Charter Corax e.V.

§ 1 Name, Domicile, Registration, Financial Year

The Association bears the name Corax e.V – Initiative for Community Radio.
The seat of the Association is in Halle/Saale.
It is registered in the association register at the City Court of Halle/Saale.
The financial year is the calendar year.

§ 2 Goals of the Association

1. The goals of the Association are
• to develop and operate a non-profit, local radio station and to create radio programmes;

• to create educational opportunities in non-profit radio broadcasting;

• to advocate for the advancement of the legal foundations for non-profit, local community radio stations;

• to promote the idea of community radios and other alternative forms of media as a means of communication between and networking among people, organizations and clubs in local areas;

• to support youth services by working with children and adolescents in pedagogical media with a focus on their communicative and media competencies;

• to promote intercultural understanding in the area of transmission;

• to promote access to information that is independent of commercial interests;

• to create opportunities for communication among diverse sections of the population;

• to provide access to local media for all segments of the population, especially for those persons and groups who have previously been denied access;

• to promote local culture, art and science;

• to promote gender equality;

• to promote the protection of the environment;

• to promote political, scientific and artistic education;

• to disseminate information about local sports;

• to promote health education;

• to promote supra-regional networking and exchanges with other non-profit, community and local radio stations, both domestically and abroad.

The goals of the Association are also furthered by organizing and conducting symposia, seminars, lectures and workshops on thematic topics. The Association’s goals further include creating opportunities and structures that are appropriate for facilitating youth services, especially those which develop communication skills and mutual understanding.
The Association may establish associations and friends’ associations or recognize those which act in accordance with the goals and objectives of Radio Corax e.V. The Annual General Meeting may recognize one or more association as friends’ associations with a two-thirds majority of members present.

2. The Association is institutionally, politically and denominationally independent.

§ 3 Membership

1. Any natural or legal, private or public person who supports the goals of the Association can become a member. The only requirement is to submit an application for membership to the Board of Directors. Any person who spreads or intends to spread fascist, racist or sexist ideas is excluded from membership.

2. Membership ends
• by a written statement to the governing board;
• by formal expulsion, which can only occur by resolution at the Annual General Meeting;
• by breach of the contribution rules;
• by death of the member.

3. The possibility exists to join the Association as a sponsoring member. Sponsoring members are persons who are not required to participate in Association activities and do not have voting rights at the Annual General Meeting but support the Association in material and non-material ways. They are named as sponsoring members at the Annual General Meeting.

4. Persons who have rendered outstanding services to the Association may be named as honorary members at the Annual General Meeting. Honorary members are exempted from membership fees.

5. Upon leaving the Association, no member has any claim upon any of the Association’s assets.

§ 4 Bodies of the Association

The Association’s bodies are:
1. the Annual General Meeting
2. the Board of Directors
3. the Advisory Board
4. the Management

§ 5 Annual General Meeting

1. The Ordinary Annual General Meeting is the highest decision-making body and shall be held at least once a year. It is called by the Board of Directors by written notice given at least four weeks prior. With the written consent of the member, the invitation may be sent per email.
The Annual General Meeting has the following tasks in particular:
• the acceptance of the statement of accounts of the Board of Directors and, if applicable, the Management;

• the appointment and dismissal of the members of the Board of Directors;

• the exclusion of a member;

• the resolution on the allocation of the Association’s assets;

• the resolution on possible amendments to the Charter and the dissolution of the Association;

• the recognition of sponsoring and honorary members;

• the adoption of an editorial statute as the basis of the station’s operations;

• the resolution on possible changes to the editorial charter.

2. In the written invitation to the Annual General Meeting the Board of Directors must give notice of the topics on the agenda they set. Each member may submit an addition to the agenda by no later than one week before the meeting. A vote is taken on this proposal at the Annual General Meeting. The additional item is included on the agenda with at least 10% ‘yes’ votes of the members present.

3. Resolutions are passed by a simple majority of the members present at the Annual General Meeting. The exercising of the right to vote by proxy is not permissible. Legal persons are represented by those who are designated as such in writing by the Board of Directors (max. two votes). Resolutions to amend the Charter and the resolution to dissolve the Association require a two-thirds majority of all members present.

4. Amendments to the Charter which concern the non-profit goals of the Association require the approval of the tax authorities. A resolution on the dissolution of the Association is to be reported to the tax authorities.

5. Minutes are to be taken on the running of and the resolutions at the Annual General Meeting and are to be signed by the keeper of the minutes. The minutes must be available to the members within one month; objections can be registered only within one month after the minutes have been made available.

6. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called when it is in the interest of the Association or when at least 10% of the members present submit a written request to the Board of Directors indicating the purpose and reasons. If the Board of Directors does not follow this request, the members are entitled to call a General Meeting themselves.

7. A member who has grossly violated the rules or interests of the Association can be expelled from the Association by a 2/3 majority of members present.

§ 6 The Association’s Board of Directors

1. Only members of the Association may be appointed to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of at least: the first chairperson, the second chairperson, the treasurer, the secretary and an assessor.

2. The Board of Directors is elected at the Annual General Meeting for a term of two years and remains in office until a new election takes place. The members are elected individually. In case of the premature withdrawal of a member of the Board, the Board of Directors may appoint a successor for the remainder of the term.

3. The Association is represented both judicially and extra-judicially by two members of the Board based upon the resolutions of the Annual General Meeting and the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors makes decisions between Annual General Meetings by resolution at Board meetings which shall take place at least six times a year and for which minutes are kept. The resolutions of the Board are passed by a simple majority. The invitations are sent at least one week prior by the first chairperson or, if hindered, by the second chairperson. All meetings of the Board of Directors are open to members of the Association, who have the right to speak.

§ 7 Appointment of the Advisory Board

1. The Board of Directors may appoint an Advisory Board.

2. The Advisory Board supports the Board of Directors through suggestions and recommendations.

§ 8 Management

1. The Board of Directors may appoint a Managing Director or a Managing Board which oversees the operational management on behalf of and in accordance with the resolutions of the Annual General Meeting and the Board of Directors. The Management is accountable to the Board of Directors and the Annual General Meeting and may not sit on the Board of Directors.

§ 9 Non-profit Goals and Amendment of the Goals

1. The Association shall pursue exclusively and directly non-profit goals according to section three of the German Fiscal Code („Tax-privileged Objectives“ §§ 51 ff. of the Tax Code). The Association operates for the public good; its main interest does not lie in the pursuit of its own commercial advantage. The Association’s assets may only be used for the goals laid forth in the Charter. Members may not receive any allocations from the Association’s assets within the scope of their membership. No person may benefit from expenditures that are not related to the purpose of the Association or through disproportionately high salaries or emoluments.

2. In case of the dissolution of the Association or cessation of tax-privileged goals, the assets of the Association shall be transferred in equal parts to the agencies responsible for Radio F.R.E.I. in Erfurt and Coloradio in Dresden and are to be used for the purposes of youth services and youth welfare. Full particulars shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting, whose resolutions may only be carried out after the approval of the tax authorities.

§ 10 Membership Dues

A statute on the membership dues shall be passed at the Annual General Meeting with a 2/3 majority of members present and may be amended by such a majority if necessary.

Date of submission: 25.11.2006
Date of Charter Amendment: 01.11.2012