administration in any of the States that would affect the regional scope of the Association, the new territories shall be identified upon the principles of succession in agreement with the internal legisltation of the State concerned.

3.4 Membership in the Association does not exclude its members as well as outside territorial communities from accesing any bi- or multilateral relationship and agreement.

3.5 The Association does not represent any supranational or suprastate entity but rather a framework to facilitate interregional co-operation between its members.

3.6 Members of the Association can either have a status of "Full" or "Associate'' Member as determined by the Council. Each member of the Association is treated equal, regardless of their size of territory or population, except as may be determined by the Council in the case of an Associate Member.

3.7 The Assicate Member has got the same rights and duties as the Full Member including finacial rights and obligations. The Associate Member can neither propose a citizen of its State as a candidate for the position of the Chairman of the Council nor host a permanent secretariat on its territory.

3.8 The Euroregion.............. will hold its own (deposit) account according to the regulations identified by the Council.

3.9 The decisions to broaden the regional scope of the Euroregion............... by admitting a new member region is made by the Council of the Euroregion............... upon a written application signed by entitled authorities of the region, submitted to the Secretariat of the Euroregion.............. not later than two months before the adequate Meeting of the Council.

3.10 Any member region of the Euroregion ............... has the right to resign from Association. In this case the Chairman of the Council should be notified of the resignation by the resignation by the authorities of the region concerned.

3.11 Any member region of the Euroregion ……………. can suspend its membership in the Association for good reason for no longer than one year. The region concerned should state whether it intends to keep its membership or not before the end of the year of suspension. After the year of suspension has passed without any statement from the region concerned to the Council, the Council makes the decision of termination of the concerned region’s membership in the Association.

3.12 The Council can define requirements towards the region that applies for a membership or states the suspension of its membership in the Association if they apply for membership again later on. The Council can require their financial contribution to the budget of the Euroregion………..

3.13 Resignation or suspension of membership does not affect the financial obligations of the member concerned in the adequate financial year in the case when it is declared later than two months after the adoption of the budget. If the resignation or suspension of membership is declared before the adoption of the budget, the member concerned cannot be obliged to contribute to and cannot have a share from the budget.

4. Objectives and Tasks of the Association ....top of the page

The objectives and tasks of the Association are

- to organise and co-ordinate the activities that promote the co-operation between the members on the fields of economy, ecology, culture, science and education;

- to help and assist in elaborating concrete projects and plans concerning common interests;

- to promote and facilitate contacts between the people living in the area of the Association including the relationship between experts in different fields;

- to promote good neighbourly relations between its members;

- to identify potential fields of multilateral co-operation among the members;

- to mediate and facilitate co-operation of its members with international organisations, agencies and institutions.

5. Organisational Structure of the Association ....top of the page

5.1 The organisational structure of the Association is based on the following bodies:

- General Assembly of the Euroregion

- Council of the Euroregion;
- Chairman of the Council of the Euroregion;
- Executive Board and Executive Director of the permanent Secretariat;
- Working Commissions;
- National Coordinators for each member border region (National Offices).

5.2 The Bodies shall work as advisory, consulting and co-ordinating structures with the aim of promoting interregional co-operation between the members of the Association as well as representing the Association. The decisions made by the bodies can only be proposals for the member regions of the Association.

5.3 The organisational structure and powers of the Association can be amended according to the Statutes.

5.4 The existing structures of the Association comprise the Secretariat and the National Offices of the Euroregion……………… for all members of the Euroregion.

6. General Assembly ....top of the page

The General Assembly comprises all Full and Associate Members. The competency of the General Assembly is ……………….. The General Assembly will be hold once per two years…………

7. Council of Euroregion ....top of the page

7.1 The Council is the supreme body of the Association.

7.2 The Council is comprised of the mayors of the cities Niš (FR of Yugoslavia), Skopje (Macedonia) and Sofia (Bulgaria), three representatives from each border region of the Association elected by internal agreement, as well as one governmental representative of each Member State.
The presence of other invited persons at the Meetings of the Council is regulated by the Articles of Organisation of the Council.

7.3 The Meetings of the Council are held at least three times a year, the venue of the Meetings change by rotation. In principle all the expenses of the Meetings should be covered by the hosting National Party. This regulation can be amended according to the Statues of the Council.

7.4 Extraordinary Meetings of the Council may be convened by the Chairman of the Council on the proposal of the Chairman, the Executive Director or any National Party.

7.5 The competency of the Council comprises the following:

- discussion and adoption, as well as the financing and implementation of joint projects within the frames of the Association between regions;
- changes concerning the members of the Association;
- amendment of the Statutes;
- establishment of Working Commissions from the members of the Association which deal with special aspects of cross-border co-operation;
- adopting and implementation of amendments concerning the Articles of Organization of the Secretariat;
- decision on participation in interregional conferences and the list of participants;
- decision on the membership in other international regional organizations;
- representation of the Association towards third persons in case it goes beyond the competencies of the management;
- exercising the employers’ rights towards the Executive Director, not excluding the right to dismiss in reasonable situations;
- authorization of persons if necessary who are entitled to realize financial transactions;
decision on issues that are identified by the Statutes, and in matters that are not regulated in the Statutes and go beyond the competencies of the management;

7.6 Each decision of the Council needs unanimous vote.

7.7 Representatives of the National Parties or the Executive Director can submit projects to the Council.

7.8 The Council may invite experts its meetings.

7.9 The Members of the Council cover their duties on a voluntary basis.

7.10 Any further details of the structure and operation of the Council are included in the Articles of Organization of the Council.

8. Chairman of the Council Euroregion ....top of the page

8.1. The Chairman of the Council is elected for a two-year- term by the Council from its members according to the principle of rotation.

8.2 The Chairman of the Council is elected during the first Meeting of the Council of the calendar year.

8.3 The Chairman convenes and leads the Meetings of the Council and signs the adopted decisions.

8.4 Between the Meetings of the Council the Chairman acts as the person entitled by the Council towards other bodies of the Association as well as to third parties. If necessary, the Chairman helps with the work of the Executive Director and concerning the issues of other bodies of the Association. The Chairman has got the right to be informed about their activities. The Chairman also has got other functions that are imposed by the Council.

8.5 The Chairman works on a voluntary basis. At the same time in reasonable cases the Chairman is due to reimbursement of costs.

9. Executive Director ....top of the page

9.1 The Executive Director is the executive and administrative representative of the Association.

9.2 Following the evaluation of applications, the Council elects the Executive Director for a two-year term. The expectations and requirements according to the applicants are determined by the Council. After the election the adequate National Party signs the contract of employment with the elected applicant.

9.3 The commission of the Executive Director can be extended.

9.4 The position of the Executive Director is a full-time job, salary is determined by the Council.

9.5 The duties of the Executive Director comprise the following:

- Proposes projects, plans for the Council to adopt;
- Represents the Association on a daily basis towards third persons concerning the activities of the regular management;
- Signs documents and contracts in the name of the Association - if the contract concerned should involve any financial obligation by the Association, the previous written consent is needed by the Council.

- Co-ordinates activities on a daily basis concerning the obligations of the Association in the field of cross-border co-operation, the activity of the Working Commissions included;
- Fulfils the necessary financial and administrative duties for the Association, the active financial resource search for the Association as a whole;
- Prepares joint project proposals concerning interregional co-operation;
- Prepares documents of agreements for the Council to adopt;
- Prepares the Meetings of the Council in logistic sense and concerning the working documents;
- Prepares draft minutes of the Meetings;
- Directs the activities of the Secretariat;
- Forms and promotes contacts with local and international organizations, institutions;
- Prepares a report on the annual activity of the Executive Director and the Secretariat in the previous calendar year;
- Performs a daily contact, control and support concerning the activity of the National Offices and Working Commissions of the Euroregion………….;
- Performs other duties imposed by the Council.

9.6 The commission of the Executive Director is terminated in the following cases:

-end of commission;
- resignation;
- termination.

9.7 The Executive Director performs its duties and exercises power with assistance of the Secretariat. The duties of the Secretariat are performed by one of the National Offices of the Euroregion …………. that is appointed by the Council for a two-year term according to the principle of rotation. The Secretariat provides a general administrative support with the co-ordination of Association as a whole. The Secretariat is especially responsible for professional preparation of the work of the Council.

9.8 The Secretariat is in operation according to the Articles of Organisation adopted by the Council.

9.9 The Executive Director and the Secretariat perform their duties according to the equal respect of each party.

9.10 The location of the Secretariat is determined by the Council according to the principle of rotation.

9.11 The expenses of the Executive Director and the Secretariat are covered through the budget of the Association.

10. Working Commissions ....top of the page

10.1 The Working Commissions are established by the decision of the Council and deal with special fields of interregional co-operation between the members.

10.2 The proposals of the Members of the Working Commissions are presented at the Meetings of the Council or to the Executive Director.

10.3 The Working Commission can invite experts to participate in their work.

10.4 According to the decision of the Council Working Commissions responsible in the following fields of cross-border co-operation are established: If necessary, the Council can establish other Working Commissions as well.

10.5 The venue and the financial background of the activities of the Working Commissions are determined by the Council.

10.6 The funding of the Working Commissions is covered by the common budget of the Association as well as where necessary local budgets.

10.7 The Members of the Working Commissions perform their duties on a voluntary basis. At the same time in reasonable cases the Members are due to reimbursement of costs.

10.8 The Meetings of the Working Commission are led by the Chairmans of the respective Working Commissions who are elected by their Members.

10.9 The activities of the Working Commissions are coordinated by the Secretariat or the National Offices of the Euroregion………………...

10.10 Other details of the activities of the Working Commissions are determined by the Articles of Organization adopted by the Council.

11. National Offices ....top of the page

11.1 The National Offices of the Euroregion……………are to be established in each Member State of the Association. The structure, legal form, number of employees and other issues fall within the scope of authority of the adequate National Party. The Council determines the minimal requirements that have to be met by the National Offices.

11.2 The financial and structural background needed have to be provided by the adequate National Party to promote the efficient activity of the offices.

11.3 The expenses of the activities of the National Offices are covered by the national budget of the respective National Party of the Euroregion………….. The Council of the Euroregion ………. can propose a minimal budget limit for the National Parties in order to ensure the proper efficiency of their work.

11.4 The competencies of the National Offices comprise mainly the following:

- Co-ordinates all cross-border activity of the National Party that are connected to the membership of the Euroregion;

- Performs regular contact and exchange of information with the Secretariat and other National Offices of the Euroregion;
- Promotes and supports the bi- and multilateral cross-border projects that are initiated and shouldered by the given National Party, its member regions, institutions and other organizations;
- Serves as an information center for all institutions and persons interested in cross-border activities;
- Creates ideas concerning cross-border activities and projects;
- Shoulders activities that are aiming at the representation and promotion of the Euroregion;
- Performs financial resource search aiming at the promotion of cross-border activities in the Euroregion;
- Provides technical assistance for the Members of the Council representing the adequate National Party in its work;
- Keeps strict contact and helps the Executive Director with providing necessary services concerning international multipartner projects shouldered by the Euroregion;
- Represents daily the adequate National Party of the Euroregion towards third persons with the right included to seek funds and sign adequate documents in accordance with the internal legal regulations;
- Co-ordinates the activities of the Working Commissions according to the provisions of the Council;
- Performs other duties imposed by the Council, Members of the Council of the adequate National Party or the Executive Director.

11.5 The directors of the National Offices make an annual report on their activities and send it to the Executive Director, who accomplishes the total annual report on activities of the Association presented to the Council.

11.6 In order to guarantee effective communication between the bodies of the Association and the National Parties, the English language is declared as the official language of the Euroregion concerning the circulation of official documents.

12. Financial regulation of the activities within the Association ....top of the page

12.1 The members make their best efforts to ensure the financial background for the implementation of the duties and objectives of the Association.

12.2 The expenses of joint projects adopted by the Council and the expenses of the operation of the Association are to be covered in equal contributions by the National Parties. "Fund-raising" for additional financial sources, where needed, in respect to mutual interests, is a common task of the members of the Association and its bodies.

12.3 The National Parties have to ensure the necessary funds for the Association in a way that they provide financial background to operate their National Offices and the Working Commissions coordinated by them, and the organization of the Council’s Meetings.
12.3.1 If necessary, beyond the above mentioned obligations the Council can decide to calculate a common budget for the Association in order to ensure financial resources for the joining structures and projects.

12.4 The budget of the Association can be raised and completed by external resources.

12.5 The Council decides on the expenditure, allocation and the way of calculation of the budget.

12.6 The ways of financial transfers and contributions are decided by the National Parties internally.

12.7 The fields of the financial operation of the Association are controlled by ?

12.8 In the case of missing the accomplishment of the shouldered financial obligations or delays to a considerable extent the consequences are determined by the Council.

12.9 In the case of termination of membership the party concerned cannot exercise the claim of compensation against the Association.

13. Closing regulations ....top of the page

13.1 Membership in the Association can be terminated at the end of the sixth month taken from the time of its declaration but the obligations are to be fulfilled.

13.2 In the case of the termination of the Association, all properties and obligations of the Association are to be shared equally among the parties.

13.3 The causes of termination can be:

- the failure of the implementation of objectives and tasks established by the Association or according to the decision of the Council;
- when the number of members is one.

13.4. The original text of the Agreement and the Statutes is translated into Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian and English, which are corresponding each other. The proposals for the amendment of the Statutes are to be sent to the Secretariat 30 days before the planned date of the Meeting of the Council.

13.5 The Agreement comes into force, after the Statute is signed by the parties concerned.

13.6 The first Meeting of the Council is convened by the Preparatory Commission within a month following the signing procedure of the Agreement and the Statutes.