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STATUTE

BALKAN CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC UNION

(Varna, September 14, 2021)

Preamble

The Balkan Cultural and Economic Union was established in Varna, Republic of Bulgaria and has its affiliates and representatives in the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Greece, the Republic of Italy, the Republic of Kosovo, Republic of Montenegro,  the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Romania, and Republic of Turkey.

After the founders signed in Varna, on September 2, 2021, the protocol of the Constituent Assembly for the establishment of the Balkan Cultural and Economic Union, they united around the development of the ideas, principles and goals of cultural and economic cooperation between all Balkan countries and between Balkan countries and third countries around the world.

The establishment of the Balkan Cultural and Economic Union is in harmony with the directives of the European Union, as well as with the generally recognized principles and norms of international law;

to join efforts to develop strong and close cooperation between countries in the Balkan Peninsula region;

in line with the growing role and importance of regional initiatives in promoting progress and shaping the way of modern international life;

with a clear determination to work for the permanent improvement of the welfare of the Balkan peoples;

taking into account the cultural and business potential of all Balkan countries and the opportunities to strengthen the mutually beneficial cultural and economic cooperation between them;

in order to overcome the severe consequences in many sectors of the economy of the Balkan countries after the pandemic, to satisfy the need to create a structure for regional cooperation based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, prosperity through economic freedom, social justice, security and stability, open to interaction with other countries, regional initiatives, international organizations;

The establishment of the Balkan Cultural and Economic Union is related to the initiative to develop economic cooperation between the Balkan countries in order to contribute to the achievement of a higher degree of integration of the Balkan countries in the world economy, with the aim of turning the Balkan Peninsula region into a of peace, stability and prosperity; with the aim of turning it into a powerful organization of the Balkan countries.

Chapter I.

Prerequisites for the creation of the Union

The wealth of the world is a colorful palette of different cultures of people. It is also inherent in the European nations and is one of the reasons for the unification of Europe. Common heritage, human rights, a strong and competitive market economy with full employment and social progress, and environmental protection are the foundation for the further development of relations between all countries on the European continent.

The stability and commitment of these relations are determined and achieved through the presence of a global structuring of society, the creation at the regional level of associations of citizens, business unions and associations for free communication and for cultural and economic cooperation.

Chapter II.

General Provisions

Article 1.

  • (1) “Balkan Cultural and Economic Union”, abbreviated (BCEU), hereinafter referred to as “the Union” is a non-profit legal entity designated to carry out activities for PUBLIC benefit. The Union is a coalition of organizations in the field of culture and representatives of all sectors of the economy of the countries located in whole or in part on the Balkan Peninsula. Its name, in addition to Bulgarian, is additionally written in English, namely: “BALKAN CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC UNION” (BCEU).
  • (2) The seat and the address of management shall be the Republic of Bulgaria, 9000 city of Varna, 11a Krastyu Mirski Str., 7,
  • (3) The Association has its own seal, with its name and symbols, adopted at the Constituent Assembly of the Union.
  • (4) The Union has the status of a supranational structure. (5) Bulgarian and English shall be accepted as the main working languages of the Union. (This condition is further amended following the voluntary addition of official languages of the Balkan member states of the Union).

Article 2.

The Union is a supranational and non-political structure created to promote the development of the culture and economy of the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.

2.1. Areas of cooperation

In accordance with the agreed principles and with the aim of more effective use of human and other resources to ensure sustainable growth of the national economy and the social well-being of the Balkan peoples, BCEU develops its projects in the following areas: culture and education, exchange of students, trade in industrial goods and services; banking, finance and insurance; communications, energy sources; transportation; agriculture and agro-industry; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; environmental protection; tourism; science and technology; cooperation between customs and other border authorities; contacts between people; analyzes of the economic development of the Balkan countries, charity and mutual aid.

2.2. The main objectives of the Union are:

(1) To maintain an atmosphere of friendship and good neighborliness and to strengthen mutual respect and trust, dialogue and cooperation between the Balkan countries;

(2) Formation of a cultural, industrial, financial, commercial, scientific, personnel and information policy to promote the settlement of relations between entrepreneurs and their social partners; further development and diversification of bilateral and multilateral cooperation among the Balkan countries, based on the principles and norms of international law;

(3) Creation of favorable conditions for entrepreneurial activity, interaction between business entities and public bodies and local authorities in the Balkan countries. Coordination and presentation of interests of all entrepreneurs and their associations, regardless of their form of ownership, subordination and their location on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula;

(4) Supporting comprehensive development of trade-economic, investment and scientific-technical cooperation of entrepreneurs from the Balkan countries with entrepreneurs from other countries; to act to improve the business environment and promote individual and collective initiatives of enterprises and companies directly involved in the process of cultural and economic cooperation;

(5) Promotion of cross-border cooperation of the Balkan countries in the development of Balkan culture;

(6) Promotion of free trade relations between business entities and the development of economic cooperation in such a way that it does not contradict the international obligations of the Balkan economic entities, including the obligations arising from their membership in international organizations or institutions of integration or other character, and not to hinder the development of their relations with third parties;

(7) Development and implementation of own Balkan brand /product/ and all related different types of services;

(8) To take into account all specific economic conditions and interests of subjects from the Balkan countries participating in certain economic relations.

 

Article 3.

Means of achieving the objectives

            1/ Assists in the preservation and presentation of the cultural heritage of all countries of the Balkan Peninsula and in the realization of cultural programs and the holding of cultural events on an exchange basis in all Balkan countries;

2/ Participates and represents the Balkan countries in holding world and regional forums in the fields of “Culture” and “Economy”;

            3/ In order to represent and protect its interests, the Union may open representative offices and establish branches and affiliates, including in countries that do not belong to the Balkan countries.

BCEU is open for accession to any country which wishes to become a member of the Organization and which is able and willing to put into practice the principles and objectives of BCEU set out in this Statute.

Applications for the admission of new BCEU members are submitted to the BCEU President.

4/ In order to promote the development of various types of entrepreneurship, as well as to support new economic structures and to spread the experience of their work in the conditions of a market economy, the Union may create an institute for analysis, directorates, commissions, committees, councils and sections. Directorates, commissions, committees, councils and sections of the Union conduct research and analysis of provisions regulating entrepreneurial activity, cultural development, their practical application, and also develop proposals for their improvement and recommendations for shaping the position of the cultural and business community.

5/ Directorates, commissions, committees, councils and sections of the Union are established by a coordinated decision of the President of the Union and the Chairman of the Managing Board and carry out their activities in accordance with the normative documents and directives approved by them. Directors of directorates, chairmen of commissions, committees, councils and sections of the Union are appointed and dismissed by the President of the Union and the Chairman of the Managing Board.

Article 4.

Subject of activity of BCEU

1/ Coordinates, agrees and determines the participation of the representatives of the various Balkan countries in cultural and economic projects;

            2/ Organizes forums and workshops of the members of the Union with partners from all regions of the world.

            3/ Applications for financing the activities of BCEU under EU programs.

            4/ The Union may engage in income-generating activities only to the extent that this serves to achieve the objectives of the Union for which it was created. The profits received by the Union are not distributed among its members, but serve to maintain and strengthen the provision of its statutory activity in accordance with the principles of formation and use of its property;

5/ After a decision of the Managing Board of the Union, it creates its own printing body and other publications and information sources in the global network.

Article 5.

Scientific cooperation

BCEU promotes the development of cooperation between the scientific communities, scientists and scholars of the Balkan countries in the interest of implementing the principles and objectives of BCEU within their competence.

 

Article 6.

Status of observers

Observer status in the BCEU may be granted – upon request – to any international organization that has expressed its desire to make a practical and useful contribution to the work of the BCEU.

Observer status may be granted, suspended or revoked by the Council in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Article 7.

The Union owns separate property and is responsible for its obligations with this property. It can acquire and exercise property and personal non-property rights on its own behalf, bear obligations, be a plaintiff and a defendant in court and arbitration.

Article 8.

The Union performs its functions independently and in cooperation with governments, municipalities, cultural institutions and other individuals and legal entities from the cultural and economic spheres from all Balkan countries.

Article 9.

Relations with third parties

BCEU promotes relations with third parties (international business organizations and cultural institutions) interested in cooperation on various issues of mutual interest through:

  1. a) participation in discussions as partners within the framework of periodic exchanges and consultations;
  2. b) participation in intersectoral conferences as partners, opportunities to participate in meetings on specific issues;
  3. c) participation in economic projects in which the interests of the Balkan countries participating in them are preserved and protected as a priority.

Article 10.

The Union performs the following functions

  1. Performs an analysis of cultural and entrepreneurial activity, the application of regulations in these areas and presents proposals to the relevant bodies of the Balkan countries for their improvement.
  2. Promotes the development of trade in the Balkan countries, provides practical assistance to organizations and individual entrepreneurs to establish business relations with business partners in the Balkans and other countries outside the Union.
  3. Creates conditions for the promotion and development of culture in the Balkans.
  4. Organizes musical, theatrical, culinary and other events in all Balkan countries.
  5. In accordance with the established procedure, maintains its own, separate non-state register of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs registered in the Balkan countries, whose financial and economic situation testifies to their reliability as partners for entrepreneurial activity, maintains other non-state registers and provides information from these registers of the members of the Union.

Chapter III.

PARTNERSHIP

Article 11.

The partners of the Union are legal entities, including organizations uniting legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, as well as individual entrepreneurs and cultural figures, registered in the manner provided by the legislation of the respective Balkan country.

Article 12.

Admission to partnership in the Union is open to other natural and legal persons who share the goals and principles of the Union and have expressed their agreement to accept the obligations contained in these Statutes.

Acceptance of new partners is based on an official declaration (written application form).

Article 13.

Organizations and entrepreneurs external to the Union are attracted to the work of the Union through clubs, commissions, committees that are created for the Union.

Article 14.

The partners of the Union or their authorized representatives have the right to:

  1. Submit proposals related to its activity and their consideration by the Union bodies;
  2. Participate in the activities of the Union and in the work of the public formations of the Union;
  3. They benefit from the advantages of partnership in the Union, which the Union provides them.

 

Article 15.

Each partner of the Union is obliged to:

  1. Assists and contributes to the fulfillment of the objectives, tasks and functions of the Union;
  2. Performs its activities while respecting the other members of the Union; to adhere to the principles of honesty and not to engage in unfair competition.
  3. Keeps the commandments of the One

Chapter IV.

GOVERNMENT BODIES AT BCEU

The President

Article 16.

The highest governing body of the Union is the PRESIDENT, who is registered in the organization for a program period of 12 years.

Managing Board

Article 17.

The honorary members of the BCEU Managing Board and all the founders have signed this Charter. Functioning of the Balkan cultural and economic union based on representative democracy.

Article 18.

Members of the Balkan Cultural and Economic Union are all representatives of the Union in the Balkan countries, previously approved by the honorary members of the Managing Board. The Governing Council of the Union is headed by Chairman elected by the Governing Council of the Union from among its members.

Article 19.

The Managing Board and the President within the objectives of BCEU:

  1. a) make decisions on all issues related to the functioning of BCEU;
  2. b) make decisions on membership and observer status;
  3. c) adopt the Rules of Procedure and amend them;
  4. d) create subsidiary bodies within the BCEU, formulate their tasks, determine, change or terminate their mandates;

(e) consider any other relevant matters which it considers worthy of consideration.

Chairman of the Managing Board

Article 20.

The Chairman of the Managing Board is elected once every 10 program years from the moment of the Union’s registration.

Article 21.

(1) The CHAIRMAN of the Managing Board, together with the PRESIDENT of the Union, are the highest governing body of BCEU.

Article 22.

The Chairman of the Managing Board convenes regular meetings not less than once a year.

(1) The invitation to convene the meeting is published on the website of the Union.

(2) Regular meetings are chaired by Chairman specially chosen for this purpose, for the period of the meeting/conference. The Acting Chairman coordinates all activities carried out within the BCEU and ensures the proper functioning of the BCEU, as well as the implementation of the adopted resolutions and decisions.

The position of chairman is changed within a period of one year in accordance with the English alphabet. In the event of a resignation from the presidency, the next Balkan country in alphabetical order takes over.

Article 23.

A quorum for holding a meeting is present if more than 50% of the delegates are present. In an emergency, a meeting of the members of the management board can be convened online.

Article 24.

Decisions at regular (extraordinary) meetings are made by open voting. The decision is considered adopted if the majority votes for it (50% + 1 vote) of the delegates present at the meeting. Decisions of the Managing Board of the Union may be adopted without holding a meeting by absentee voting (by poll).

Article 25.

The Governing Council of the Union

  1. Determines the main directions, priorities and forms of practical activity of the Union for the implementation of decisions.
  2. Approves the annual report and accounting (financial) statements of the Union. Approves the financial plan of the Union, makes changes to it.
  3. Convenes regular and extraordinary meetings of the Union.
  4.   Sets standards for branches and affiliates of the Union.
  5.         5. Determines the conditions of the employment contract concluded by the Managing Board of the Union on behalf of the Union with the President of the Union. An employment contract with the President of the Union on behalf of the Union is concluded by a person authorized by the Managing Board of the Union.
  6. The President of the Union appoints the director of the “CULTURE” department and the director of the “ECONOMY” department. The President of the Union and the Chairman of the Managing Board decide to relieve them from position.

 

  1. Examines issues related to coordination and cooperation between representatives of all Balkan countries;
  2. Studies the organizational aspects of the activity of BCEU, participates in the development of a preliminary schedule of events, makes decisions on relevant issues, with the exception of issues that are within the competence of the Council and the current chairman;

Article 26.

The Council includes the President of the Union ex officio. The President of the Union cannot be the Chairman of the Council.

Article 27.

The members of the Council perform their activities on a voluntary basis. At the same time, the President of the Union may decide, through honorariums, to reimburse the expenses of the members of the Managing Board, related to their participation in the work of the Union.

Article 28.

The meetings of the Managing Board of the Union shall be convened by the Chairman of the Managing Board of the Union as necessary, but at least once every six months. Extraordinary meetings of the Governing Council of the Union may be convened at the request of the President of the Union or at least one third of the members of the Governing Council of the Union.

Article 29.

Meetings of the Governing Council of the Union shall be considered legitimate if more than half of the members of the Governing Council of the Union are present. Decisions of the Board of Directors of the Union shall be adopted by an open vote by a majority of the votes of the members of the Board of Directors present and shall take effect immediately, unless otherwise stated in the decision itself. The meetings of the Managing Board of the Union can be held in the form of personal presence of members of the Managing Board of the Union or in forms that do not require their mandatory presence (in the mode of video calls, etc.), or in a mixed form. Decisions of the Managing Board of the Union may be adopted without holding a meeting by absentee voting (by poll).

Article 30.

In order to resolve the issues of the current leadership of the Union, the General Assembly elects a sole executive body – the President of the Union.

The President of the Union:

  1. Monitors the ongoing activities of the Union;
  2. Manages the overall activity of the Union without a power of attorney, represents it in relations with any legal entities and individuals, including ministries and other departments, commercial companies, courts and arbitrations on the territory of all Balkan countries, as well as before other international organizations;
  3. Disposes of the property of the Union, opens settlement and other bank accounts, issues powers of attorney;
  4. The President of the Union hires employees and terminates professional relationships with them, makes decisions on incentives and sanctions.
  5. Submits for approval by the Managing Board of the Union projects for the activities of the Union, as well as reports on the implementation of these projects;

Article 31.

The President and Chairman of the BCIS Board of Directors:

  1. The President of the Union and the Chairman of the Managing Board do not have the right to permanently hold state or municipal positions, as well as positions in the state or municipal service;

Chapter V.

CONTROL AUTHORITY OF THE UNION

Article 32.

In order to monitor compliance with the Statute of the Union and implement the decisions of the governing bodies of the Union in the field of financial and economic activities, the President of the Union and the Chairman of the Managing Board elect for a period of 5 (five) years an audit commission from among the persons who do not are members of the Managing Board of the Union. The audit commission in its activity is guided by the regulations for the activity of the Union.

Chapter VI.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY

Article 33.

According to the LAW ON NON-PROFIT LEGAL ENTITIES, the Union may independently or with other individuals and/or legal entities carry out business activities to raise funds, solely and exclusively for the realization of its goals.

Article 34.

The Union does not distribute the profit from its additional economic activity. All income from this activity is used to achieve the goals defined in this Statute and the opportunities provided for in the Law on Non-Profit Legal Entities and in the Commercial Law. The implementation and control over the economic activity is entrusted to the Council of the Union.

Article 35.

Voluntary donations to the organization

Special funds may be established in accordance with joint decisions of the President and the Chairman of the Managing Board. To this end, all voluntary contributions from BCEU partners, groups of observer states, third-party sponsors are welcomed, if the conditions for providing such voluntary contributions are in accordance with the principles and objectives of BCEU.

Each special fund is governed by specific rules and regulations adopted for that fund by the Managing Board.

Chapter VII.

LIQUIDATION

Article 36.

  1. Upon termination of the Union, liquidation is carried out.
  2. The liquidation is carried out by the BCEU Council or by a person designated by it.
  3. 3. If the liquidator is not appointed in accordance with 2., he shall be appointed by the District Court – Varna, at the seat of the Union.
  4. Regarding declaration of bankruptcy, the procedure for liquidation and the powers of the liquidator, the provisions of the Commercial Law shall be applied accordingly.